Cult of the Lamb

A Roguelike developed by Massive Monster & published by Devolver Digital.

The game follows a lamb who is saved from death by a god named the One Who Waits, to repay their debt they must create a loyal cult in the former's name, as the vessel of the Red Crown.

The two most significant themes of Cult of the Lamb are cults and religion. Presented through whimsical horror, you exploit your followers for your own gain. Although these themes are explored throughout the narrative, the majority of the storytelling is delivered through the music and visuals. For example, in many legends, religions, and myths, there is the visage of the sacrificial lamb, which Cult of the Lamb uses both to reference existing mythos and to contrast the dark nature of the game by presenting a cute lamb mascot.

Personally, I think the game does a decent job of exploring its core themes, but I also believe it could do a better job. As I wrote in my previous paragraph, almost the entire story is conveyed through visuals and music. While the game does not suffer from a lack of exposition, I feel it would benefit from delving deeper into its world, rather than merely wading in a pool that has far greater depth than we are currently exposed to.

(SIMILAR GAME)

The Binding of Isaac

Like Cult of the Lamb, The Binding of Isaac communicates its themes largely through visuals and symbolism rather than direct narrative. However, where Cult of the Lamb uses contrast between cute imagery and dark, The Binding of Isaac removes leans into discomfort and grotesque. As a result, The Binding of Isaac feels more focused and deliberate in how it explores religion and suffering, whereas Cult of the Lamb occasionally softens its themes through humour and charm.

Peak

Action-Adventure, Cooperative, Climbing, Survival, Friendslop

Mountain Climbing, Friendship, Survival

Genres:

Themes:

Developed and published by Aggro Crab and Landfall.

The player's objective in the game is to climb a pre-generated mountain with up to four players. Various items that can be found along the way which may assist in the ascent

PEAK, a game where you and your friends must climb mountains together. Like many games within the Friendslop genre social interactivity is the binding glue of PEAK. Giving each other helping hands up a climb or throwing a frisbee into your friend resulting in their accidental death. PEAK explores survival, the struggle and how working with your friends can help you overcome great obstacles.

When it comes to any cooperative game, no matter the quality I’ll have to answer that it depends. I can't concretely say it does communicate its themes good or bad. Simply because, the friends you play it with, if you and your friends fully engage with the game absolutely it does an excellent job of communicating its theme. If you and your friends mess around trying to kill each other the question is probably not relevant to you.

PEAK already communicates its themes effectively through its cooperative mechanics and player interaction, meaning little improvement is necessary. Shared success and failure naturally reinforces its focus on survival, struggle, and teamwork.

(SIMILAR GAME)

Keep talking and nobody explodes

Like PEAK, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is built around cooperation, with its themes only fully emerging when players take the game seriously. In Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, success depends entirely on communication between players, meaning failure is often the result of poor coordination rather than mechanical difficulty. Similarly to PEAK, the game’s themes are not forced onto the player; instead, they naturally arise from how the players choose to engage, making the experience dependent on group dynamics.

The Dark Queen of Mortholme

Genres:

Macabre-Atmospheric, Psychological, Second Person Narrative, Pixel Art, Anti-Game

Inevitability, Failure, Power

Themes:

Developed by Mosu & published by Monster Theatre.

A macabre, short-form, second-person indie, you play as The Dark Queen of Mortholme, the boss battling the Hero.

This game is quite atypical. It places you in the position of the boss: you are the boss battle. It is an anti-game; it does not want you to win. With every victory, the hero reappears to kill you again. No matter how much you succeed, the hero will return until the game grinds you down, leading to inevitable defeat. It is a game that presents acceptance of failure and the reality of being powerless against what you cannot change.

Honestly, out of the games I listed, I think this one does the best job of showcasing its themes. This may be because it is the shortest of the group, giving it less time to undermine itself; however, during its brief playtime, the game evokes strong feelings of your inevitable approach towards death, which is portrayed as unavoidable. Increasing the game's length might be the only way I can see the game enhancing its theme communication.

(SIMILAR GAME)

Might Jill off

Like The Dark Queen of Mortholme, Mighty Jill Off refuses the traditional idea of progression and triumph by making failure and repetition a part of its core. In Dark Queen, the hero keeps returning no matter how many times you defeat them, emphasising inevitability, whereas in Mighty Jill Off the protagonist constantly climbs up to the Queen and gets kicked back down, reinforcing the futility of the effort and the acceptance of repeated defeat. Both games use minimal gameplay loops not to frustrate for its own sake, but to communicate that the journey of the struggle against forces you cannot truly overcome.