(At the time of writing, the full game has yet to come out)
One of the classics from the 90s era of shooter is the game Blood. Due to its excellent atmosphere, naturalistic level design, unforgettable main character, and overall great gunplay it managed to stand out from the rest. Cultic takes those same elements and attempts (and succeeds) to replicate and improve upon the experience originally provided by Blood.
There isn’t much more to be said, it’s a really good shooter seeped in atmosphere that takes inspiration from the right places. If you played and enjoyed Blood or are just a fan of the genre, then I highly recommend Cultic.
Story
You are a detective who has dug too deep into a supposedly harmless cult, now you wake up in a pile of bodies and have to fight your way out.
It's not a story-focused game, but still, I was invested. The numerous pieces of lore scattered throughout the levels certainly helped.
Mechanics and gameplay
It’s the standard throwback shooter formula with some additions. If you’ve played any other FPS of this genre, you will know pretty much everything there is already.
Gunplay is solid, weapons feel satisfying to use, especially since headshoting is a thing. There are also upgrades you can get for said weapons. Level design is excellent, offering natural feeling environments and a smooth transition between levels.
Graphics/Artstyle
Cultic is by no means photorealistic. It pays homage to the 90s era of gaming while still looking like something that was made in this decade. The colour pallet chosen here gives a unique aesthetic that adds a lot to the retro feel.
Atmosphere/Immersion
The atmosphere is perhaps the strongest point of Cultic. It's not horror, but the feeling of playing Cultic is similar. This is due to the cult theme (men in robes, ritual circles, those kinds of things) the game takes on.
With a strong atmosphere comes strong immersion. This is definitely true in this case.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack is pretty good, it has the same cultish, horror theme that permeates throughout the rest of the game. My favourite part is “Abomination”.
Final Thoughts
No one-liners :(
One of the classics from the 90s era of shooter is the game Blood. Due to its excellent atmosphere, naturalistic level design, unforgettable main character, and overall great gunplay it managed to stand out from the rest. Cultic takes those same elements and attempts (and succeeds) to replicate and improve upon the experience originally provided by Blood.
There isn’t much more to be said, it’s a really good shooter seeped in atmosphere that takes inspiration from the right places. If you played and enjoyed Blood or are just a fan of the genre, then I highly recommend Cultic.
Story
You are a detective who has dug too deep into a supposedly harmless cult, now you wake up in a pile of bodies and have to fight your way out.
It's not a story-focused game, but still, I was invested. The numerous pieces of lore scattered throughout the levels certainly helped.
Mechanics and gameplay
It’s the standard throwback shooter formula with some additions. If you’ve played any other FPS of this genre, you will know pretty much everything there is already.
Gunplay is solid, weapons feel satisfying to use, especially since headshoting is a thing. There are also upgrades you can get for said weapons. Level design is excellent, offering natural feeling environments and a smooth transition between levels.
Graphics/Artstyle
Cultic is by no means photorealistic. It pays homage to the 90s era of gaming while still looking like something that was made in this decade. The colour pallet chosen here gives a unique aesthetic that adds a lot to the retro feel.
Atmosphere/Immersion
The atmosphere is perhaps the strongest point of Cultic. It's not horror, but the feeling of playing Cultic is similar. This is due to the cult theme (men in robes, ritual circles, those kinds of things) the game takes on.
With a strong atmosphere comes strong immersion. This is definitely true in this case.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack is pretty good, it has the same cultish, horror theme that permeates throughout the rest of the game. My favourite part is “Abomination”.
Final Thoughts
No one-liners :(