I was 20 minutes into the demo before I realised that Becoming Saint is that most terrible of things, another roguelike, but that’s OK, because by then I’d been burned at the stake for heresy after failing to convert the homely town of Spoleto. The presiding Inquisitor very kindly let me off 100 years of purgatory because I’d mostly rebelled against the Emperor, not the Pope. But then he slapped on 68 years for “minor sins”.
I’m not sure which sins. Possibly my being a bit parsimonious with the bread rations on the road to Spoleto? Possibly my favouring the company of a majestic wolf, “strong as he is beautiful”? Regardless, the happy ending here is that after 968 years in purgatory, I was eventually canonised as a Saint in the year 2317. Today, 29th May, is in fact Saint Edwina’s day. If you would like Saint Edwina’s blessing, know that she accepts all major credit cards and is also happy to be paid in vouchers for Cafe Neros.
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Becoming Saint, then: possibly not the most reverent game you can play. Possibly not a game you will relish if you are a committed Catholic. But quite jolly all the same. The setup here, as I probably should have mentioned about 200 words ago, is that you’re a budding preacher in 14th century Italy. Your goal is to Become a Saint within your own lifetime, rather than getting yourself martyred before you can enjoy any of the perks. To do this you will need believers, gathered from 16 social classes.
Which believers you attract is based on your own evolving political compass and doctrine, which begins with the three narrative choices you make at the outset. For example, choice of familiar. I picked a wolf as my animal emblem and promised the faithful all the florins they could eat, which got me branded a Capitalist, but your alignment can shift as you give speeches at towns over the course of the run. This may cause some believers to peel away and others to latch on. The presentation is eye-grabbing: pop-up cardboard towns, menus written on parchment scrolls, choose-your-own adventure beats with Kate Beaton-esque illustrations. A little like Pentiment, in places, but simpler and bolder.
You can anoint up to five types of believer as followers, which allows you to field them in “confrontations” with opposing zealots while trying to convert towns. These confrontations take the form of grid-based real-time strategy battles with a tactical pause function. Units have three stats and some Rosary, Paper, Censer-style strengths and weaknesses. Book-wielding Monks are great at perplexing Peasants, for example. Other followers excel at begging, which is important because your holy cause is powered by bread as much as charisma.
It’s all the antic and disarming work of Open Lab Games, developers of Roller Drama and Football Drama. You can find that demo on Steam, along with the release date: 15th July 2025.
