4/5 - Good game; won't play again
~ 7-13 hours long (my winning save file says 7 hours, but it actually took me 13 hours total play time)
First of all, this isn't much of a porn game. The "scenes" are just a few 2 second animations with no descriptions. These animations do not loop over for you to jerk off to, they're literally 2 seconds and done. They are intended to be scary/disturbing, not erotic.
Second, this game should have male protagonist and gay tags added. 3 of the 4 characters you can play as are male, and all can get raped.
Although the description suggests this is a rougelite, saving is possible and only a few of the maps have a random layout (not randomly generated). There are no random encounters, rather enemies roam the map and can be avoided. Combat features a limb targeting system, which adds a strategic layer over the standard attack -> heal RPGM combat. The game is difficult, and there are no tutorials or hand holding - I had to restart a few times before I got a good grasp of the game. There is an optional hard mode for experienced players.
If that description reminds you of a popular game series, that's right. Fear and Hunger is highly inspired by Dark Souls, from the level design to the the story. Actually, inspired is far too generous a word to use, copy or rip-off are more appropriate choices. The punishing difficulty, the sparse save rooms, the lack of hand holding, the way the story is told, the story itself, the locations, and the characters, everything gave me the impression that I was playing 2D Dark Souls. Plot-wise, the only way Fear and Hunger distinguishes itself is with the horror atmosphere, which, admittedly, is well done, especially for a 2D game. If this were a 3D game it might even be scary.
Since Fear and Hunger isn't really a porn game, it should be judged based on how good of a JRPG it is. The game focuses on exploration and atmosphere, which are it's biggest strengths. The combat is well done and keeps the game interesting. The story is there for those who care about it, and isn't forced on those who don't. Overall an enjoyable experience.
However, the lack of originality holds the game back. What at first seems like the product of a vivid imagination slowly got replaced by the realization that I've already played this game before. I'd say if you haven't played any of the Souls games yet, then this game is a 5/5. Otherwise, it's just 4 stars. And a borderline 4 stars at that - I won't be playing the sequel.
+ Very unique, original art direction. More so than any other game I've played on this site, Fear and Hunger actually feels like a professionally made AAA game (though that's not saying very much these days, is it?)
+ You don't get xp points, so there is no grinding
+ Multiple routes to take through the dungeon... but you will need to explore most all of them in order to get the "true" ending
- A few bugs... but nothing gamebreaking
- Game lags in certain areas
- The "True Ending" (Ending A) is bloody stupid. Why did I play an extra 2 hours to get it?
- "Gamey" immersion breaking designs (items always hit, 4 man party limit, if you kill a merchant you can't loot the corpse, etc...)
- IMO since the game is 2D, it would have been scarier, more atmospheric if the devs at orange added more descriptions. For example, rather than showing a short animation of a man being eaten, devs should have added a few sentences on cannibalism. "Show don't tell" works well in 3D games, but not so much in 2D