Cultist Simulator, by Alexis Kennedy/Weather Factory. A roguelike game where you build and lead a occult organization while maintaining a semblance of normal life, and uncover the mysteries lurking behind the world.
I backed this on Kickstarter. The game developer, Alexis Kennedy, is the creator of Fallen London; I’m a fan of his world-building and game writing (IMHO he’s one of the best game writers around). Kennedy/Weather Factory is also an advocate for open game development, posting developmental roadmaps and constant progress/accountability updates on the blog. It was a privilege to play the beta builds, and watch the active development of a game over time.
The game itself is a tidy, visually beautiful, story-rich little piece. Kennedy has created an original world/story of horror and occult mystery that is slowly unveiled in snippets as one plays the game. The roguelike mechanics of cards and timers wasn’t too hard to master and maintain (though I did get “eased into” it through the beta builds), and after a while, I was able to achieve end-game states without too much difficulty.
I enjoyed Cultist Simulator – not just the game, but also watching its development from pre-Kickstarter to post-release plans. Weather Factory has a great deal more updates and DLC planned for Cultist Simulator, which look to add more variety and complexity to the existing gameplay. I can’t wait to find out more.
