Worship Is a Marriage Between Cult of the Lamb and Pikmin [PREVIEW]

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Worship Is a Marriage Between Cult of the Lamb and Pikmin [PREVIEW]

As a seasoned gamer with a penchant for the offbeat and the macabre, I must say that Chasing Rat Games has once again managed to captivate my darker sensibilities with their latest title, Worship. The studio’s ability to weave depravity into their games in a way that is both gleeful and thought-provoking never ceases to amaze me.

The game titled “Worship” is the second creation from Chasing Rat Games, and it’s evident that the studio aims for a specific atmosphere. Their first game, “Struggling“, is a physics-based cooperative platformer where players control the arms of a deformed giant head, which is an abomination. One of its appealing aspects is its “wickedly twisted visuals,” and similarly, “Worship” delves into this realm. Although not as visually disturbing as “Struggling“, “Worship” certainly carries the same wicked charm.

As a devoted admirer, I’d say this game tasks me with summoning an ancient deity to bring about the apocalypse. I achieve this by employing a strategy similar to Pikmin, where I gather and command followers. This worship experience is structured like a roguelike, with the allure of just one more attempt woven into a two-part gameplay cycle. The initial phase involves exploration, recruitment, and fulfilling objectives to satisfy my deity, while the second phase revolves around a Test of Faith, essentially a boss battle. If I succeed in both phases (or fail), I restart through randomly generated levels until the world meets its end.

Worship Ensures You Are Not the Good Guy

Similar to the game “Cult of the Lamb,” players assume the role of a charismatic yet morally ambiguous Cult Leader. Unlike traditional heroic characters, they are not the good guys in this narrative. This unique perspective opens up a vast array of possibilities when it comes to worship, as even blood rituals can be presented in an extravagant, darkly delightful manner. As the leader, players have access to numerous rituals, with the most common one being the one that transforms ordinary townsfolk into cult members. What sets this game apart is the ability for players to customize some of their Blood Rituals, such as choosing between circles, triangles, squares, or other shapes when converting NPCs. The creative director, Alexis Gallant-Vigneault, explained that a circle is typically used for recruiting NPCs due to its default nature. Essentially, players conduct blood rituals by drawing intricate patterns using their own blood around NPCs, thus recruiting them into the cult. Players may prefer other shapes like triangles or squares for this particular ritual.

In this game, you’ll find a playstyle similar to Pikmin, where your followers can be utilized in multiple scenarios. You can direct them to tackle puzzles, mobilize them for swarming or attacking enemies like priests, or even use them as a resource for blood sacrifices in certain situations. There are several methods for replenishing the blood needed for rituals, such as blood alters scattered across the map. However, sacrificing your followers is an option to handle various predicaments. As you progress through the Explore phase, you’ll encounter all these elements and more.

During this stage, you’ll find yourself gathering followers and enhancements, but there’s also an abundance of randomly generated events, riddles, and loot to explore. For instance, we were given a sneak peek at a narrative involving a Titan trapped under ice on a frozen lake. The priests and bishops were trying to keep it sealed, but your character isn’t about picking sides with the ‘good guys’. Instead, this situation was used to demonstrate how Followers behave in combat, how rituals can be employed during combat, and how certain rituals (such as one that crafts ranged blood weapons) can be amplified based on their size. It’s intriguing that the developer opted to tackle Bishop enemies first because they have the ability to convert your followers. The battle commenced with a colossal Impale ritual being performed, which inflicted damage upon numerous opponents.

In the game Worship, encounters often involve a series of tasks such as performing rituals, managing followers, and vanquishing all enemies on the map while reversing the sealing ritual on the titan. It appears that the Explore phase is not strictly about traveling to a specific location, gathering an item, or achieving a particular goal, but rather allowing players the flexibility to decide how to bring about the apocalypse as they see fit.

Worship Tests Your Cult’s Faith

Beyond this stage, players can discover items offering both short-term and long-term advantages. For instance, pink catalysts are essential for construction and cultist enhancements, while red catalysts can be utilized for new rituals. The game includes 12 fundamental rituals that players can customize with different shapes, but there are also Sealed Rituals linked to the god a player chooses. This variation affects gameplay, offering new abilities and incentives. As of Early Access, three gods are planned, five have been announced, and ultimately, eight are intended for the complete version. The developers are still adjusting the number of Explore/Test of Faith phases in the game, with the creative director suggesting there will be either two or three phases to finish a run during Early Access and 3-5 for the full release.

Following the resolution of a few additional puzzles, demonstrating certain rituals, and the culmination of two significant events, the developer initiated the Trial of Faith stage. To ready himself for this trial, he meticulously crafted grandiose rituals to conjure ranged Blood weapons before proceeding. During this instance, the developer undertook a mission on behalf of the cult’s deity that required them to slay an innocent woman and her brutal accomplice. These adversaries put up a fierce struggle, compelling the developer to swiftly execute ritual drawings, hurl their followers about, and maintain constant vigilance during the entire battle. This encounter was more rapid-fire than one might anticipate, yet it was also as clear and intuitive as expected, ensuring that the boss fight seamlessly fit within the broader gameplay design of Worship.

Afterwards, players move on to another round of Exploration, and they continue repeating this cycle until they trigger the end of the world. At least, the Worship aspect of this game demonstrates that wickedness can pay off. It’ll be intriguing to observe how the game evolves when it becomes available in Early Access.

Worship is planned to release at the end of 2025 for PC first and then followed by consoles.

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2024-09-12 16:05