I’ve yet to meet someone who doesn’t appreciate fantasy in some regard, especially in the video game sphere. So many games were founded on the simple premise of being an adventuring hero who slays deadly monsters in a fantasy world, often indiscriminately killing these monsters by the hundreds by the game’s end. Of course, not doing so would more often than not lead to you becoming the monster’s lunch, so we can’t really blame our video game protagonists for slaying in self-defense. But what if there were another way to avoid becoming lunch for every monster you come across?
This question is answered by Hungry Horrors. Well, more specifically, the game asks the question: “What if satiating a monster’s hunger was your ONLY way of avoiding becoming its lunch?” I’m pretty sure the princess protagonist of this game would not have been averse to doing some slaying of her own if given the means.
Hungry Horrors is a deckbuilding roguelike using the themes of English and Irish mythology and cooking to create one of the more unique experiences I’ve had the pleasure of playing. As a princess trapped in a cursed land, you must find and defeat a dragon before your entire kingdom falls apart. However, you are only armed with a magical cauldron and must cook for the countless creatures you encounter on your way to the dragon’s lair; otherwise, you’d be filling their bellies in another way.
The card play system is a rather unique take on the deckbuilding genre and the game’s unique cooking theme. Each turn, you draw a handful of meals by way of cards, with each one having its own hunger value that adds to a bar on the enemy monster, which you must fill before he manages to close the gap between the two of you on his turns. Each card has unique effects, but also has its own flavor profile and a craving that it gives the monster. If the next card you play on a monster matches that craving, then you string a combo of all the previously played cravings for devastatingly filling results. Failing to feed the monster the flavor it craves resets the combo; furthermore, there are dishes that the monsters can like, love (which doubles the effect), or hate, which causes them to throw up and reset your combo chain anyway.
Essentially, you are given a certain number of turns before a monster kills you, and you win by successfully chaining combos for big number additions. Like any roguelike, special boons and items can be gathered along the way, such as spices that increase the effectiveness of your meals or cookware which provides unique bonuses.
The game’s cooking cardplay mechanics are both unique, simple, and really fun to play, with craving chains being incredibly satisfying to pull off. What stands out just as much, however, are the game’s monsters and characters.
Hungry Horrors pulls from the aforementioned mythologies of England and Ireland to create a cast of frightening and unique monsters, as well as super memorable characters. Morgana Le Fay and Merlin make an appearance in the game, but honestly, the most memorable and fun character was the protagonist, a somewhat stuck-up princess who insists that it is not only not her job to cook for others, but that some unseen prince should show up and save her at any moment, so why should she do any work herself? It’s really fun watching her argue with other characters and slowly come to the realization that it’s up to her to get the job done, her petty refusal of the call being more about laziness and classism than a fear of what’s ahead.
The art style, which is a simplistic pixel style, really shines through in the creature designs and backgrounds. While I felt the protagonist’s design was a little overly simple (though that might be on purpose, given the game’s fairy-tale themes), I still found her animation to be incredibly expressive. I was always entertained by the way she lifts her dress while running forward and by the game’s many comedic death scenes, which add a bit of flair when you fail a run.
Hungry Horrors really impressed me, especially for a game in Early Access and one made by a small team of only two developers. Between its character writing, fun art and creature design, and simple yet very engaging gameplay, this title already has a lot to offer anyone who picks it up.
That being said, it is in Early Access, and players should expect some content to be missing. In particular, the playable version features an incomplete version of the game, with just five biomes and 20 monsters to encounter. While I think the current amount of content is enough to give you a great idea of what the game can be and is good for more than a few hours of gameplay, players should still be aware that they’re getting an incomplete experience by opting to buy the game early.
Overall, the Early Access version of Hungry Horrors is a pretty great introduction to what can be both a unique and incredibly fun title, one that mixes up its own genre with unique mechanics and shows off some very fun character writing and creature designs. I highly recommend this game, even in Early Access, and can’t wait to see what comes with the full release.
Pros:
- A simple yet highly engaging deckbuilding system, with satisfying combo-building mechanics
- A fun take on classic creatures from Irish and English mythology
- Great characters and non-traditional writing, focusing on comedy with its great dialogue
Cons:
- A lack of content in Early Access, to be expanded upon as the game develops
TryHardGuides was provided a Steam code for this PC Early Access Review of Hungry Horrors. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page!
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