Familiar mechanics with a playful twist
Hermit and Pig are living the dream. Living away from the world, their own plot of land, and the forest at their door. Their diet consists of mushrooms, but they wouldn’t have it any other way. They know they’re weird. And they love their seemingly simple life, foraging for mushrooms and being BFFs. (You can pet Pig, too!)
That idyllic life is turned on its head by the arrival of a little girl who warns of trouble in the city. The corporation behind the largest factory has fired all the workers and brought on some seedy scabs instead. She knows about Hermit and Pig and how they live on the fringes, surviving on the forest’s bounty, and wants to know whether they can help. With that as their North Star, the game begins. There’s a legendary mushroom out there, the Jumbo Fungo, that could help the town out, but Hermit and Pig aren’t the only two looking for it. There’s a massive corporate plot that unwinds as you play.
And how do you play? It’s a turn-based RPG, but you’re not just choosing a move or action and letting it play out while you watch. Attacks have a button-fighting combo attached to them, where you not only have to input the right button, but you have to do it at the right time to deal the most damage. Not only that, but you’ll be able to do different attacks, from stomping, kicking, using a cane, and slapping enemies away. Some attacks will work better than others, depending on the enemy you’re going up against.
If you’ve been around for a bit, you know that turn-based games aren’t my favorite for a few reasons, but that’s not what this review is about. The combat in Hermit and Pig doesn’t throw nearly as much at you as other games out there, and that’s a significant selling point. I even grew to love it, so I encourage you to try combat as-is. However, if it turns out not to be your thing, that’s 100% okay, as there are a few different options for how you want to play. One, you can choose your attack and not have to worry about the button combos, and two, you can ditch the timers. Don’t want to battle at all? Turn on story mode. Want to play with the key combos, but make it easier or harder? Outstanding, because there are options for that too.
The fun isn’t all in the story or the gameplay. Hermit and Pig were masters of the little details. Hermit sweating when he had to interact with another human being, even though they could be just as offbeat as him, or even taking a point of damage for saying something cringeworthy. Character and creature designs? I WANTED to get into fights to see what fun thing would pop out of the cartoony cloud of bad energy. You could run from fights, but why would you do that, especially when the “Run” icon was of a chicken? (Honestly, it’s worth staying around in fights to see the victory messages, which were always very tongue-in-cheek and made me have a good laugh.
After the first hour, I almost didn’t keep playing. Sometimes the controls felt a little sluggish, with a bit of input lag, but other times they were just fine. Movement in the game is slow going; Hermit’s an old guy, after all. However, there was a moment in the game, about two hours in, a really trippy sequence that turned all my assumptions about Hermit and Pig around. All I can say is, if you’re looking for something you can sprint and dodge roll through, this won’t be it. I’m glad I stayed with it.
I’ve played a lot of “super-serious” games this year, but Hermit and Pig won me over by being funny, weird, and thoughtful all at the same time. It’s cozy, but it’s not afraid to say something meaningful. Combat is flexible, no matter how you want to play. I came for the art, but stayed for the humor, the heart, and the two lovable oddballs who want to do good.
Hermit and Pig releases on February 5th on Steam, and you can keep up with Heavy Lunch on TikTok, Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, and Discord.