Cult of the Lamb

 Hell is other farmyard animals

Devolver Digital is ever the gushing receptacle for endless onslaughts of some of the best Indie games that you could hope to catch a glimpse of. If you're just looking to play something new and don't know exactly what this is, you just need to sit down for one of their conferences and you'll come away with an entire shopping list's worth of 'to buy' games. That's actually one of the reasons why it can be so hard to cover their E3 and Gamescon presence, so many interesting games with so few details, there's little more perspective I can add other than "Ohh" and "ahh". (Not that I'll stop myself from providing just that when there's a game which really steals my breath away) But then I'll slip up and see something fly past my face and instantly fall in love and then I have to talk about it and that's why we're all here today. But what is it about Cult of the Lamb which made me stop and look it up? Why this game and none of the others? That's actually very simple...

Helluva Boss is the reason why. If you haven't been watching that, Helluva Boss is a adult-oriented animated webseries which is so much better than those collection of tags imply. It's a project of several talented artists from all walks of life coming together to create something outside of the purview of any of the major animation studios and therefore allowed be a bit more 'out there'. Helluva Boss and it's currently unaired sister show 'Hazbin Hotel' both star twisty denizens of Hell and present all kinds of hellish locations, people and skewered moralities under that spotlight. And I love it. Every single frame of it. Every flawed character, every tucked-away background joke, every surprisingly well produced song, the whole package. Thus, as you can imagine, smothering myself with the show has really given me a taste for animated hell; just in time for Cult of the Lamb to waddle up to me and tempt me with it's satanic cartoony wiles.

Wreathed in a art style I'm going to call 'adorably twisted', Cult of the Lamb tells the rather simple tale of a lamb starting a cult. What? What did you expect? Maybe a demonically possessed lamb who strikes out in a wild and strange land to summon an army of devotees in the name of the mysterious quad-armed entity who saved his life? I hope so, 'cause the game's about all that too. But that window dressing is all well and good, what has me up and away so far is the visual design because, as I implied, they struck all the cords I just finished stringing over the past month. Just watching the trailer and seeing these adorable little anthro-animals raise their arms as their eyes roll into the back of their skulls and turn blood red is fantastically hilarious to me. It calls upon that same vein of sweet corrupted comedic absurdity as the Woodland Critters from South Park, I love it.

Another interesting aesthetic direction was taken with the way that the actual gameplay is envisioned, and you ought to know by now how much of a sucker I am for different and unique art directions. Functionally this is very familiar, it's a cartoon-flat angle-down perspective hack and slash with a lot of bright colours and gloriously hideous enemy design. But just with a lot of scroller games this year, there's a mix of art styles that are colliding in a cool way. You see, the actual stage environments are drawn with proper depth to them whilst the characters and foreground objects are purposefully drawn completely flat, as though up against the page of a comic, giving this very subtle effect that makes the foreground items almost look like cutouts placed atop the stage. This is emphasised with long shadows and choice lighting effects that collate together to achieve a style that reminds me, at least, of a stage play production. (Whether that'll come to anything within the actual plot of the game is anyone's guess.)

Core gameplay seems to be your usual affair of slicing and dodge rolling, with a pace to it that I find oddly reminiscent of Moonlighter. (I wonder if this will be one of those games that'll ask you to adopt a 'glass canon' sort of playstyle.) Although if I'm being honest it's the cult building which still has my attention here. Snippets of the trailer show the player cutting down trees and erecting vegetable patches, almost like something you'd expect from Animal Crossing, only in this game the focus of this little town is around a grotesque monstrous idol with weeping black gunk eyes that the villager-animals prostrate themselves before in reverence. And just to bring things back around to the deliciously dark, we see our lamb protagonist brutalising and poisoning some of his own cultists under the tag "Beware of false prophets." It's so charmingly twisted, I just can't help but smile everytime I learn more!

And that is about the high and low of Cult of the Lamb. These indie games don't typically come along with grand promises and speculation vehicles in order to get tongues wagging in perpetuity, they are what they are. Can you tell how much I find that refreshing? I've touched on it but there's just a rolling snow drift of games that promise to be the sky and the moon, banking those promises on ever swelling teams of disassociated programmers or literal blank cheques of development costs. (Looking forward to watching 'The Initiative' and it's AAAA games fall apart spectacularly.) When as a consumer, I get just as much out of spying these little games that do something singular and do it well. Cult of the Lamb is concerned with corrupting the cute and innocent. Great. Rock that.

It goes to show how important it is for a company like Devolver Digital to exist for propping these games up, because they encourage a future for game development that isn't barrelling towards ever more unsustainable ballooning projects. And maybe somewhere along the way we can see a reflection of how wrong Playstation is to shirk these very same developers in favour of their pursuit of gaming 'perfection'. Heck, we've already seen the wear it's starting to have, now that Sony is pushing for £70 games and calling it a justifiable response to the huge development costs that they themselves readily incurred! If only lower budget and smaller games factored into their sales models so that they wouldn't be straining their goodwill with their customers like this... (I'd call that 'food for thought', if I ever believed for a second that such an idea so much as touched a single Sony employee.)

One of the greatest things about the gaming market, in my opinion, is the way that any game, big or small, can find a sizable audience for what it is. Huge and garish budgets don't need to be written on the screen in gilded gold, and nowadays you don't even need a production company, how's that for a welcoming market? (though luck is often a factor that needs to be accounted for, given the sheer number of games that are out there) And sure, I speak with the bias of someone who themselves is contributing to the indie scene, but I like to think what we have puts us well above other entertainment forms like Film and TV for sheer bristling choice. That's the beautiful thing about the gaming market, whether you want to live out a sleepy virtual life managing a town or sacrifice cute animals to a demonic death cult, there's a game out there for every time of the day.

It's raining men!

Hallelujah!

There's something very special about party games, wouldn't you say? Those that serve as a vehicle for socialisation and partying rather than labouring itself down with constructing solid narrative or immersive worlds. All those games need to do is prove fun enough to make people want to hang out in their virtual spaces alongside some friends. (Although that's easier said then done.) Recent years has seen this space pretty much dominated by the Jackbox series of games, but even amongst that yearly franchise there have been some notable duds and misses for the developers; so creating the next big party game is not a refined art at all. That's why it's always interesting to see when a new one takes the place, what does it do differently, why does it appeal, and is their long-term success in this title's future? Well for today that game is Fall Guys, and I intend to look into it's utmost depths.

So what is Fall Guys? Well have you ever seen Takeshi's Castle? Because it's basically that. 60 odd people enter a tournament of competitive tasks wherein a certain number of people who are in the lower bracket of completing that task (Usually the last third, from what I can tell) are eliminated each round. This all rolls around to a tense finale where only one can storm the castle and use their little water pistols to destroy the paper target of the enemy, which I swear only ever happened like twice in the entire history of that show. Wait, we were talking about something else? Oh, that's right, Fall Guys. So Fall Guys takes that basic premise and turns it into an online game which, lo and behold, works surprisingly well. Games are simple, usually involving running obstacle courses, battling over giant foam balls or their own version of Grief Run from Mineplex. (There's one you couldn't really pull off on the TV.) So maybe it lacks the sheer surrealist absurdity that Takeshi's Castle coveted, but it's still a whole bunch of fun.

Ah, but what's the catch? A multiplayer game in today's age, there has to be some sort of slick twist upon the basic formula in order to confirm its long-term success. And indeed there is, seems that Fortnite truly has pushed the envelope beyond the closing point. For you see, Fall Guys cuts it's teeth on cosmetic transactions, a battle pass and the whole 'seasons' thing that every game is doing now in order to bring people back under the delusion that each new season will drastically change up the game. Although, to their credit, I think a formula like this could greatly benefit from a season-based angle; if they were to literally just throw in a few new games to the rotation every season whilst retiring a couple, that really could keep things fresh. But Devil's Advocate aside, this does read like the play-by-play book of the entire online world right now and I'm not sure how I feel about that. In one way I like the idea of games that grow with their audience but on the otherhand It's just another game vying for my freetime and there's only so many hours in the day. I just finished my second run of Dark Souls 3 and that alone took close to 3 days, I don't have time to sprinkle these pseudo MMO's into my schedule too.

But apparently I'm in the absolute minority in that regard, as this Fall Guys game has hit absolute paydirt with it's launch in a big way. Those with even a passing comprehension of the Twitch landscape (à la moi) will notice that this game has been showing up on the streams of many a popular influencer, as it's a title that allows for mass competitions both amidst fellow streamers and fans. (Also, a competition format in general makes for great content.) The game itself practically exploded at launch, with people hitting the servers so much that they died and the developers took to twitter to complain about an apparent 'review bombing' in response. (Questionable tweet, but I understand how frustration can make one a little tunnel-visioned.) The title has shot to one of the most watched on Twitch right now, with just shy of 200,000 viewers watching right now at the time of writing. And as for the publisher of the indie world, Devolver Digital, who backed this project, apparently this is their most successful launch of all time. (Good for them. Maybe they'll now have the capital to make next year's E3 the weirdest yet! Assuming we still have E3 then...)

In the current climate, both in gaming and the international space, I couldn't think of a more apt game to enter the annals of widespread popularity. We're in an age of depressing content suiting depressing times, everywhere we look there's just more reminders that everything is a mess and getting messier everyday. What we really need right now are the bright colours and adorable abandon to which Fall Guys throws itself, with it's cast of cute creatures, neon drenched courses and ludicrously head-bob-worthy tracks. This is a game perfect for a time when everyone could use a break, and it's inoffensive gentle exterior helps mitigate that overwhelming stress which burns out a lot of regular's in the battle royale field. Because make no mistake, this is a Battle Royale. Just one that turns the formula on it's head a little, tilts it's perspective to the side and makes you see something else.

When you look at the popular big multiplayer titles around it, like 'COD: Warzone' and 'Valorant', there's a certain leaning away from casual play that isn't exactly friendly to the majority of the gaming public. Even Fortnite, which initially won appeal as the more chill (and better constructed) version of PUBG has now been consumed by overly aggressive competitiveness that make casual play nigh-on impossible. (Just look at the walking conduit of meme-worthy diatribes known as 'Ninja') Right now we're looking at a game that seeps itself in approach-ability, to a degree where I actually can't even envision the same fall into hardcore-hell that Fortnite underwent. This game is just too cutsey, too chaotic and too open armed to develop that sort of an audience. And I think that details a comfy little niche for this game to fit into that it may just snuggle into for the long haul if all the stars are shining on it.

These days are the honeymoon days, of course, the times when everything is rosy and no one talks about the problems with the game or the repetitiveness of the whole affair; nor the problematic nature of a pay-to-entry game which runs itself on microtransactions. Will these become a problem once the sheen of newness fade? (As it did with 'Apex Legends'?) Only if the Devs get greedy and try to push the envelope. (And then try to gaslight the entire Internet. Absolute galaxy-brain move there, Respawn.) Right now I think that Fall Guys is in a good place, one where the team can continue to count their good fortunes for a while before the other shoe drops. I do wonder if this team, who's game seems to have blown up beyond their wildest expectations, will be able to keep up with demand. We've already seen the huge server debacle from the launch day, maybe that's indicative of crazy noisy days to come. (I can't stop the Jojo references. SEND HELP!!!)

I'm a fan of the idea of Fall Guys, and I hope the studio continues to enjoy their surprise good fortunes. It's always nice when a smaller studio manages to hit it out the park like this, and also when the wider gaming community find one title they can collectively get behind. Though I will admit I do wonder about the longevity of a title that depends on a handful of very same-y feeling modes, I remember that Mineplex is still very much alive and well so I guess I'm just the shortsighted ass in the minority. Maybe not the game for me, solo fellow that I am, but I still respect and enjoy watching other people have fun with it.

Wierd West

Coming here could be the best thing that ever happened to you.

RPGs, am I right? The gift that never stops giving! Even in the most dire periods of video game innovation(Like in the height of the FPS years) there has never quite been a stop to the steady flow of role playing games in the market. Perhaps it comes from the incredible versatility of the genre or the inherent game-esque mannerisms that make it impossible to replicate this genre on other mediums, or mayhaps it simply comes down to their prevailing popularity. (My money's on that last one.) Whatever the reason, the result it that this year we have a bevy of wacky and cool Role playing games to look forward to, from the grand AAA blockbusters (Cyberpunk) to the smaller scale niche games, like the one we're focusing on today.

One of the actual world premiers that we saw at the VGAs (Yes, that is specifically discounting those 'world premiers' that were actually just the latest trailer of a previously announced game) came from a familiar linage that was very much flaunted from the outset. Former Arkane Studios cofounder and creative director, Raphaël Colantonio, and former executive producer, Julien Roby, had come together in order to form a brand new studio in, Wolfeye Studios. These two were a couple of the folk responsible for the smash hit stealth action game, Dishonored, which was originally specifically conceived to be a standalone title. When that game morphed into two (now three) titles, there were a few furrowed brows by folk wondering if visions had evolved or been forcibly relocated, and judging by this new studio I think we can make some fair assumptions as to which way that balance tipped. (But that is mere wild speculation). Whatever the truth, now we have WolfEye and their new game published and blessed by those lovely, and odd, folk over at Devolver Digital.

The game in question, Weird West, seems to be a isometric RPG that themes itself around the curiously underexplored genre of, what else, Weird West. Weird West, as a genre, is used to denote a story that bases itself in the age and decorum of the Wild West whilst imbuing that narrative with supernatural elements that edges it into fantasy. Think of shows like 'Westworld' or books like the 'Dark Tower series'. These stories use the romance and mystery of the Wild West as familiar wrapping that makes the introduction of weird and amazing concepts more palatable. Similar to the way how pirates are usually used in stories involving maritime mysticism over the use of privateers or sea-bound settlers. We naturally treat these topics with some hazy eyed whimsy so we're not too repulsed when reality falls away into slight absurdities.

Our trailer starts out by introducing us to a concept with which all RPG players are, at this point, now nauseatingly familiar with; a world where you can be whoever you want to be. (I'm not knocking the amount of work and effort that goes into crafting such a world, it's just that it's practically a cliche at this point.) Our narrator breathes about how "this ain't quite the wild west as (we) know it" in a voice so hushed it sounds like their recording this monolgue right next to their parent's room. The imagery itself is delightfully vague with naught but slight glimpses of deformed beasts to whet our appetites. We see pentagons, prowling werewolves and hear about "ancient powers at war with each other", but most of the trailer is taken up by stylish art pieces rather than actually rendered supernatural entities. I find this as a clear indication that WolfEye intend to lean on the 'mystery' angle of this game for as long as they can, and for that I applaud them. (Even if I find it a tad frustrating.)

One of my favourite aspects of this trailer is the way in which we can see the slight shades of inspiration from the imagery. We see it in the comic book screens that break up the gameplay in the trailer, the Borderlands-esque bold lining that accompany the in-game models and that shot of the town that filters between peacefulness and a massacre, there's no way that scene isn't a direct wink to Westworld fans. I also appreciate the colourfulness of the world that we see, in the few nuggets of gameplay that we do get, which is something that could easily get lost in the dusty west if allowed. Night is envisioned as an inky purple instead of dull black, bringing the screen to a life in a manner indicative to old comic book colouring.

When I look at this title, it conjures to mind memories of similar off-beat RPGs like 'Torment: Tides of Numenera' or even just 'Wasteland 2', both very different titles from the outset but share in a visual presentation. I think it comes from the high-angle isometric perspective that teases how much there is for the screen to take in. Just as how there are moments in 'Torment' that look like a painting from the mind of a madman, I expect to see just as visually stimulating vistas in 'Wierd West'. In a perfect world I would also hope for this title to be a full-fledged turn-based RPG, but seeing as how the trailer proudly spouts "Action RPG", I doubt I'll be so lucky.

Once more this is a title that speaks to the value of the creatively free indie scene to the world of gaming, as I cannot imagine any AAA studio green-lighting an odd little project like this. (especially as Cowboys haven't been 'In' since the early 2010's.) Additionally, this shows us the importance of publishers willing to work with smaller studious like Devolver Digital and... actually it's really only them isn't it? (Unless you're willing to turn tricks for Epic, I suppose.) I'm always interested to see the kinds of titles that they help usher into life, as every now and then I see one that is right up my alley; point in case: Weird West.

There is still a great more for us to see regarding this title, but already this game has a lot of heads turned. Even more so, I'd imagine, considering how a similarly stylized isometric RPG, Disco Elysium, absolutely cleaned up at the VGAs. WolfEye have kicked up a lot of expectations of late and it'll be interesting to see how their game rises to the occasion and whether this title has even a shadow of the presence that Elysium did. However things play out, I'll be keeping this title on my "To watch" list and paying close attention in the months to come.