Reporting on an early access roguelike deckbuilder is usually a battle of innovation vs stagnation in a saturated genre, but this time it’s not a new kid on the block but rather an actual release date! Hungry Horrors is the Overwhelmingly Positive reviewed creature-feeding roguelike we looked at the demo for 2.5 years ago, and now releases into 1.0 on October 13th.
While most of the mechanics on Hungry Horrors borrow from the genre, such as managing card play limits, stacking debuffs and effects, and building a themed deck, Hungry Horrors managed to initially enchant us with its unique style and presentation. Instead of simply killing enemies, you cook up a storm and feed them to submission. Combined with the recipe and seasoning system that allows you to create your own unique cards, Hungry Horrors was on the way to a promising release (which is finally here!)
We said “The art is absolutely gorgeous, and the animation that goes with it is really impressive. I like that the horrors each give you a unique death animation too. It’s nothing gruesome, but one would fling you into your own cauldron, whilst another would gobble you up with its long tongue. This is nothing on Henry Taylor’s soundtrack though, which is incredibly good. Subtle in places, loud and blaring in others, but always with a bouncy and upbeat feel”
Hungry Horrors 1.0 serves a full course meal
In addition to more lavishly-animated entities to feed, the 1.0 release promises a host of upgrades for the complete experience.
If you like playing the numbers game with roguelikes then Hungry Horrors boasts 8 biomes, 34 horrors, 62 dishes, 13 legendary characters, 2 game modes and a whopping 33 death animations (so yes, lose some runs every now and then to gawk at them!).
In fantastic news for our original reviewer, all the new content is scored by the very same Henry Taylor.
Hungry Horrors 1.0 launches with 2 distinct game modes
While a roguelike might not initially lend itself to the idea of multiple game modes, because of meta-progression, Hungry Horrors is releasing with 2. While the gameplay is similar in both, the standard campaign mode is the “traditional” roguelike story experience.
However, there’s also a new “Banquet” mode which features a much shorter run-time for quick sessions, and a ramping skill ceiling via higher difficulty levels. For those familiar with the genre, think of it like the difference between Inscryption and Kaycee’s Mod. The Banquet mode is all about refining your perfect routes and decks.
Hungry Horrors launches into 1.0 on Steam on October 13th
