1 
0 Did you ever have a dream of running your own cult? well Worshippers of Cthulhu, has you covered! Take control of an unknown Shepard leading his flock to awaken The Great Old One himself. Fresh out in early access, you check it out on Steam for £20.99.
Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn.
Funnily enough, I played the demo for Worshippers of Cthulhu a little while back. I was happy with what I played then and was looking forward to seeing what the early access has in store. A road map is out for anyone to look at, but I’ll talk about that later on.
Gameplay
To grow your cult and ultimately awaken Cthulhu (starting on the island of Dreamshroud) you will do what’s of typical city management games; managing resources, the needs of the people (or acolytes, in this case), and managing buildings. What makes Worshippers Of Cthulhu stand out, however, is the use of Eldritch Gods/Horrors, rituals and managing both the Cult’s fanaticism and Cthulhu’s patience.
Cultists
You occasionally have choices, and those choices have consequences. Those consequences can include losing fanaticism and even losing cultists. Increasing your fanaticism bar earns unlocks perks, but losing fanaticism isn’t dire. Losing cultists is slightly detrimental, however, as they serve as your workers (and occasionally, your offerings!).
Some cultists have specialisations and work more efficiently in a specific field of work, such as working on roads or clothes. Using the ceremony hall, you can perform carving rituals to change a cultist’s specialisation. You’ll have to reference the book of symbols to draw the correct symbol for the job you’d like them to specialise in. Cultists have another purpose; sacrifices. Send your lambs to the slaughter to keep the Eldritch gods happy, earn favour and receive blessings.
Eldritch Horrors & Cthulhu’s Patience
Keeping The Great Old Ones happy is no small task, but you will reap rewards in return. Earning Eldritch Favour via choices or making wood carvings allows you to unlock new buildings. You’ll also have to manage Cthulhu’s patience, which slowly decreases. If it completely depletes, then it’s game over. However, you can disable this feature if you’d prefer. Luckily, there are tasks to complete which raise Cthulhu’s patience.
One of the really fun parts of Worshippers Of Cthulhu is summoning and controlling Eldritch Horrors. To invoke one, you’ll need to use the summoning ritual site sacrifice a specific amount of materials and designate followers for exaltation. You also need to use a pylon to control them, and can eventually get more pylons, meaning more horrors at your disposal. While using the horror, its health decreases over time, so you’ll have to be wise while using them. Use them to gather materials in the ocean and defend your island from the ships of opposing cults on other islands.
Graphics & Audio
The artwork stands out the most in Worshippers Of Cthulhu. The choice screens feature fantastic artwork and fit the olden cosmic horror vibe. I love the effects on the sacrificial altar and the pit the deity comes from. The island itself has a slightly misty look with blue and green tones which also suit the spooky Cthulhu vibe.
Longevity
I played Worshippers of Cthulhu for eight hours straight. This is also without finishing the first chapter (I restarted a couple of times). There are achievements there for you to work towards and the game itself is a lot of trial and error. There are two chapters so far with one sub-chapter. From the menu, you can see that Crazy Goat Games is looking to add additional chapters over time.
Final Thoughts
Worshippers of Cthulhu is quite a meaty game. It also provides an enjoyable challenge. Although I confess, I struggle with City-Builder games quite a bit. The overall gameplay is interesting with how you must also defend your island as well. No issues came up, and the game was great for guiding you through the steps. After finishing the first chapter, I left it at that, as I prefer playing full games. As seen when it came to my Greedfall 2 Preview.
I can see myself putting a fair amount of hours into the game. The road map also looks to be bringing some interesting stuff, such as more Eldritch horrors to control and a sandbox mode.
Disclaimer: A code was received to write this review.
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