Cultist simulator is neither good, nor bad. But it's not bland either, and it can be addictive. The core mechanics is similar to clicker games, with timers and resource management. You have cards with various attributes, that you drop into slots to initiate a timed process, which sometimes can be further interacted with by adding more cards. It's a tried-and-tested way to keep you glued to the screen, but it can feel shallow and manipulative. As far as I can tell after a few hours of playing, 99% of the game takes place on a table, on which you're free to arrange your cards and the timed slots as you please. The free-form placement is not terribly optimised, and you may end up repeatedly shifting the same pieces around, which detracts from the fun. The lack of tutorial other people have been complaining about seems very much intentional. The game wants you to experiment, bumble around, learn as you go, and generally not immediately know what you're doing, what does what, or what do the symbols mean - while you strive for your nebulously-defined goal. Much like an actual cultist would do, I presume. There is quite a bit of well-written text to build the Cthuluesque - but original - atmosphere, and give vague clues as to what you can (maybe) get from doing something or other. However, the somewhat tedious resource management mechanics tend to overshadow the writing after a while. The good aspects can be really fun, the bad ones can be really annoying. Best for people who like figuring things out, don't mind addictive time-wasters, and want to feel like a cultist. People with aversion to obscurity, tedium, and poor UI design may consider giving it a pass. I don't think the asking price is adequate, though. Half-off would be closer to what you're getting.
Cultist simulator is neither good, nor bad. But it's not bland either, and it can be addictive. The core mechanics is similar to clicker games, with timers and resource management. You have cards with various attributes, that you drop into slots to initiate a timed process, which sometimes can be further interacted with by adding more cards. It's a tried-and-tested way to keep you glued to the screen, but it can feel shallow and manipulative. As far as I can tell after a few hours of playing, 99% of the game takes place on a table, on which you're free to arrange your cards and the timed slots as you please. The free-form placement is not terribly optimised, and you may end up repeatedly shifting the same pieces around, which detracts from the fun. The lack of tutorial other people have been complaining about seems very much intentional. The game wants you to experiment, bumble around, learn as you go, and generally not immediately know what you're doing, what does what, or what do the symbols mean - while you strive for your nebulously-defined goal. Much like an actual cultist would do, I presume. There is quite a bit of well-written text to build the Cthuluesque - but original - atmosphere, and give vague clues as to what you can (maybe) get from doing something or other. However, the somewhat tedious resource management mechanics tend to overshadow the writing after a while. The good aspects can be really fun, the bad ones can be really annoying. Best for people who like figuring things out, don't mind addictive time-wasters, and want to feel like a cultist. People with aversion to obscurity, tedium, and poor UI design may consider giving it a pass. I don't think the asking price is adequate, though. Half-off would be closer to what you're getting.
