Harvest Hunt

Villainous Games' roguelite horror game builds enjoyable systems around a central monster with more bark than bite.

Still, pitting it against the mountains of similar roguelite releases to dig through every month, Harvest Hunt stands out with its great style and unique concept. While it's not yet announced as Steam Deck compatible, the game plays perfectly on the handheld thus far, with a smart controller configuration to match. Harvest Hunt remains worth checking out for anyone into folk horror, roguelites, and asymmetrical games – just try and poke the game's bear whenever possible.

The game is well structured and has excellent graphical quality despite its simplicity. The in-game tutorials are well done and comprehensive, and the preparation for each individual mission is also perfectly taken care of. The work done with the audio compartment is amazing, the sound effects really provide an incredible gaming experience. The only flaw I can express is the method of fighting against the Devourer, which in my opinion is unnecessary and done in a less curated manner than the rest of the game. It may seem like a minor thing in a horror game, but in the case of debuffs that require you to kill him it becomes quite complex. That said, if you are a person interested in the horror genre, Harvest Hunt turns out to be a great place to approach the type. At the same time it turns out to be a lot of fun and exciting to play, it's just a pity that there is no multiplayer feature that would give the game an extra edge.

After playing Harvest Hunt for two hours, I got bored. The lore didn’t pull me in, and I found the game lacked any consequence for losing. The gameplay loop does get repetitive, and it didn’t seem to change much apart from the cards you picked. The UI when wearing the mask is too cluttered. I also found using the mask redundant, apart from when needing to locate the Devourer to banish it. The creature can grab you too easily, making it difficult to strike it with the pitch forks. Though the game’s primary objective is to collect Ambrosia, I do wish that there were more tasks for the player to finish. I was not a fan of the Blight card either, as it can ruin a run easily for new players. Although the Harvest Hunt’s art style is beautiful, I found the gameplay and story didn’t captivate me. That’s why I’m giving it the Thumb Culture Bronze Award.