Rear-mounted rockets roar to life, the cerulean flames erupting- licking at the sides of the rust-flecked hauler. It was a simple van, white with a blue skirt trim. On the sides of the van was a large logo, familiar to many:
Goutras’ Diner
Large azure fingers gripped the wheel of the van making it look comedically small- paling in comparison. With a small sputter, the vehicle took flight; despite it’s aged appearance, it had always been reliable. Behind the wheel, sat Hangry.
The towering blue-fanged beast looked uncomfortable wedged in the small seat, shifting his arm uncomfortably to reach out and re-adjust the side mirror that refused to remain in place- it’s joints loose fromage. The metal chair squealed in protest at the sudden movement.
Next stop, The Marshes of L’Loy- Goutra was in need to supplies for his… customers. And Hangry-well, he certainly knew how to get the goods. The outer-planetary trip felt brief, as it was one he had made many, many times before at Goutras behest. If he did things right, he’d be sure to get a free meal out of the gig. Opening the door, Hangry sprang from the van, his eyes rolling as it gave a squeak of relief at his departure. Best to make this quick, clean and-
His thought was quickly interrupted with a violently alarming growl, his stomach writing and churning along with the protest of his innards. That small pit he had been ignoring the duration of his trip had grown. Hangry was BEYOND hungry. His feral eyes narrowed, lingering far too long on the creature he had been sent to retrieve: The ever elusive and dangerous Cherry Monitor. It’s waffle cone pelt and delicious cherry-topped crown gleamed in the dim illumination, clueless as to the rapid arrival of it’s inevitable demise.
Goutra… he wouldn’t notice, would he? Perhaps if maybe MOST of it was there. It was a good size Cherry Monitor. Who would miss a carve off it’s flank?
He knew better. This was FAR from the first time. It never ended well- usually in a lecture.
But- the borborygmus protest in his stomach was something he simply couldn’t ignore. He silently prowled forward, his instincts taking over.
Besides, what's the WORST that could happen….

Clearly, having a little snack is a...repeat offense.

Hangry is a game developed and published by Game Pill- a Canadian studio based out of Concord, Ontario. Boasting a fresh and unique experience- I was thrilled to sink my teeth into this title. Playing as Hangry, you are a mercenary with an absolutely insatiable appetite. You’ll be packing up and traveling across the galaxy, harvesting ingredients for a slew of creatures big and small to bring back to your Boss (and semi Father Figure), Goutra- the Chief Chef of an Underworld Diner. Showcasing a bright and fun visual style while still drawing me back to older adventure titles that I grew up playing- it gave me a giddy sense of nostalgia. Of note, Hangry presently has no solid release date, and is still very much awork in progress. Keep this in mind while reading ahead- as I will still point out somethings that are likely due to stage of development, and are very prone to change. That being said, put a coin in the jukebox, slide into a both, and let’s dig into the main course.

Home sweet home. Get a drink, a meal, and quests. The diner is FULL of a colourful cast of characters.

Visually, I found Hangry wildly appealing. There's a nice balance between simplicity and intricate detail, making it enjoyable to looks at when it comes to things like Goutra’s Diner, the back alley, and the cast of characters you encounter along the way. In a well implemented mix of a bright poppy color palette with just a hint of grime befitting a diner, it’s a great combination. In general, I found when it comes to very specific locations, things felt wonderfully detailed and well thought out. That opinion DID tend to differ once I set out into the various hunting grounds to stalk some prey. While each of the four currently available hunting grounds are vastly different on a visual level, as you work through each one, you’ll find there is not quite enough variance to really hold ones attention. Initially they’re whimsical and engaging, but there really seem to be a lack of true Points of Interest to keep players stimulated. Even as heavily themed as they are, once you see the initial span of the area, you’ll generally feel like you’ve seen it all in one way or another. The skybox backdrops are brilliant and vivid, and places like The Ember Woods boast some lovely immersive sound effects, but as a player, I really wanted more to look at and explore.

Currently, we are able to explore 4 different locations, each one with its own flavor. Literally and otherwise.

Another weaker point that I found somewhat disappointing, was the sheer amount of re-skinned enemies. Now, the first time you set foot out of the confines of the diner, you will ABSOLUTELY be delighted with the hilarious and creative mixture of terrifying beast and edible delights. They are an absolute joy to meet upon first encounter. Once you do spread you wings further, you’ll start to feel the repetition sink in- and while you WILL find new creatures of some kind in each biome (It felt like I ran it to minimum 1, sometimes 2), most of them will be just a different flavor of the same. This did feel like a bit of a let down, as the possibilities are ENDLESS with food themes taking the front seat, and allowing for some wild combinations.

While initially fun and whimsical, eventually the repetitiveness starts to show.

Speaking of wild combinations, one of the really intuitive aspects of this game is WHAT becomes of your prey when you return to Goutra. You’ve got some decision to make! While the immediate payout may feel more rewarding on the spot, snacking on your targets will ultimately lead to diminished rewards, and impact the story according. On the other hand, you can carve up your kill, bringing home the finest freshest cuts, and maybe you’ll get a fresh hot meal on the side as thanks, on top of full rewards. Weigh your choices, because ultimately, they matter! On top of what you do bring home, however, there is a really fun cooking game built into the concept. When you go out, you’re going to hunt down far more than Goutra needs, and YOU get to keep the surplus. While not INSANELY intricate, there is a learning curve, and it just adds a spark of fun to the mix. You can pay for a perfectly cooked meal, ordo it yourself- adding the main ingredients, seasoning and stirring, while making sure the temperature stays just right. Find recipes as you explore, or find them out by cooking up entirely new creations. Do well, and you’ll have the benefit of both experience, and skill points.

An unexpectedly fun little cooking mini-game. The UI could possibly be slightly improved, but overall, it's adds some nice immersion.

You’ll quickly find out that BOTH of them are vital to your survival. You can receive instant gratification, devouring some of your kills on the spot, or by cooking. Either way, you’ll start to gain Skill Points, and experience- and there are PLENTY of places to spend it. The game has a really through skill tree, each dedicated to a certain area of the body: Heart, stomach, arms, legs, liver, eyes, ears and nose. Each one has multiple tiers, several paths and 3 capstone evolutions. In short- eat good food, get real strong with better abilities, greater strengths, increased speed and better resistances. While I absolutely adore the system in place- I did find myself ABSOLUTELY flabbergasted that there was no real visual reflection of the evolutions. I think that is a potentially HUGE missed opportunity. While I can understand it being some additional work, I think part of the fun of calling it an evolution, is being to watch yourself change. I’d be thrilled to see something like that get fleshed out when the game is closer to launch!

A small portion of the massive skill tree available to you. Keep in mind each meal and enemy has a specific attribute. If you have no points in an area, you can't upgrade.

As far as music, the game has a very solid soundtrack, really lending to the atmosphere. I think I found myself spending a bit too much time at the Diner, since one of the jukeboxes tended to frequently play what sounded like some boarder line Dark Wave tunes that I never could tear myself away from. I wouldn’t say anything was above and beyond, but it nestled into this cozy universe how I’d expect it to. Controls feel just about as one would suspect – though at times I felt the combat was too floaty, and missing a real visual look of IMPACT. Swapping between weapons is a breeze, and my only real complaint apart from the somewhat airy fighting, would be the lack of a jump. Now, this really might be just a personal preference, but it always makes me feel “incomplete” when there is no at-will jump - and in this case I feel like adding some vertical game play could really increase the points of interest, as well as ways to hunt when you’re out gathering ingredients. I would love to see that come through in the final adaption of the game, because while Hangry is a large brute, he’s also fast on his feet and clearly agile.

While many of the enemies may be reskins, a fair handful are not. Sentient meatball lobbing Spaghetti Monsters? Put it on the menu.

Overall, I think Hangry shows a whole lot of promise, especially as there is no set release date that we know of. I think with a little more time to cook, this can be a great revitalization to the Action/Adventure RPG genre. There are absolutely some things that leave some to be desired- some of the animations and voice work feel very rough, and the dialogue boxes fen feel very stark in comparison to everything else going on. Personally, I didn’t QUITE feel like Hangrys voice suited him as well as I would have liked, but that is somewhat minor in comparison to other things. Some of the quest encounters are a bit rough around the edges, and trying to interact with NPCs can be fickle, but again, this is still a work in progress. Ultimately I find myself very hopeful to see the continued evolution of Hangry, and I’m excited to see how much it’s grown on launch. With a little more polish, I think this really could be a fantastically fresh item on the menu.

As of the writing of this article, Hangry is listed as Coming Soon with no set release date or list price.