Above the Desk, the indie developer behind the well-received narrative management game Above the Snow, has officially announced its next project alongside a sinisterly funny debut trailer: The Lunacy: That Game About a Cult.
Ditching the cosy, snow-capped Alps for the ruthless streets of Inquisition-era Spain, the studio’s latest title blends dark comedy, stealth, and cult management into a sharp, satire-filled strategy experience.
Delusional Prophet or True Messiah? You Decide.
In The Lunacy: That Game About a Cult, players take on the role of a questionable prophet who might just have hit their head a little too hard. After experiencing “divine” visions, you are tasked with founding a religious movement devoted to ancient cosmic entities. The catch? Even you, the player, can’t be entirely sure if these ancient gods actually exist or if your prophet is simply suffering from a massive case of delusion.
Set during one of history’s most dangerous eras for religious dissent, surviving the watchful gaze of the Spanish Inquisition is the ultimate challenge.
Build Your Underground Shrine in the Shadows
To keep your fledgling movement alive, you’ll need to work from the darkness—literally. Players must construct and manage a hidden Underground Temple located directly beneath the city streets.
Using a gridless building system, you can customise your holy hideout to fit your followers’ needs—and your own bizarre aesthetic:
- Sacred or Sinful Furniture: Adorn your sanctuary with altars, relics, cursed libraries, and skull piles… or build secret taverns packed with endless barrels of wine to keep morale high.
- Cult Maintenance: Assign work to acolytes, manage resources, and perform blasphemous rituals to unlock new abilities and expand your influence.
- Preach and Perform: Keep your congregation devout through sermons, making sure their faith remains absolute as you prepare for an eventual city-wide rebellion.
Sneak, Spy, and… Fish? Urban Expeditions Await
Managing your base is only half the battle. To gain power, you’ll need to send acolytes out on dangerous RPG-style expeditions into the city above.
Acolytes will sneak through busy streets to preach the word, spy on high-ranking officials, steal vital resources, and manipulate local factions. You’ll navigate hundreds of handcrafted comic events featuring unexpected twists and dark humour. And if you need a break from spreading heresy, you can always send a follower down to the docks to go fishing—because even apocalyptic cults need a holy catch of the day!
As your secret network expands, information becomes far more valuable than gold. What starts as a desperate bid for survival beneath the cobblestones can grow into an all-out revolt to liberate entire districts from the Inquisition’s grip.
A Fresh Spin on Cult Simulators
With The Lunacy: That Game About a Cult, Above the Desk continues to prove its knack for original concepts and sharp writing. By combining base building, stealth mechanics, and emergent narrative storytelling, the studio delivers a fresh, comedic take on a genre that often takes itself too seriously.
Keep your eyes peeled and your altars hidden—the rebellion is coming!
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