Chromebooks are widely beloved for their portability, battery life, and extremely affordable price tag. However, these computers are also well-known for being low end when it comes to their hardware, making it difficult to recommend them for applications beyond browsing the Web and basic productivity tools.
Chrome OS, Google’s operating system designed to power these machines, has had a relatively unfocused existence over the last few years, but the tech giant has been working to create new experiences that make the most of this unique platform.
A Space for Games – or at Least Some of Them
Google recently opened Chrome OS devices up, giving them the power to run both Android and Linux apps, which has given Chromebooks the ability to work with many new software tools. However, many Android apps are built solely with touchscreens – not keyboards – in mind, and this can lead to complicated (and not always enjoyable) user experiences.
Recently, Google made both Doom and Doom II, which had both been remade for Android, free for Chromebook owners to play, ported perfectly to recreate the experience of these classic first person shooter titles from over 25 years ago.
However, to help aspiring gamers find new titles that will run well on their Chromebooks, Google has recently created a section of the Play Store designed explicitly for this purpose. Rolling out to Chromebook users gradually, this new section includes a very select number of titles, including Bridge Constructor Portal, Don’t Starve, Incredibox, The Enchanted Worlds, Gorogoa, and Cultist Simulator.
Why Cultist Simulator is Perfect for Chromebook
Cultist Simulator, released in 2018 by Alexis Kennedy and Lottie Bevan’s two-person studio, Weather Factory, and published by Humble Bundle, is a game that uses card-based mechanics. The player’s actions can ultimately lead them to create a cult-like following, and there are countless paths to venture down, endings to reveal, and many different ways to both win and lose. The title has received a handful of expansions.
The game’s Android port was completed by Playdigious and released in April 2019. Because Cultist Simulator has a simple graphical interface and relies on Kennedy’s prose to push the story forward, rather than intense, movielike visuals, Chromebooks can render the game without facing serious slowdowns, challenges, or instabilities. It also can be picked up and played for minutes – or hours – at a time, making it great for commuters and others who only make time to game in-between other commitments.
What the Future Holds
The current version of Cultist Simulator playable on Chromebooks contains the initial game, as well as New Game+ mode, and the Dancer, Priest, and Ghoul DLCs. Exile, which was released for PC at the end of May 2020, is to be ported in the indefinite future and made available as part of a bundle containing all Cultist content for newbies and completists alike. The game is fully playable in English, Russian, and simplified Chinese.
Click here to learn more about Alexis Kennedy, Weather Factory, and Cultist Simulator.
