When Cult of the Lamb launched in August 2022, it offered a twisted take on the roguelite genre, tasking players with building a cult of woodland followers in a world filled with sinister creatures and false prophets. Since then, Indie developer Massive Monster has continued to expand the experience with major free updates, including Relics of the Old Faith, Sins of the Flesh, and Unholy Alliance, which introduced local co-op. Cult of the Lamb‘s critically acclaimed Woolhaven DLC has added even more for players to discover, too, helping the game remain relevant and engaging for players years after release.
Merging adorable animal followers with macabre rituals and a blood-soaked aesthetic, Cult of the Lamb feels right at home around this Halloween period. Its annual Blood Moon Festival, which brings ghostly followers and spooky decorations, has given players another reason to return to their cult each October. Now, the game’s Nintendo Switch 2 Edition has arrived with enhanced resolution and improved frame rates, offering a technical upgrade for players on Nintendo’s latest console. These improvements are definitely welcome, and I think that the addition of GameShare is the most exciting change. It makes it easier to experience Cult of the Lamb alongside another player, which really offers something that better graphics alone cannot.
The Switch 2 Edition Makes Cult of the Lamb Look Better, But That’s Only Part of the Story
Since its 2022 release, Cult of the Lamb has grown into much more than a possessed lamb building a cult. Developer Massive Monster has continued to expand its darkly adorable world with major updates and additional content, giving players plenty of reasons to return to their woodland flock. Now, the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition offers another reason to revisit the game: enhanced resolution and improved frame rates make the mix of dungeon-crawling and cult management better suited to Nintendo’s newer hardware and these improvements are certainly welcome. I think that this Switch 2 Edition arrives as a particularly accessible upgrade for existing players, especially with the publisher confirming that owners of the original Switch version can upgrade for free.
Guess the games from the emojis.
Technical benefits are an obvious plus, but I think the most significant addition is one that has little to do with how the game looks. The Switch 2 Edition supports GameShare, Nintendo’s feature that lets players share compatible games with other consoles. In Cult of the Lamb’s case, that matters because the game already supports local co-op, introduced in Unholy Alliance. What GameShare does is make that existing experience more accessible, potentially someone join the fun without having to own a copy themselves. For me, that offers a more compelling reason to return to Cult of the Lamb with a friend.
GameShare Could Make Cult of the Lamb a Better Game to Share with Friends
There are many ways that Cult of the Lamb lets players embrace their role as a cult leader. From gathering resources and building structures to keep your followers happy, or venturing into dangerous dungeons and fighting hordes of enemies for your settlement, there’s a wonderfully absurd contrast. It’s an experience that becomes even more entertaining when there’s someone else along for the ride, too. The base game boasts up to 20-30 hours of gameplay, not to mention all the extra content from its expansions, especially the Woolhaven DLC, which lets players delve further into the lore of the “lamblike.”
The Switch 2 Edition supports GameShare, Nintendo’s feature that lets players share compatible games with other consoles.
That opportunity arrived with the Unholy Alliance update in August 2024, which introduced local co-op and the Goat as a playable character. The Switch 2 Editions’ GameShare support makes it easier to experience that cooperative chaos with someone who might not already own the game. Nintendo’s feature allows a player with a compatible Switch 2 game to share it locally with another Switch or Switch 2 console, meaning only one person needs to own a copy.
GameShare Gives Could Give Indie Games Like Cult of the Lamb More Exposure
For Cult of the Lamb, that makes inviting a friend to join the cult a little less complicated, particularly if they’re curious about the game but aren’t ready to purchase it themselves. I think this is important for indie games, as it gives exposure without players feeling like it’s been forced on them, and ultimately allows the experience to speak for itself. And rather than asking its established audience to purchase the game again, Massive Monster has created an opportunity for players to return with some technical improvements at no additional cost.
Of course, GameShare isn’t a replacement for owning the game, and its benefits do come with limitations. The shared session only lasts while the host’s session remains active, and Cult of the Lamb’s Switch 2 Edition specifically lists local GameShare support rather than online GameShare. Even so, it lowers the barrier to trying the game’s cooperative mode, giving curious players a chance to see what makes it special. It’s definitely a meaningful benefit for a game whose appeal extends beyond its combat and management systems to the fun of sharing its delightfully bizarre world with someone else.
- Released
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August 11, 2022
- ESRB
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Teen / Blood, Violence.
- Developer(s)
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Massive Monster
