Image via Clumsy Bear Studio
Another week, another deck-building roguelike. At least, that is how it can seem sometimes. Hungry Horrors, which just entered early access, is the latest installment in the genre. While it is, at its core, about crafting the right kind of deck of cards to ensure attacks compliment each other and eliminate enemies, the execution is different due to the premise of a princess using meals she cooked to fill up opponents rather than eat her. At the moment, the result is an experience that feels more controlled than some similar titles.
Hungry Horrors begins with a princess alone in a dungeon. She encounters a cat named Lady Catherine, who instructs her to feed various dishes like pottage, salted potatoes, and pickled eggs to fill up a Red Cap enough that it doesn’t eat her. While the tutorial experience doesn’t go too well, her highness survives and learns that in order to stay alive and save the kingdom, she’ll need to feed foes before they reach her and eat her.
The novel part is how this actually works in the preparation phase. You’ll have a set number of certain types of ingredients available based on what’s set on certain pillars in your kitchen. (So you could always guarantee a number of potatoes are available, for example.) You then can select certain types of Cookware that provide a general buff during the fight. For example, I selected a Frying Pan and, as a result, all of the sour dishes (liked Pickled Eggs) would make the monster less hungry. You then go through your recipes to craft the cards in your deck, potentially also adding seasonings (such as vinegar to impart sourness) to affect the cards. Your deck is then the 20 recipes you select.
It’s incredibly novel, since runs mean you’ll get new recipes and ingredients that alter your options. Each type of monster will have their own tastes, which you’ll need to discover to help ensure you’re prepared for certain bosses. But you’ll also notice that certain combinations could trigger different types of hankerings. And meeting those combos by ensuring your recipes are well organized means you’ll deal more damage with fewer tosses, keeping opponents away. So if salty Roast Parsnips leave a foe wanting something sweet next, you could go with Jellied Eels. Combine that with each of these food cards also being able to restore the princess’ own stamina to varying degrees, and you can also factor in her own energy needs when drafting.
Fights themselves in Hungry Horrors feel a bit typical in the build available at launch. They almost remind me of Peglin a bit, both in terms of the art direction and the organization. Enemies move toward the princess, with a gauge at the bottom noting how many footsteps they are away and how much of their stomach needs to be filled before they’ll just… leave you alone. You play a card per turn. It can be a bit easy to be defeated early on, but that’s part of the learning curve from what I’ve seen. Falling means learning what enemies like, getting more recipes and ingredients, and really being in a stronger position for the next turn.
The recipe cooking, deck-building premise in Hungry Horrors seems like it could turn into its strongest feature. The idea of cooking up recipes to ensure there’s proper synergy and you’re prepared for certain types of foes gets really interesting. Setbacks also don’t feel devastating as a result, as I felt I was constantly learning. The actual battles feel totally fine, though I didn’t find them the most exciting part of this early build. As long as the recipe diversity keeps up and there are some tricky situations, I could see this staying strong.
Hungry Horrors is now in early access for the PC via Steam.