Hermit & Pig Preview | Just a Man and His Pig
Playing a demo is often tricky with an RPG. Oftentimes there is a slew of background information, exposition, layered upon layered gameplay mechanics, and before you know it, it’s been three hours and you only completed one scrimmage. Happily, Hermit & Pig by Heavy Lunch Studio quickly throws you into the game and in seconds you’re on your merry way to enjoy this adventure.
You start the game as the title says, as Hermit & Pig. Hermit, an older gentleman, along with his buddy, Pig, wake up and begin to forage for mushrooms around their home. As I picked up mushrooms during these few moments, a slew of names popped up on the screen. Initially, it was a bit much to see all the names, but I quickly realized I didn’t need the names of these sprouts, yet. Exploring the area also provided opportunities for Hermit to make funny commentary on the environment and his situation. As a recluse, Hermit doesn’t really talk to other people much, but instead, talks to his Pig.. a lot. These moments between Hermit and the Pig allowed them to be extremely endearing, and before long, I had an immediate connection with the two.
I eventually stumbled into a combat situation where Hermit had to take care of several woodland creatures. Within the game, as you combat, you need to input a three button combo similar to many fighting games (X,X,Y or A,B,X, for example). Hermit has several moves that he can use, like Kick, Stomp, etc. As the battle progresses, you need to attack each enemy with the type of attack that they are especially weak to, which gives them extra damage. Additionally, the faster you input the attack, the more likely you are to land a critical hit. Even more interesting is that some creatures change stances, which then changes what they are weak to. For example, if a fly is airborne, then falls down on the ground, the special attacks that will inflict more damage will be different. I was impressed by this level of detail, which seems to just be the start of more complicated endeavors.
Though I am not always a big fan of rapid button smashes, I was able to pick it up after a few rounds. Even better, Hermit & Pig has some gameplay customization options that allowed me to switch to a more traditional RPG combat system - no time limit of deciding what actions I would do and to offer single inputs instead of the three button combo. Customization features are always a highlight for me, so seeing this slight adjustment option really was music to my ears. Speaking of ears, the music within the game is a great treat with an underappreciated xylophone taking the show.
After a few fights with some creature, I met a young girl who engaged me in a "dialogue fight”. Looking similar to the other fights, a conversation occurs between Hermit and the girl, where some of the answers are typical conversation responses, others are comical quips, and some are absolutely unhinged. I had several more laugh out loud moments throughout this encounter, and even a few cringe moments that ended up being literal self-inflicted damage on my character. The strangeness of this game continued to layer itself upon more strangeness and I was all for it.
Eventually, you learn that a giant corporation pushed a bunch of the workers out and now the entire town is unemployed and could lose everything (so typical capitalists shenanigans). Hermit reluctantly offers to help, along with Pig, and the three set off towards the town. As I progressed through the rest of the demo, I was also able to use various trinkets that aided me in my adventure. However, since I only started with two slots, I had to choose which abilities were best for me. Ultimately, I chose the item that let me see enemy weaknesses to best optimize the combats, but there were others that increased health, bolstered defenses, etc. Through the traversal, there were also a few mini puzzles that needed to be solved in order to progress, but nothing outlandish or frustrating.
Hermit & Pig’s demo is a must play for anyone who enjoys humor in games along with RPGs. I found myself constantly chuckling at the chaotic humor and off-the-wall moments with the mushrooms - which there are plenty. The end of this 30-minute demo even ends with a moment that was so gob-smackingly great, that I am leaving it out of the preview in hopes that you can experience it for the first time too!
Be sure to wishlist Hermit & Pig on Steam here.