On one hand (the one holding the pencil) this game is GORGEOUS. Not only some of the best graphics on the Sega Genesis, but some of the best graphics in a 2D game I've seen! It really does feel like a playable comic book, and the animations don't cheap out either as this is some of the most fluid 16-bit movement you'll get, on par with the Genesis Aladdin's animations easily. There's also humorous speechbubbles and you even see your playtime when you pause.

Unfortunately on the other hand (the one holding the controller) the gameplay is still fine but the combat feels mashy despite the wide range of skills Sketch has access to. But maybe that's just me being bad. What isn't me being bad is the game's obtuseness with what you're supposed to do at times. A lot of the solutions involve using your rat friend but the game won't tell you that beforehand, and just knowing about Rat isn't enough in some situations, one I remember was a switch for a lava platform that was so confusing I just damage boosted past the puzzle.

I think if Comix Zone ironed out its gameplay a bit, it would have been far more successful, but as-is it's simply a hidden solid title to play from the Sega Genesis library, and a recommend for anyone who loves sprite animations and gorgeous sprite work in general.

I’ve always wanted a cult of my own…

Cult of the Lamb is a great lil indie that I highly recommend! I remember seeing someone call it “Animal Crossing meets the dark arts” or something a ways back—that’s not too far off! 😂

🐑 It juggles action/adventure dungeon crawling with management sim gameplay… it’s a neat roguelike that does an excellent job balancing out the two genres all while introducing new mechanics to further develop and grow the cult.

🐑 The dungeon crawling itself is fun. The runs are short, and the combat is intuitive albeit sometimes a bit finicky. There are different weapons and curses and tarot cards… eventually the runs started to blend together and feel rinse repeat, but I don’t actually think it’s all that bad (unless you’re grinding like I was). The game is well paced!

🐑 The base building is okay! My cult looked like ass, but that’s probably a skill issue. Resource management was difficult early on. Placing structures/decorations/etc on a diagonal “grid” was sometimes frustrating especially when the cursor’s movement wasn’t locked. I’m sure it operates better with mouse and keyboard. All that being said, it was satisfying trying to optimize my cult and my time spent within the cult and with my followers. The systems in Cult of the Lamb are deeper than I anticipated.

🐑 Visually, Cult of the Lamb reminds me a lot of Don’t Starve with 2D artwork over an isometric 3D perspective. It’s effective! The art direction and soundtrack play well into the tone of the game. It’s equally unsettling as it is wholesome.

🐑 I’m glad my physical copy ‘finally’ delivered when it did because it allowed me to dive right in and make use of the content updates (yes, the sex update! my followers were drinking booze, eating poop, and having sex 😭).

I had a blast with Cult of the Lamb (even if the whole experience was a bit disturbing). It was truly unique! 🗿

8.5 sacrifices out of 10 🩸

The game is structured through non-linear episodes and follows ten year old boy, Sohta, who recently moved into a new town with his mom and dad (circa 1971). Every Friday monsters appear in town, and it just so happens that TODAY is Friday.. it’s a cute little experience and gives “coming of age” vibes. The plot is very lighthearted.

The gameplay is simple, featuring a card-based rock paper scissors minigame of sorts as well as “glim” collecting that funnels into the minigame. You spend the entirety of the game navigating the town, talking to townsfolk and classmates, and challenging peers to “Monster Cards”.

As far as its presentation, others have described it as “Ghibli-esque”, and I think that’s an apt comparison. It’s extremely charming. The pre-rendered backdrops are pretty. The writing and localization feels a bit off, and the voice acting just kind of “exists”…

It’s extremely short (took me ~3 hours to complete), but for the price, it was a pleasant little game to split up and knock out over a couple of sessions. It didn’t necessarily resonate with me like I was hoping, but for what it’s worth, it gave me a little insight into the Japanese culture and the era represented that I was otherwise unfamiliar with.

RIP 3DS ESHOP 🪦