The Hunger is a deckbuilding game that explores the world of vampires, as they awake from their torpor and race to the labyrinth to pick the most beautiful bloom. Players must hunt humans to gain victory points, seduce familiars to help them, and increase their powers to become the most notorious vampire. The game is set in a race against time as players have 15 turns to hunt their prey, collect as many victory points as possible, and return to the castle before sunrise.
2-6 players, ages 12+
Playing time: 60 minutes
Designer: Richard Garfield
Artwork: Marta Ivanova, Jocelyn ‘Joc’ Millet & Semyon Proskuryakov
Publisher: Renegade Game Studios
https://renegadegamestudios.com/
🧛 The game is designed by Richard Garfield, the creator of the famous Magic: The Gathering. In The Hunger, each player starts with their own similar deck. The decisions they make during play will change their deck, affecting both their in-game powers and end-of-game score. The goal of the game is to become the most notorious vampire without burning down to ashes at sunrise.
🩸 The turn order in The Hunger depends on the position of the players on the board. For the first turn, the order is determined by the vampires’ speeds, and in later turns, it is always the vampire furthest from the castle who plays first. On their turn, players must play all the cards in their hand to their playing area, then resolve all of them, one at a time, in any order they choose.
🩸 Hunting humans is crucial to earning victory points, but it also slows players down, which can result in very poor turns with no movement or action at all. Players can digest humans, removing them from their deck, but those actions are sparse. One of the strategies may be to hunt a lot of humans right before entering the castle, which can earn a lot of points. But, others can prevent it by avoiding hunting a deck with too many humans, as that may cause them to fail to return to the castle and be knocked out of the game.
The artwork on the board and cards is great and adds to the theme of the game. The Hunger is a fun deckbuilding race, with a good mix of tension throughout the game. The pressure of having to get back to the castle fits the theme perfectly, and we really enjoy the challenge of becoming the most notorious vampire without being defeated by the sun.
💭 In conclusion, we think The Hunger is a great deckbuilding game for fans of the genre and for those looking for a fun and thematic experience. The game’s mechanics are well-designed and provide a good balance of strategy and luck, and the tension of trying to get back to the castle before sunrise adds to the excitement of the game. The Hunger is definitely worth checking out for any fan of deckbuilding games or those looking for a fun and engaging experience.
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