It turns out, I’m actually quite good at running a cult. Not exactly a calling I’d have imagined, but a calling nonetheless. Thanks to Worship, I’ve finally realised my potential at leading followers to their demise as I fling otherworldly magic toward those who dare oppose my almighty deity! Or at least, that’s what I managed to do once I got the hang of the blood magic, anyway.
Worship is Chasing Rats Games’ newest title set to release into early access on July 16th, dropping with single and multiplayer support so you and your friends can get in on the cultist-sacrificing mayhem together. It’s got elements of Pikmin, for sure, with your followers forming the backbone of your experience. I’m a firm believer that any game gets better with the inclusion of little guys, so imagine my sheer glee when I realised that you can have an entire army of little cult followers that you can sick on all those who try their luck at taking you out!
Perhaps the best and at times slightly clunky feature on offer is the spell-casting in Worship, which you’re able to do by drawing corresponding shapes and symbols on the ground using either your own blood or that of your followers. It’s a well balanced system, as your blood serves as both your ‘mana’ and health bar, so you’re playing a game of management whenever you decide to hastily draw another shape in the heat of a combat encounter. I did have issues with the shape recognition at times which proved a tad frustrating, especially considering I lost progress on runs because the game thought I was trying to cast a completely different spell than the one I wanted, resulting in my untimely demise. No Worship, triangle does not mean circle.
Your aforementioned ‘little guys’ are, and I’m not exaggerating, absolute powerhouses. Sure, you get access to a load of combat spells and spooky occult magic you can use to wipe out mobs, but I had a rather lot of fun gathering a mass of followers and directing all of them to attack mobs one at a time, turning an otherwise gentlemanly fight into a hockey brawl as 50 hooded cultists all rush an enemy mob that was stupid enough to try and fight you. They’re also really good at blocking ranged damage as well as any aggro from melee focused mobs, so you’re free to sit in the back and hurl spells at your leisure.
It wouldn’t be a roguelite without having upgrades and a little bit of build crafting here and there, and there are powerful artifacts you can find or loot on the map that will give you the occasional buff, passive effect or combat boost. I had one where anytime I cast a spell, I was immediately refunded any blood that I’d used to cast said spell which did feel a little cheesy, but it certainly reinforces the power fantasy. Your spells are, as mentioned earlier, linked to certain shapes and symbols which you are able to rebind if you wish, though I will say you’ll want to make sure you keep a note: Don’t do what I did and frantically try to paint every single symbol in a panic because you’d forgotten what was bound to what.
Once I gathered enough offerings for my deity, I was transported to a boss arena with my army of impressionable little dudes. The boss arena wasn’t anything special, but I did find the actual boss itself a bit of a challenge seeing as it completely eviscerated my carefully gathered following of lads, which I got oddly emotional about. I wouldn’t call the fight difficult by any means, as most of the attacks are telegraphed and give you just enough time to avoid most of them, but you do still have to manage your spell-drawing and allow yourself enough time to invoke before you’re stomped into the floor. All in all, a challenging but rewarding experience, and I would imagine further bosses planned will definitely provide more of a harsher fight than the first one in the game.
Worship has won me over with its unique visuals, funny slapstick and its extremely cool spell-crafting mechanic. I never thought I’d become so attached to a bunch of cultists trying to end the world, but I guess that’s what happens when you give them cute-sounding SFX and draw them as little guys. The game offers a unique take on the roguelite genre, and I’m interested to see how the game progresses throughout early access.
You can grab Worship on Steam right now.
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