Hermit and Pig

One of my favorite RPGs of the decade. I’m so glad I got around to playing. I was intimidated by the default combat setting to select attacks by button combos, but I surprised myself with gaining proficiency over time. By the end of the game, ai felt rather triumphant! Also… the portrayal of Hermit’s social anxiety was spot on. I relate to that dude.

That this game has been slept on is an absolute travesty. I heard nothing about this game on the typical gaming forums and channels, and literally only snagged it because the art style was cute, and it gave off those always endearing "Earthbound vibes." I did not expect a surprisingly heartfelt commentary about capitalism, environmentalism, the power of community, and mental health... But that's what I got! Also, a really fun game that does enough unique things to really feel like its own thing, The game itself plays, for the most part, like your typical turn-based RPG, with a few twists to keep things interesting. There is no normal currency, and in the instances where a "shop" is present, it utilizes a barter system centering around the protagonist's favorite food, mushrooms. There are a ton of variations from the standard button to the terrifying cordyceps, each with their own functions in battle. Both Hermit and his faithful companion Pig can pop one in a fight to recover health and conditions, inflict status ailments, and other useful things. When entering a new area, it's always worth scrounging about to find mushrooms, and sometimes you'll stumble upon little bits of lore or even powerful trinkets. These trinkets provide a number of buffs ranging from standard stat boosts, to modifying the combat timer. Speaking of the combat timer, while the actual fighting is turn-based, each turn is controlled by an ever ticking timer, making you act on the fly. Issuing attacks is a little more complex as well, with Hermit having a number of combat moves, each denoted by a series of button presses. Different combinations of presses result in different attack, such as a punch, a kick, or walloping the foe with a cane. Different types of attacks will effect different enemies differently. Attacked by an angry roach? Try giving him a stomp! Ambushed by a rabid porcupine? Avoid hurting yourself by bopping him with your trusty cane. Pig contributes as well, not just through attacks, but by defending Hermit, or even spying on the enemy to discover weaknesses. While all of this is quite fun, the real draw, at least to me, is the story and characters. Hermit and Pig are both full of personality. Hermit comes off a bit like a curmudgeonly old man, but is actually a genuinely good guy. He suffers from severe anxiety, and struggles deeply with dealing with people. This manifests in the form of "conversational battles" where you have branching conversations paths while dealing with the ever present combat timer. Making the wrong choices, or behaving awkwardly causes cringe damage, dealing actual damage to Hermit. This is rarely enough to be fatal, and there were some instances where I had to pick an option I thought was funny, knowing full well that cringe was imminent. Pig, through a series of events, eventually gains the ability to talk to Hermit, and the dynamic between the two is delightful. The rest of the colorful cast of characters is just an endearing, and my only complaint there is that I wish a few of them had a few more chances to shine. The game itself can be beaten in under 10 hours, but there's very little filler, and the whole experience was a blast from beginning to end. I'd highly recommend it to pretty much anyone who gets pleasure from the indie space.

Incredibly charming RPG from beginning to end. You think it's about a silly old man and his pig picking mushrooms and becomes so much more. I can't stress enough how much personality oozes out of every corner of this game from dialogue, to combat to how you level up. Absolutely worth a play, highly recommended!

Hermit and Pig is a cute, fun game about the impossibility of retreating from society so long as the worst capitalist institutions on Earth remain. The game starts you in that cozy, illusory place of solitude--a slightly grungy digs in the middle of the woods, far away from anyone. But the solitude doesn't last long, and soon you're snout-deep in the precarity and violence of late capitalism, represented by the mysterious DT corporation. The game doesn't shy away from themes like worker disposability and police brutality, but it also never feels all that heavy; the dialogue is consistently lighthearted, often funny and absurd. It's also very obvious that it's trying to communicate a message: Capitalism Bad, Cops Violent, Corporations Evil. I agree with those ideas, but their presentation is so direct that it sometimes feels dull. The game holds your hand and points out every Important Takeaway rather than letting these takeaways marinate through subtler suggestion or ever truly letting the player feel their darkness. A better version of the game would probably be subtler and darker without losing the whimsy and humor. That's a delicate balance, and I applaud anyone who can make it work. These critiques aside, I did enjoy the game. The combat system is fun, if a little frustrating at times (I'm slow with the combos!), and I dug the enemy designs. If you want an entertaining eight or so hours, give it a go. Just don't expect top-notch story and writing.

Game is hilarious, must buy if you like silly humor and Earthbound/Undertale

A TON of accessibility options.

This game is a wonderful piece of art, everything is done with love and it shows, give it a go! (Took me 9.1Hours to finish, it shows on my Steamdeck but not on the computer where i write this review.)