Honey, I Joined a Cult Review (PC)

very good
key review info
  • Game: Honey, I Joined a Cult
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: No
  • Reviewed on:
Honey, I Joined a Cult key art

Faith is hard to come by, even when you’re running a cult with significant manpower and some funds in the bank. My worms (followers so-called because of my chosen deity) listen to the sermon every evening and barely deliver a surplus after the cost associated with keeping them in line is deducted. So, I fire one of my weakest adepts and keep looking for a promising follower that might take his place. I have enough followers, but it’s not easy to reveal their attributes.

In the meantime, I am running constant missions to keep the community and police off my back, while extracting as many resources as possible for those who visit the compound. They like weird skin treatments and sessions that lift their spirits while draining money from their pockets. I have high hopes for the maggot therapy building, gross as it sounds, but I need to get the skills of some of my worms up to take full advantage of it. I also plan to spend some of the money I have to make the entire compound as beautiful as I can and to expand the living quarters of my group.

Honey, I Joined a Cult is developed by Sole Survivor Games and published by Team17. I played on Steam on the PC. The title works in the management space, with a focus on base building and character interactions.

The setup is promising: a cult leader on the run uses his money to set up another operation. Players can choose the object of their worship, the names associated with followers and adepts, and more to customize the experience. The game’s writing doesn’t explore the creepy elements of the premise and mostly tries to focus on lighthearted humor. Take some time to explore all the quirks and traits of both adepts and followers, there are plenty that will elicit at least a chuckle.

Mechanically, Honey, I Joined a Cult is all about accumulating resources to power expansion. A successful cult requires adepts, people who surrender their lives to it and then work for the leader. But to prosper, gamers also need to attract followers, who are ready to give over their money to the cult.

Honey, I Joined a Cult
Honey, I Joined a Cult
Honey, I Joined a Cult
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The first category requires amenities, ranging from bedrooms to recreational spaces. The other starts off generating some faith and money via meditation but will give up more resources when they get fancier spiritual and physical care. They can also be recruited to swell up the ranks of the cult.

The money will be used to lay down more buildings, set up rooms, and fill them with furniture. Some will improve the mood of adepts, allowing them to gain more experience, which leads to upgrades that make them more efficient. Others will bring in more resources from the outside world.

Players can run missions to improve their image and to get specific items. Covert operations are also included. Splurge on decor and unique items to make rooms more prestigious. The idea is to create a virtuous cycle that grows the power of the cult and constantly opens up new possibilities for building and resource acquisition.

It’s relatively simple to create an efficient compound in Honey, I Joined a Cult. Players need to pay attention to the traits and quirks of their members to make sure they work the jobs they are best suited for. The game offers good scheduling tools and easy access to all needed information. Don’t hesitate to direct a cult member to do something that’s not his forte if the situation requires swift action.

Adepts can also be sent out on missions. Gamers need to maintain good public relations, which improves the quality of followers and potential recruits. Also try to keep heat down, otherwise, protesters show up and even the police might get involved and shut down the cult. Specialize a few of the members for these outside missions and make sure to limit their workload.

The biggest problem with Honey, I Joined a Cult is the pace. Even at the highest speed, hours pass by too slowly, especially when waiting for the ton of money required to replace some furniture or the faith needed to start another research project. It is fun to zoom in and look at people n the compound act, but only for a little while. After that, waiting and small tweaks are the name of the game.

Despite the tone, the game does ask the player to engage in some deeply problematic activities. Fleecing followers is fun in the game but I could never forget how cults can destroy lives in the real world. Suspension of disbelief can be a hard problem to solve and humor and irony can't completely cover up the implications of in-game activity.

Honey, I Joined a Cult makes little effort to stand out from its crowded genre in terms of presentation. It’s easy to build and manage a compound but there’s no visual flair for the locations or the characters, a shame given the weirdness that the theme allows for. Players can tweak the way each cult looks as much as they want, but they won’t get any cool-looking characters. The sound design is equally mediocre, especially the soundtrack. Replace it with a few good podcasts about real-world cults.

Honey, I Joined a Cult
Honey, I Joined a Cult
Honey, I Joined a Cult
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The Good

  • Cult theme
  • Management mechanics
  • Quirks and traits

The Bad

  • Low high speed
  • Limited innovation
  • Mediocre presentation

Conclusion

Honey, I Joined a Cult is an enjoyable game, as long as players know what to expect from this kind of management experience. The mechanics work well, there’s a constant sense of forward momentum, and the player is constantly busy contemplating how to increase experience and get the most out of his cult members. The game needs a higher top speed, as well as extra variety in the mission department.

But the game does not deliver on any of the innovation and new ideas that the cult concept can support. The experience is well suited for newcomers to the genre but makes little effort to tweak its core ideas. Honey, I Joined a Cult makes it clear that Sole Survivor Games are good at creating a competent management title, but I really want to see them try to add a twist to the formula in coming projects.

A review code was provided by the publisher.

story 8
gameplay 8
concept 8
graphics 7
audio 7
multiplayer 0
final rating 8
Editor's review
very good
 
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Honey, I Joined a Cult Screenshots (21 Images)

Honey, I Joined a Cult key art
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