Supernatural boomer shooter Cultic shows the improvements of Chapter Two

We’re in a boomer shooter renaissance right now. Doom The Dark Ages is on the way, Dusk still reigns as a truly sublime modern take on the genre, and surprises like Selaco blend the boomer shooter with fresh ideas. Then there’s Cultic. It’s grungy, fast, and filled with an atmosphere that would make even the purest RE4 players churn. So to celebrate the second anniversary, developer Jasozz Games has revealed new gameplay and details of Cultic: Chapter Two. The game is still very much a work in progress, but it already sounds as though it’s going to be bigger and better than the original in several ways.

While this celebration of the first game doesn’t come with a firm release date for Cultic: Chapter Two, outside of the vague window of Q2 2025, we know a lot more about the actual game now. The first is an FPS game inspired by old-school classics like Doom but with a fresh take on story and gameplay. Instead of battling your way through hordes of demons with sci-fi militaristic weapons, you use whatever is at hand, be that dynamite or an MP40, to battle it out with a group of cultists.

Cultic: Chapter Two will feature far fewer reused assets and larger maps, both of which have made it a lot more complex and time-consuming to create. Building larger play spaces is one thing, but crafting unique assets to make them feel fully realized and lived in is quite another.

The second game trades in the remote yet claustrophobic setting and pulls it into the middle of a chaotic city. There are wrecked cars, fires, and questionable piles of gore everywhere, not to mention the returning cultists and other not-so-friendly forces, like the local police, who have joined their ranks.

Without spoiling it, one section of the newly revealed gameplay that I really enjoyed takes place in a usually quite safe underground location in which cultists have laid a trap for the player. The ensuing combat shows dynamite, highly effective headshots, and the returning GibTime ability, which is basically Cultic’s version of slow motion.

Cultic: Chapter Two is evolving the series in a meaningful way that players will appreciate. Yes, there are new settings that you won’t be familiar with, but that doesn’t mean the game won’t be returning to sticky, bloodied swamps while bringing back the features that made the first so enjoyable.

If you’re even remotely interested, the community sentiment behind Cultic speaks for itself. With 5,700 reviews in two years, it sits at a staggering 94% positive rating.

If you can’t wait to add a new indie to your Steam library, then you definitely need to read through our list of the best indie games on PC. If you’re a fan of games to play on a dark and spooky night, then the best horror games are for you instead.

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