Available for: PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch | Length: 14.5 hours
Cult of the Lamb is a beloved title around here, and while it started out as a single-player experience, it recently received an update that brought a local co-op mode. Thanks to the Unholy Alliance update, you can now summon a new playable character, The Goat, so a friend can assist you in battle or with tasks back at the cult.
Cult of the Lamb is sort of like an evil Animal Crossing. You, playing as The Lamb, amass devoted followers who come to live in a village that you must take care of — but you also have to go on crusades to fight the Bishops of the Old Faith, who sacrificed you in a misguided attempt to thwart a prophecy. After you add a co-op player by selecting that option in the game’s menu, you and your friend (as The Goat) will both be running around and interacting with the environment on a shared screen, as opposed to seeing a split-screen view. This works well for crusades, where you can battle enemies alongside each other. If your partner gets injured to the point of depleting all their hearts, you can tap them back in by sacrificing one of your own.
Since Cult of the Lamb has post-game quests that involve replaying all the areas you previously beat, multiplayer is a fun way to approach it, especially if you’re trying everything on a harder mode for subsequent runs. Adding a co-op player unlocks new tarot cards, relics and fleeces, too. Or you can start a new game and do it all together from scratch. Multiplayer is a little more finicky when it comes to cult management. Since you’re sharing a screen, interactions with followers can cause momentary interruptions in whatever the other player is doing. But a good time can still be had if you’re communicating and have some patience. — Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend Editor
