Cities Skylines goes dark and Lovecraftian in this epic new city builder that just hit early access

Worshippers of Cthulhu is a game name that oozes with eldritch intrigue, but if this is your first time coming across it, you may be surprised to learn that it’s not a dark RPG, or a creepy narrative adventure. In fact, it’s a city builder and settlement manager. Not only does that place the genre in a new and exciting realm, but it also adds in some mechanics I never thought I’d see playing a City Skylines or Anno rival.

In Worshippers of Cthulhu, you play the overlord of a cult looking to awaken Cthulhu from a slumber. All of the typical elements of city building games are here – you need to acquire materials to construct buildings and expand your settlement, inhabitants can be assigned jobs and trades, and you’ll have to keep a tight eye on your resources. Of course, everything is dripping in eldritch sauce.

However, layered on top of all this are some really intriguing touches. Throughout the game, you will encounter some people who are non-believers in Cthulhu, and you have a choice about what to do with them – do you invest some time, resource, and probably some threatening force to convert them, or do you consider them a disposable resource and offer them as a sacrifice. The sacrifices and rituals you conduct also have their own detailed mechanics and cutscenes, which is an incredible additional layer of detail.

For example, you can respec the skills and profession of an inhabitant by grabbing a ceremonial dagger and carving a rune into their back. Yes, really. Little moments like this provide a welcome break from the relentless tasks, menus, and monitoring of your buildings and residents.

Rituals can also summon huge Lovecraftian monsters that you can tame to fight alongside you.

This looks like one of the freshest and most unique-looking city builders I’ve seen in a long while, so I’m glad it’s now made the big leap into early access.

Worshippers of Cthulhu is out right now in Steam Early Access, and until Monday November 4 there’s an introductory 10% off for those that want to check it out. There’s also a demo that you can hop into should you want to try before you buy. To learn more about the game and pick it up for yourself, head to its Steam page here.

Alternatively, here are some amazing management games and strategy games that will give you the same sensation of spinning several plates at once.

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