Description

Help! We Joined A Cult By Accident turns a fake relationship into an island escape gone hilariously wrong. Created by Anya Merchant, this dark-comedy visual novel blends match-3 gameplay with a suspicious wellness retreat, bizarre couples’ rituals, and a cover story that becomes increasingly difficult to maintain.

Sean Baskin has no girlfriend and no clear direction when Solena, his late father’s longtime partner and the woman who helped raise him, asks for a favor: pose as her boyfriend so she can visit the exclusive Tidewell retreat. What sounds like a getaway quickly becomes a trap. With passports surrendered and privacy in short supply, the pair must navigate the retreat’s strange hierarchy while searching for a way off the island.

Adapted from Merchant’s novel of the same name, Help! We Joined A Cult By Accident pairs its story with match-3 puzzles, 2D CG artwork, and animated visuals. Its humor draws on Tidewell’s absurd relationship-building demands and the growing complications of Sean and Solena’s deception. Built in Ren’Py, the game used AI-based tools for asset generation, coding, and adapting the original book and script to the engine.

Discover what lurks behind Tidewell’s promises of well-being in version 1.0.0-rc.1. Download and play Help! We Joined A Cult By Accident to unravel this unconventional island mystery.