Cults and good news don’t usually mesh well together, and the same is true even for fictional ones in video games. Cults are even quite common in video games as villains or enemy groups. That shows just how menacing and horrific they usually are with games likeCult of the Lambgiving players a taste of how some of these Satanic cults work.
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However, try as they might, the player’s cult inCult of the Lambis but a mere cute caricature of what the other video game cults are capable of. The worst among them — especially those led by humans instead ofevil anthropomorphic animals— are nauseating pits of evil whose crimes will more than disgust and terrify players. The following video game cults are the very worst offenders.
8Testament of the New Ezekiel - Outlast 2
Outlastis no stranger tohorrific imageryand its sequel,Outlast 2pushes the bar higher by letting players loose in a countryside riddled with members of the Testament of New Ezekiel instead of an asylum. Given how these cultists operate, some might even prefer the previous game’s asylum.
That’s because the Testament of New Ezekiel is comprised ofsystematic child murderers. Their original goal is to prevent the Anti-Christ from being born, which is an extremist religious view, but, somehow, that got twisted into deplorable crimes against humanity such assexual assault,abduction, and occasionallymutating into a grotesque monstrosityto complete the circle.
Dead Space 2expands upon the previous game’s lore by showing players just how much the existence of Necromorphs impacted the human species on other planets. From the ashes of the first game sprung a religious order centered around Unitology, wheredeath and the typical apocalypse are central to their beliefs.
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The worst part is that they believe that the process ofturning into a Necromorph is salvationitself, so they don’t mind. In fact, some of them are even too giddy or excited about the prospect that they sever their limbs in advance. That’s a signature cult pastime for the Unitologists.Mass suicideis another, along withritualistic human sacrificesin bulk orders.
6Los Illuminados - Resident Evil 4
Similar enough to the Unitologists of theDead Spacemythos, the Los Illuminados fromResident Evil 4is one of the most disturbing cults to ever exist in a video game. Because the pestilence that they chose todeifyis none other than azombie virusitself, the Los Plagas.
Granted, it might just be due to the nature of the virus itself, which yearns to influence the actions of its host. Still, that doesn’t excuse the cult’s crimes. They’re thefull suite of evilas far as cults go, but most of them deal in kidnapping to bolster their numbers. What does make them more dangerous compared to other cults is that they have a goal oftaking over the world, which explains why they kidnapped a president’s daughter.
5Shrouded Isle Cult - Shrouded Isle
One can’t mention terrifying cults without some Lovecraftianoccult reference. It just so happens that the Lovecraftian cult (who worships the Great Old Ones) in theShrouded Isleoffer a more intimate insight into the inner workings of their organization. That’s because it’s the players themselves who control the cult members.
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Players can think of the whole game as a tourism management sim except thetourists are mere sacrificial lambsfor the glory of the unseen ones. They’ll have to meticulously plan how to lure andabduct these hapless touristsinto theirprovincialfishing townso they can be offered as sacrifices. Now, since the town is also poor and struggling, some of these victims will have to be served up to servants instead.
4The Project at Eden’s Gate - Far Cry 5
Far Cry 5has its own version of a doomsday cult and while they look inclusive and racially diverse, they’re not halfway close to being decent. In fact, their existence is quite detestable and irritating. Their main activities usually revolve aroundland grabbingpoor farmers' fields and acts of terror.
They also tend tocorrupt everything they touchas every county or town within a hundred-mile radius takes hush money from their pockets. If that’s not bad enough, they also dabble in thedrug trade,smuggling,human trafficking, and all other kinds of illegal businesses. Plus, their church sessions are just plain creepy.
3The Children of Atom - Fallout Series
While other cults here worship demons, monsters, and cranky gods, The Children of Atom in theFalloutgamesworship a literal bomb. This bomb also has yet to go off, yet that doesn’t stop the Children of Atom from huddling around them and doing goodness knows what to the bombs when no one’s looking.
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Apart from the bomb, they also worship and embrace all of its aspects, includingradiation. So, this is a cult that doesn’t mindabsorbing artificial cancerjust because. It’s not exactly a good business or organizational structure for the cult,bathing in radiationand quartering their lifespans, but, somehow, they’re thriving inFallout’s wastelands.
2The Order - Silent Hill
Yet another doomsday cult, The Order from theSilent Hillgames are all about “oneness” and bringing about an apocalypse. They mostly aim to achieve this by huffing up hallucinogens to keep their members inundated and compliant. It’s too bad their primary recruitment method iskidnapping, andforced intoxication. That’s the “oneness” part.
The apocalypse part consists of a welcoming committee for an otherworldly god (which appears to beLovecraftian in theme). This consists of a14-year-old girl who’s supposed to be impregnated, giving birth to the host of the said god. They could have stopped at the ‘oneness’ part and might still get voluntary recruits.
1Mythic Dawn - Elder Scrolls Games
The Mythic Dawn is the notorious cult responsible for kicking off the main quest and significant events inThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. They’re the ones who murdered the emperor at their gods' behest, which is Mehrunes Dagon. He’s the Daedric Prince of Destruction inElder Scrollslore, the equivalent to Satan.
Hence, the Mythic Dawn is practicallyElder Scrolls’faux-Satanic cult. What does make their cult terrifying for both members and beholders is the fact that they don’t mindletting Daedra or demons possess their bodiesandinvade their world, practically offering themselves as pawns. At least the dragons inSkyrimonly burned things.
