Saturday Morning Gaming: Book of Hours

Back in 2018, a little indy game called “Cultist Simulator” came out and it was like nothing else I had ever played before. Set in a strange Edwardian time, you begin as a doctor, or police officer, or ingénue, or as just an average schmoe.

And as you play, you learn about dark secrets and unlock doors that are probably best left chained shut.

Read rare books. Paint. Start a cult. Remove your skin. Never grow old.

Well, playing the game was downright difficult. You had to keep up with your funds to pay the bills, you had to fight off ennui, you had to make sure you avoided mania, and there were a *LOT* of plates that you had to keep spinning. Every now and again, you’d have everything spinning at once and then you’d have the opportunity to really start leaning into cult stuff.

Remember those youtubes of the kiddos making a bunch of fidget spinners and then, once all of them were going, they’d dab?

Yeah, it was a little like that.

On top of that, there were a bunch of very difficult things to figure out once you got into the game. The sites you wanted to excavate likely had things to be overcome. You needed to send the appropriate followers to overcome it… like, locked doors required followers with the “knock” skill. There were places to explore in your dreams and you needed to have the appropriate keys to get past various doors.

It took me *MONTHS* before I got to one of the “good” endings. Months.

The game was exceptionally complex and exceptionally difficult and was probably the best game of 2018.

Well, the game has a sequel now and, thankfully, it’s less punishing. We’re back in the same universe but, this time, you’re a librarian at the Hush House. It’s not really about overcoming the weakness of the flesh anymore, it’s about collecting books and making sure that the Hush House is returned to its former glory.

I’ve only spent a few minutes with it but it already feels less stressful than Cultist Simulator. You can mosey in the library. You can take your time. You don’t have to keep all of those fidget spinners going. You can just dab.

I feel more relaxed already.

So… what are you playing?

(Featured image is the Book of Hours menu screen.)