Hungry Horrors Preview

Are you looking for a game that has you battling enemies not with weapons or spells, but in a totally different way? Hungry Horrors is a title for you! Developed by Clumsy Bear Studio, this game takes you on a journey through British and Irish folklore, where you play as a princess who must save her kingdom through cooking. The mythical monsters of this land have been placed under a curse that makes them incredibly hungry and angry — aka “hangry” — and the only way to calm them down is by feeding them.

 

The princess wakes up in a dungeon with no idea where she is or how she got there. She isn’t totally alone, though; there is a cage with a black cat trapped inside. You have the option to free the kitty, and once you do, it starts talking to you. This magical feline’s name is Lady Catherine, and she suggests that the two of you escape using a key she has. They leave the room, and the cat looks ahead and spots a Redcap, who appears to be very hungry. Lady Catherine offers a suggestion: you can solve this problem by cooking for him. The issue is that she doesn’t cook; being a princess, people cook for her.

Since cooking is the only way to get past the HORRORS (all in caps, so it must be extra scary…), she will need to learn quickly. Catherine gives her everything she needs to get started: a cauldron and some dishes. As she is just starting out, she can only make simple recipes like pottage, which unfortunately doesn’t fill up the enemy very much. Every turn the enemy takes, they move one step closer to you, and if they aren’t full by the time they reach the princess, you are vanquished.

At the start of each turn, you pull one dish card from the five in your hand to feed to the enemy. Each item has a different type, such as Salty, Savoury, or Sweet, and your foe will crave a specific type. If you match the two, you earn a bonus and fill more of the hunger metre. If you don’t have anything in your hand that matches, you can discard up to four cards, but every time you do, your stamina drops. When your stamina hits zero, you faint. To restore energy, you can eat some of the dishes yourself. In the top-right corner of each card, you’ll see a green number with a lightning bolt beside it, showing how much stamina it will restore.

You lose the first battle and end up in the kitchen; the Cauldron of Plenty will respawn you here whenever something bad happens. The first time you respawn, Lady Catherine gives you silver ingredients that, when placed on the pillars in the room, spawn additional ingredients for you. These will always be available to pick up on each run.

Along with ingredients, you also unlock more recipes to use in battle. You will select 10 dishes to prepare so they are ready to use. On top of this, you must also choose which cookware to take with you. There are three cookware slots available, though if you are vanquished, you will lose all of these items. If you visit cursed rooms while exploring, you can find more cookware to add to your loadout or replace existing pieces.

This roguelite title features multiple areas to explore. There are eight doors, along with one large door chained shut with a lock. At the beginning, only the first door is available, leading you to the caves. In each area, there are 10 rooms to explore, where you will feed any HORRORS you encounter. At the final stop, you will face a boss battle against a massive and extremely hungry foe. Their hunger metre reaches a whopping 140, so you’ll have a lot of work ahead of you to satisfy their voracious appetite!

Hungry Horrors features great-looking pixel characters that are vibrant and expressive. The backgrounds have multiple layers that add real depth, something you especially notice when looking out of a window, as everything moves naturally with you. It feels surprisingly realistic and brings the world to life. The music is upbeat and cheerful, helping the game maintain a light-hearted tone.

I absolutely love Hungry Horrors. Battling enemies by cooking dishes to fill them up is a refreshing change from defeating foes in the traditional sense. There are plenty of fun recipes here, including familiar favourites like Yorkshire pudding, custard, and roasted potatoes, alongside dishes I haven’t tried myself, such as mushy peas or pickled eggs. It’s fun experimenting to see which foods each monster loves or hates, but if you’re ever unsure, there’s always the universally loved roasted potato — a dish every HORROR enjoys, no matter what! This is definitely a game you’ll want to try out for yourself.