An Indie Backlog curated overview. We round up the best indie games on Nintendo Switch and how professional critics and players received each one — the scores below are theirs, linked to the source.
Build a murderous cult by day, clear roguelike dungeons by night — an adorable, sinister mashup that became an instant phenomenon.
At a Glance
| Developer | Massive Monster |
| Release year | 2022 |
| Platforms | PC, Switch, PlayStation, Xbox |
| Subgenre | Roguelike + management sim |
| Length | ~13 hours (main story) |
| Metacritic | 82 / 100 |
| Steam rating | Overwhelmingly Positive (~96%, 120,000+ reviews) |
| Steam Deck | Verified |
| Languages | 14 |
About the Game
Cult of the Lamb, from Australian studio Massive Monster, fuses two games into one irresistible loop. You play a possessed lamb spared from sacrifice who starts a cult in a dark, cute world of woodland creatures. Half the game is a base-builder: recruiting followers, building shrines, holding sermons, and keeping your flock fed, faithful, and (ideally) not dead.
The other half is a fast roguelike action-crawler. You venture into procedurally generated dungeons to defeat heretic bishops, gather resources, and recruit new followers — then bring the spoils home to grow your cult. The two halves feed each other in a moreish, “just one more dungeon” rhythm.
Wrapped in Massive Monster’s gorgeous, adorably macabre art style, it became a breakout hit and has been supported with years of substantial free updates. On Switch it’s a perfect bite-sized blend of management and action.
Screenshots
Screenshots: official Steam media for Cult of the Lamb.
Why It Made the List
Cult of the Lamb makes the list for the sheer cleverness of its mashup. The cult-management and roguelike halves are each fun on their own and irresistible together, and the art is some of the most distinctive on Switch. A breakout for good reason.
What the Critics Say
Cult of the Lamb holds a Metacritic score of 82. Critics praised its art, its genre fusion, and its loop; the main caveat at launch was that combat could feel shallow next to the management — something later updates addressed.
What Players Say
On Steam it’s rated Overwhelmingly Positive across more than 120,000 reviews — about 96% positive. Players love the art and the addictive dual loop, and praise the studio’s generous post-launch support.
Praise & Criticism
Praise
- Brilliant management + roguelike fusion
- Gorgeous, macabre-cute art
- Addictive dual loop
- Years of free content updates
Criticism
- Combat is the weaker half
- Management can get repetitive
- Tone won’t suit everyone
Games Like This
- Hades — top-tier roguelike combat
- Dead Cells — fast, addictive run-based action
- Stardew Valley — the management half, perfected
Where to Buy
Plain store links for now — swap in your affiliate-tagged URLs once you’ve joined Amazon Associates and the eBay Partner Network. (Steam and the eShop have no consumer affiliate program; those links are for convenience.)
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