Review / Insights Gained: Cult of the Elizabeth (PC)

Lesson Learned: Cult of the Elizabeth might look all cute and gentle on the surface, but don’t let that fool you. This game takes tower defense to a whole new level with its relentless action and downright spooky bird-like creatures. As someone who’s crazy about visual design, the main screen hooked me the moment I fired it up. At first glance, I was skeptical, fearing it might be a cheap copy of Don’t Starve, a game I absolutely adore. The art and music do bear a resemblance to that survival classic, but after a few moments of diving into Cult of the Elizabeth, it was clear that this strange world had its own unique flair.

Seamlessly switching between solo and co-op modes, you’re tasked with guiding Amelia and her classmates out of a chaotic nightmare. In solo mode, resource gathering becomes a bit of a grind, as it takes ages to collect enough materials to beef up your towers. Personally, I enjoy gathering resources as a breather from combat, but here, it felt like an endless chore. My defense crumbled as I struggled to juggle resource management. I’ll admit, combat isn’t my forte, and even on easy mode, the pesky bird minions wiped the floor with me. My sidekick didn’t help much either, requiring constant oversight to keep resources from running dry—something I don’t need any more of during my downtime!

Besides the resource collection hiccup, the game’s mechanics are pretty solid. The combat is straightforward but not mindless—you can’t just fire at will and expect your enemies to drop dead. Timing and precision are crucial to fending off the monstrous hordes. Positioning your towers strategically is key, especially when resources start dwindling and the monster waves keep coming. While monster predicability initially offers a low challenge, when turkey-dressed monarchs surged my camp, it became a wild ride!

Lesson Learned: Cult of the Elizabeth is one of those PC games often touted as better with a controller. However, I found navigating with a keyboard perfectly fine. Maybe it gets trickier as you dive deeper into the game?

In conclusion, Cult of the Elizabeth has plenty of charms. While it could benefit from a tad more refinement and an expanded storyline, its quirky adventure offers a lot of replay potential. For now, the free prologue available on Steam is definitely worth a whirl.

Lesson Learned: Cult of the Elizabeth

Gameplay: 7.5/10
Plot / Writing: 6.5/10
Design / Visuals: 9/10

Overall Score: 7.7/10

An interesting mix of genres

Pros:

• Whimsical, gothic art style that perfectly accents the narrative
• A soundtrack that cleverly balances the light-hearted with the ominous
• A well-rounded experience of combat and exploration in a rich, atmospheric setting

Cons:

• Resource gathering feels like a slog
• Enemy encounters become predictable and lack depth