Cult of the Lamb is a phenomenal experience. From its design choices to its exploration, cult management, visual aesthetics and combat, each moment in the game is punctuated by sharp, clever choices, and a commitment to its cutesy-gothic style. Whether you’re sacrificing your cult members to gain strength or wandering in the dark woods to find resources that’ll keep your flock from starving, there are always rewarding tasks to complete, and new methods of making progress.
Once you’re at the end of your long and gorgeous journey in Cult of the Lamb, you might be wondering what’s next. If you found yourself enchanted by the game’s cutesy creatures, or its rouge-like dungeon crawling, or even its cult management, you might be looking for a similar experience. That’s where this list comes in handy.
Read: Cult of the Lamb, Clanfolk, and moving on from the legacy of Rimworld
If you’ve finished Cult of the Lamb – or you’re just looking for a similar vibe – here’s a bunch of video games that we recommend playing next.
Wytchwood
Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows PC,
Wytchwood is a brilliant adventure game that shares similar aesthetics and themes with Cult of the Lamb. Here, you play as an odd witch tasked with collecting a variety of items, and traversing various medieval locales to do so. In the first stages of the game, you’re set free to wander a colourful forest, illustrated with storybook charm. Later, you visit a shore filled with strange fish monsters, and an ancient village where crooks roam.
In each locale, you need to collect items that can be combined to form tools and traps that will nab you even more items. Wytchwood is essentially one big collect-a-thon, with a gothic twist. While it doesn’t share everything in common with Cult of the Lamb – it lacks a hearty combat system, and there are no flocks to manage – it features a very similar aesthetic, and should be perfect for those who loved Lamb‘s gothic tilt.
Littlewood
Platform(s): Windows PC,
Littlewood is a town management game that takes place in the aftermath of a great war. You play as the hero who slayed the Dark Wizard and saved the world, at the cost of their memories – and it’s up to you to rebuild your town as citizens slowly return. Each in-game day, you can meet new people, re-establish more of the town, and decorate it in any way you choose. Plant trees and other crops. Invest in the local cafe. Romance your favourite town citizen, and go on cute little dates to neighbouring towns.
If you need more resources, you’ll need to head into the town’s dark forests and fight for new fruits, timber, creatures, and other items – which should sound familiar to Cult of the Lamb fans. The gameplay loop here is quite similar, and while the forests of Littlewood aren’t as dense as dungeons in Lamb, they still provide combat and exploration opportunities that spice up daily gameplay. If you’re looking for a new fantasy management sim, don’t look past Littlewood.
Cozy Grove
Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows PC,
Cozy Grove is another management simulator game with a neat twist. In this adventure, you find yourself stranded on a haunted island filled with demanding ghosts, and plenty of strange items to collect and trade. Each day, you get particular tasks in Cozy Grove, with some requiring you to journey far on your island searching for unique items, and others requiring you to chat with the local ghosts or help them with unique tasks.
Read: The best cosy, relaxing games for Nintendo Switch
As a ‘daily’ game, you can’t totally breeze through this game all at once – but with a measured pace and plenty to do per day, it’ll keep you hooked on improving your tiny island and pleasing your crew of ghosts. Unlike Cult of the Lamb, there’s no combat in Cozy Grove, but it features a similarly haunting, gothic tone and a management system that will likely feel familiar. And in good news, the folks you interact with in Cozy Grove are already dead – which should spare you the Lamb heartache of watching your flock die of old age.
Hades
Platform(s): PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC,
Hades and Cult of the Lamb share a lot in common – most notably in their colourful, cel-shaded art styles and dungeon-crawling combat. While Hades does not have the management simulation aspect of Cult of the Lamb, it does feature a weapons-heavy combat-adventure system that allows players to level up their tools and fight towards the ‘end’ of seemingly endless dungeons. With each run in Hades, you grow more powerful, similar to how you can level up your lamb in Cult of the Lamb.
It’s all a matter of forging ahead, dodging those harsh enemy projectiles, and advancing just a little bit further with every run. While Hades is a bit more intense than Lamb, with a heartier combat system and more powerful enemies overall, it should still enthral Lamb fans in its gothic Greek mythology tale. With phenomenal art dripping in style and one of gaming’s best combat systems, you shouldn’t look past Hades.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch
The similarities between Cult of the Lamb can be plainly seen in every cutesy animal you rescue, or invite to join your burgeoning island. Both games share similar styles – although it’s arguable that the wild creatures in each game would probably prefer to join the wholesome, cutesy island of New Horizons, rather than the bloody cult in Lamb. Gameplay itself differs quite dramatically between the two games, with no combat or survival elements in Animal Crossing: New Horizons at all, but given both games feature your player character corralling a group of animals to live alongside, it’s fair to say they’re founded on the same elements.
Read: Animal Crossing: New Horizons — a retrospective at the end of the road
If you like the management and creation aspects of Lamb, but you don’t enjoy the gothic cult vibes, then New Horizons is the perfect ‘opposite’ to jump into. With a lot less pressure, and plenty more wholesome, good vibes, Animal Crossing is the perfect escape after Lamb.
Death’s Door
Platform(s): PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC,
Death’s Door stars a cutesy crow tasked with a terrible mission: reaping the souls of the dead, and taking down towering beasts. If you enjoy the gothic tones and dodge-rolling combat of Cult of the Lamb, you’ll likely enjoy this isometric adventure that’s similarly filled with quirky, off-beat creatures, and plenty of roaming danger. Like Lamb, it also has a wicked humour that shines through in every encounter, spicing up the adventure and cementing it as a memorable, must-play experience.
Read: Death’s Door Review – Elevating a common genre mashup with artistic flair
With similar themes of life and death, and a combat system that requires mastery and finesse, Death’s Door is certainly similar to Lamb, and will likely appeal to the same fanbase. Basically, if you like cute animals going on a rampage with deadly weapons, check out Death’s Door after you complete your Lamb journey.
Graveyard Keeper
Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One,
Graveyard Keeper is essentially a gothic version of Stardew Valley, where the primary gameplay revolves around running a cemetery, and burying the dead. You can also grow vegetables and mull wine, but your primary goal is to create a respectful church and surrounding cemetery that pays homage to the dead bodies you’re left with. Over time, you’ll need to deal with more bodies – which requires building refrigeration units and other handy tools to keep your business ticking.
Dealing with the dead is a nasty, gruesome affair – but if Cult of the Lamb doesn’t make you squeamish, you’ll likely love the horror themes of Graveyard Keeper, and its handling of death. The game can be a fair grind if you hit a point that requires certain ‘high level’ tools, but being able to constantly level up and discover new regions makes the game extremely addictive. If you’re looking to pass the time at flying speed, check out Graveyard Keeper.
Do you have any other recommendations to share? Disagree with any of our choices? Chat with us on Twitter: @GamesHubDotCom.
