Summary
- Harvest Hunt offers a unique roguelike twist to the survival horror genre, challenging players to survive five haunting nights in Luna Nova.
- With its hand-drawn art style and deck-building mechanics, Harvest Hunt is a must-play for fans of Inscryption seeking a darker, eerie experience.
- Players must carefully navigate Luna Nova while avoiding the relentless entity known as The Devourer in Harvest Hunt, set to release on PC in May 2024.
2024 has already been a pretty solid year for horror in the world of video games. Though it wasn't strictly horror-focused, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden kicked the year off in spooky style, and the full release of The Outlast Trials soon followed it, delivering an exceptionally terrifying co-op experience. Alone in the Dark picked up the horror torch in March and, though it nearly dropped it, there are plenty of upcoming horror titles that are sure to stoke the genre's flames once again, such as Helldblade 2, Still Wakes the Deep, Stalker 2, and Harvest Hunt.
The debut title from indie developer Villainous Games Studio, Harvest Hunt is a gorgeously grim survival horror game with a few little twists up its blood-soaked sleeve. Set sometime during the Black Death's decimation of Europe, Harvest Hunt sees players take on the role of a Warden, tasked with protecting their village's citizens from the mysterious shadowy threats of Luna Nova, a town where nothing is as it seems.
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Harvest Hunt Is a Horror Game Worth Watching
Harvest Hunt Puts a Roguelike Spin on Supernatural Horror
One of the biggest selling points of Harvest Hunt is its unique roguelike spin that sees players take control of a villager who's been randomly assigned the role of Warden. As Warden, the player must survive five fateful nights, collecting a resource called Ambrosia to keep the town of Luna Nova alive.
After collecting enough Ambrosia, and completing any additional tasks assigned to them, the player can end their night, earning rewards that increase in usefulness as the game goes on.
However, surviving a night in Harvest Hunt is much easier said than done. Another crux of Harvest Hunt is its nightmarish, otherworldly entity known as The Devourer, a being that hunts the player relentlessly as they try to go about completing their various objectives in Luna Nova. The player will need to carefully pick and choose their moments to harvest and use their lanterns, as both activities will attract the Devourer. But there's much more to Harvest Hunt's gameplay loop than a simple game of cat and mouse.
After each night in Harvest Hunt, players are given a selection of cards known as "Whispers." These cards will drastically affect the general gameplay loop of Harvest Hunt, bringing both positive and negative modifiers to the game.
These range from beneficial Blessing cards that halve the damage dealt by The Devourer, to Calamities that negatively affect Luna Nova or the Warden such as forcing the player to banish The Devourer completely before they can end the night, to Monster Mutations that give The Devourer a special trait such as a trail of noxious gas. Players will also gradually unlock a series of useful tools throughout Harvest Hunt that allow them to damage The Devourer, restore their own health, and better navigate the game's labyrinthian corn fields.
Harvest Hunt Is Perfect for Fans of Inscryption
Though their gameplay differs greatly, Harvest Hunt would be a great game to scratch that Inscryption itch. Much like Inscryption, Harvest Hunt features a wonderfully grim hand-drawn art style, giving the game a sort of cel-shaded look that pairs perfectly with its darker lighting and eerie atmosphere. On top of its art style, Harvest Hunt's roguelike, deck-building mechanics should also tick a few boxes for Inscryption fans looking for their next horror title.
Harvest Hunt is set to release on May 22, 2024, on PC.