Cultic is Back and Better Than Ever
Cultic Chapter One made a strong impression when it launched in 2022. With the arrival of Chapter Two, the full game is now complete and it stands out as one of the best shooters of 2025 on PC.
Developed by Jasozz Games and published by 3D Realms, Cultic is a boomer shooter that leans hard into fast gunplay, chunky visuals, and grisly atmosphere. It runs on PC with modest requirements and is even Steam Deck Verified, making it an easy pick for players who love classic style first person shooters.
The setup is simple: you are dropped into a world of cultists, occult madness, and demonic horrors and your job is to survive by blasting everything that moves. The real magic is not in the premise but in how sharply the game executes every classic shooter idea.
Guns That Feel Incredible to Use
Cultic’s arsenal starts with the familiar but makes it feel fresh. You get the usual shooter suspects like pistols, shotguns, magnums, and machine guns, but each weapon has been designed with punchy feedback, strong sound, and a unique historical twist.
Instead of generic firearms, Jasozz Games picked some of the strangest and coolest real world guns as inspiration. For example:
- The starting pistol is a Mauser Broomhandle, an iconic early 20th century sidearm.
- The submachine gun is modeled after a British Sten, a famously rough but effective World War 2 gun.
- The sniper style rifle resembles an experimental side loading paratrooper weapon from late war Germany.
These choices give the game a distinctive flavor and work perfectly with the retro art style. Every headshot erupts in a shower of pixelated gore, and the sprite based weapon viewmodels look fantastic.
The star of the show is the magnum, a cut down lever action rifle styled like a mare’s leg. It is absurdly satisfying for landing precise headshots and quickly becomes the weapon you never want to put down.
Chapter Two expands the arsenal with alternate versions of existing guns. The new semi automatic shotgun is a great addition for shredding enemies at mid range. There is also a snub nosed revolver variant of the magnum, but it struggles to compete with the pure joy of the original lever action. If you are choosing between them, the recommendation is simple: keep the new shotgun, but stick with the old magnum.
Smart Level Design and Creeping Horror
One of Cultic’s strengths is its level design. Maps are sprawling, maze like spaces with strong themes and unique flows. Rather than linear corridors, you explore large environments that reward curiosity and smart positioning.
Several levels stand out as highlights:
- A train level that feels tense and punchy.
- A cozy but deadly Christmas village.
- A mall filled with ambushes, secrets, and a terrifying horror segment.
- A mansion that clearly nods to Resident Evil’s Spencer Mansion, full of atmosphere and exploration.
Chapter One is especially praised for its tight pacing. It moves quickly from one great scenario to another without wasting time. Chapter Two is more ambitious, with bigger levels and more content, but it can feel a little bloated toward the end. The final level in particular runs long and may test your endurance. Still, taken as a whole, the campaign delivers a consistently fun and varied ride.
Visually, Cultic uses crunchy low resolution graphics with heavy dithering, a warm autumn color palette, and a committed 1960s American setting. Rather than simply looking old, it turns retro visuals into a real art style. The result is a world that feels grimy, strange, and memorable.
The game also packs a surprising amount of environmental interaction. It channels the spirit of classics like Duke Nukem and Thief with little details everywhere:
- Coffee pots can be heated up and thrown at enemies.
- Smack a donut box and a storm of pixel donuts bounces around the room.
- Typewriters hold half finished notes that can be “completed” by mashing keys.
- Chapter Two hides full on pool and shooting gallery minigames as side activities.
These playful touches give Cultic a sense of place and personality beyond just shooting rooms full of enemies.
Then there is the horror. Even in Chapter One you get stretches of pure tension, like wandering unsettling spaces with no music and no enemies, just atmosphere. Chapter Two goes further and delivers some genuinely creepy sequences.
One standout takes place in a department store filled with faceless mannequins. At first they are just harmless physics objects, but every time you look away and back, their positions change. They inch closer, then swarm the room whenever your back is turned. They never directly attack, but the sense of being watched and surrounded slowly ramps up the anxiety. When the game finally releases you into a more traditional fight, it feels almost like relief to be shooting monsters again.
Despite leaning strongly into combat, Cultic manages to be scary without cheap tricks. Even though you know every scare will eventually lead to another arena of cultists and creatures, the build up still lands.
A New Staple For Boomer Shooter Fans
There was a long gap between Chapter One and Chapter Two, and by 2025 the boomer shooter scene is more crowded than ever. That means Cultic’s second half cannot quite recapture the freshness of its initial release, simply because players have seen more retro shooters in the meantime.
Even so, the combined full game is a standout. It offers:
- Excellent gunfeel and unique weapon choices.
- Strong, varied level design packed with secrets.
- Striking retro visuals and a clear sense of style.
- Surprisingly effective horror segments.
- A fair price for a lengthy single player campaign.
If you enjoy PC shooters that feel like a blend of Blood, Resident Evil, and classic 90s gunplay with modern polish, Cultic is absolutely worth your time. It does not reinvent the genre, but it executes almost every idea at a high level and earns a place among the best indie shooters on PC today.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/cultic-review/
