cultic is a fantastic retreading of the boomer shooter formula. many a 90s FPS fan will take one look at cultic and instantly think of blood (1997). they wouldn't be wrong, but blood is just a small influence on its enemies, combat, and arsenal. I mean, it's got cultists and napalm. what cultic takes more inspiration from is the explosive nature of the build engine, yet streamlines the interactivity of the famous games made on that engine. it's still quite interactive, but most of the time, you'll only interact with readable notes and doors (thankfully, you can flush the toilets). however, if anything, resident evil 4 is cultic's biggest inspiration. from the absurdity to the stylish combat to the uncomfortably heat-inducing horror, cultic is taking resident evil 4 into the boomer shooter formula. you can shoot axes out of the air, throw dynamite and shoot it, grab an enemy's dynamite to throw back, and combo weapon swapping with slow-mo into a tornado of hellfire, all while offering intricate arenas to maneuver and explore. for the billions of retro 90s throwback shooters saturating the market these days, cultic is a phenomenal execution of the genre's pioneers while also offering cathartic modern twists. sucks that it's unfinished. very eager to play the next game or episode or whatever the weird release structure is called.