DaRmaZat Starting May 6, Hordes of Hunger — from Hyperstrange, the creators of the equally brutal Blood West — will be available in Early Access on Steam. In this dark fantasy survival roguelike set in the gothic world of Ismer, you take on the role of Mirah, standing alone against a massive horde of ravenous fiends. The game’s title explains itself right there.
The plot kicks off in the Sanctum, the central hub where you’ll spend most of your time, though at first, it’s a dry and desolate place that feels remarkably empty. Aside from a workshop and your father — who serves as both vendor and storyteller — there’s hardly anything else to be found. But as you progress, more NPCs will settle there, bringing new features into the gameplay. Think of new ways to enhance your gear, fresh recipes for useful buffs, and a few more surprises along the way. Right, Hordes of Hunger plays its cards slowly but effectively. And that’s what makes this quite an intriguing little game, as this preview will show.
Slaughtering with style is no longer reserved for veteran butchers!
From the moment your father sends you out to banish the lurking evil — that so-called Veil we’ve heard mentioned many times before — and hints that you’ll have to defeat multiple Guardians, you already know: this is going to be rough. And yet, this premise feels more like standard fare than anything memorable, the typical “the world is in danger, and you are its last hope” kind of setup. But honestly? That didn’t bother me one bit. The true strength of this game lies in its gameplay, and that’s exactly where it scored major points with me.
To succeed in this hellish task, Mirah must travel from the Sanctum to various separate locations, or rather: combat zones. There, she completes missions through action-packed gameplay that falls somewhere between roguelike survival and classic hack ‘n slash. At first glance, it strongly resembles Hades — though darker, grimmer, and running at a slightly slower pace like most ARPGs. That’s no coincidence, as it quickly becomes clear how deep the RPG mechanics go in this game. You choose from an arsenal of swords, spears, and hammers, each with unique speed, efficiency, range, and specialization. You can also tweak, upgrade, or craft proper gear via the hub’s workshop. During runs, you’ll plunder chests for rare loot, though you’ll need keys to unlock them — and those only show up occasionally. Luckily, any keys you find can be brought back to the Sanctum after a successful mission. Smashing barrels is also worth it, as they contain the more regular, but essential, items to keep your strength up during the run.
Between fights, you’ll gradually get better at your chosen skills, granting you extra passive boosts in later runs. You can return to the Sanctum at any time, though doing so means losing all the supplies and rations you’ve gathered — with rations being healing items that often come with status effects. On top of that, meals prepared by your mother in the kitchen provide buffs that last an entire run.
Hordes of Hunger’s controls are clearly optimized for a controller, though it remains perfectly playable with a keyboard thanks to its limited set of moves. Combat gameplay revolves around building momentum. After landing a combo of lighter attacks, you gain access to a devastating heavy strike that smashes enemies in a 360-degree arc. There’s also a parry and sidestep, the latter functioning as a dodge with a cooldown. And in typical roguelike fashion, as you push further, you unlock temporary perks that make you stronger — though some come with hefty drawbacks. To keep things spicy, both the map layout and your starting position are randomly generated every single time.
A loop of extermination and mission completion, with survival as the core thread
Each run is divided into different phases. First comes a phase where you must slaughter dozens of enemies, or sometimes a survival round where you simply have to outlast a ticking clock. After that, a mission-driven phase kicks in, where you might need to destroy objects or hunt down a specific target. And even during these missions, that relentless horde never stops pounding at you; peace only returns once the mission is over.
That balance between risking too much and ending the run on time.
Because after completing a mission, your father temporarily freezes time — including all enemies. At that point, you face a choice: return to the Sanctum with your gathered loot and resources, or take on the ultimate challenge by tracking down the zone’s Guardian and slaying it to lift the area’s curse for good. But if you fall in battle before that, you lose everything. Even your hard-earned Feathers, the currency for trading and upgrades. So, the most enjoyable part of Hordes of Hunger always comes down to weighing that balance between risking it all for glory or cashing out early for a partial reward.
Beauty exists, even amid constant danger
All zones — six in total during this Early Access phase — are richly atmospheric. Think rustic seaside villages basking in sunlight, but also pitch-dark alleys in cramped cities where dozens of monsters lurk around every corner. There’s no map, but during quests, you’re at least given markers at the top of your screen to help with navigation. Still, you’ll often have to rely on instinct, as you never know what the next objective will be or where it will take place on the map, making each run unpredictable and insanely thrilling.
Every run is unpredictable and insanely thrilling.
Visually, Hordes of Hunger makes a strong impression. Thanks to Unreal Engine 5, you get detailed character models and excellent lighting effects. Even the in-game illustrations that flesh out the lore are quite impressive. The only drawback is that during combat, the camera zooms in and out a bit too dynamically, and sometimes auto-rotates in ways that hurt visibility during fights.
The soundtrack, however, is an absolute win. Epic during heated battles, dreamy when things calm down — and above all, it sticks with you. The voice acting was also surprisingly convincing, although (at least for now) there’s no lip-sync during dialogue, leaving characters’ mouths awkwardly closed. And while there are no modern graphics options like upscaling or frame generation yet, performance is already solid, save for a few occasional stutters. One notable bug I encountered is that when you take a Steam screenshot, controller input completely stops until you restart the game. Then again, this is still an Early Access build, and what’s already here is pretty impressive.
Preliminary Thoughts
Hordes of Hunger is a surprisingly versatile action roguelike where brutal hack ‘n slash, modern ARPG depth, and survivor-like adrenaline blend together masterfully. The world’s dark, intriguing atmosphere grips you from the start, combat feels smooth and offers countless ways to shape your own style, and the challenge level is sky-high. But it’s exactly that combination that makes the game incredibly addictive. Sure, there are still some rough edges to address, like the missing lip-sync and the intrusive camera behavior. Yet if Hyperstrange continues to refine things on the path to full release, this will definitely be one to keep a close eye on.
Additional Information
Release Date: May 6, 2025 (Early Access)
Reviewed On: PC. Download code provided by the publisher and PR agency via BeyondGaming.
Developer: Hyperstrange
Publisher: Kwalee Gaming
Official Website: https://www.kwalee.com/blog/gaming/introducing-hordes-of-hunger
Relevant links: Hordes of Hunger on STEAM
