A press release for Join Us, a multiplayer cult-shepherding game that debuted with a trailer at today's PC Gaming Show Tokyo Direct, points out that "a cult leader with no followers is just a lonely weirdo." As a weirdo who considers himself both prolific and surrounded by my weird peers, I'm happy to put my skills to the test—even if that means riding around on a pig packing a minigun, which (this trailer has taught me) is what cult leaders do.
Of course, you don't play as the cult's true head honcho in Join Us; you're a franchise owner of sorts, building a personalized wing of a much larger doomsday cult in the rural United States. You'll build a remote compound, conceal yourself from local scrutiny, and recruit the psychologically vulnerable who you can detect with target-highlighting "leader vision." It's like Batman's detective sight from the Arkham games, but for emotional manipulation.
It's a 2-4 player open-world romp with tongue squarely in cheek, if you couldn't tell by the bespoke musical number in the preview. But the premise lends itself to more than mere novelty. As the press release notes, players have some sway over their cult's ideology, which functions both as a tech tree and a way to "make big choices that determine their unique narrative." It also points out that you'll need to spread propaganda to lure converts—a task that gets harder as the police become aware of your little operation.
I'm kind of tantalized by the idea of running my own cult franchise now, so I hope developer Wolf Haus takes the concept and runs with it. As with any game that claims to be systems-driven, I'm eager to see how deep the player agency rabbit hole goes.
And all that's without acknowledging the apocalyptic events at the end of the trailer, where we see planes crash, blood rain, and giant tentacles spawn from the earth. Perhaps those "big choices" I mentioned earlier end up reflecting horrific Lovecraftian truths, or perhaps in your quest for utter devotion you completely lose your marbles. Either way, I'm sure it'll be hard to avert my eyes.
If Join Us has converted you, the game is available to wishlist on Steam.
Check out every game, trailer, and announcement in the PC Gaming Show Tokyo Direct.
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