Hermit and Pig Review – A Quirky Pixel RPG with Timed Combat and Endless Charm
Hermit and Pig is a cozy indie RPG with timed turn-based combat, trippy mushrooms, and hand-drawn pixel art. This review breaks down the story, gameplay, visuals, and why it’s a must-play of 2026.
What happens when a hermit with social anxiety and his best friend on a pig trip on mushrooms are thrust into the adventure of their lives, saving their forest home and town from corporate overlords?
Game: Hermit and Pig
Studio: Heavy Lunch Studios LLC
Publisher: Heavy Lunch Studios LLC
Platforms: Steam
Completion Time: 10 Hours
Price: — (not available as of this review)
Genre: Adventure, Turn Based Combat, Story Rich
✅ Steam Deck Verified(not as of this review)
Man’s Best Pig
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Good Game Lobby Review of Hermit and Pig, the debut title from Heavy Lunch Studios. It’s created by Mason Dickerson, an illustrator and cartoonist most known for Housecat Trouble, and developer Nathan Kennedy. It’s a childhood duo who have collaborated on music, writing, and now, 20 years later, have come together for another must-play game of 2026.
Before I go into the review, I wanted to share that the team at Heavy Lunch Studios have given me a key to give away. Stick around to the end of the review to find out how to enter the giveaway!
When I first saw the game during Day of the Devs in 2023, the visual design hit me hard. The animation of hand-drawn art and pixel design is so well done, and every detail—from character designs to combat animations and the silliness—had me ready to get started playing ASAP. The game only had a trailer at the time, so I patiently waited for anything to play and immediately pounced when the demo was released. So much so that I went straight to Procreate to doodle one of the protagonists, Hermit, which you can see here:
After the demo, I was so in love with the premise and quirky turn-based combat style that I joined the Discord, ready to assist any way I could. That came in the form of testing a longer playthrough of the demo area, which was updated at the tail end of 2025. A release date was set for 2026, and after only a minor delay, it’s releasing in a few days as of this review.
I can honestly say that if I had the funds to publish a game, I would have loved to start with Hermit and Pig. I have nothing bad to say about this game. It scratched every itch, had me stuck with a smile on my face throughout the playthrough, and ultimately became a hit for me. Let’s get into why, starting with the story of our friends Hermit and Pig
Forest Awakening
The game starts like any other day for our duo, heading out to forage for mushrooms—though not before petting your pig and picking up your copy of Wilderness Self Defense for Older Adults, Volume 1. Combat is a huge part of the game, and this will come in handy. I’ll go into more detail on that when I discuss the gameplay.
Fun fact: Did you know pigs are notoriously known for truffle hunting due to their unique sense of smell? With some light research, I learned this practice of foraging for truffles dates back to Roman times.
Okay, back to our forest friends. As they venture out into the forest where they both reside, they are attacked by a roach. This is not a normal occurrence and throws our friends off, but thankfully you have studied your self-defense book. After some stomping, you come out victorious, making your way through the forest when you happen upon a blue, glowing mushroom.
Something that, in the last few months, seems to be a theme in my house, as I finished the show Common Side Effects—all about a miraculous blue mushroom that can heal any illness—and also recently saw the episode of Bob’s Burgers about the elusive Wooly Neptune.
Sorry, got side tracked there. Hermit decides to try this mushroom out and starts to get a wobble in his step. The music starts to get wonky, and he eventually passes out. He wakes up tripping out of his mind, floating in a strange world until he finds another version of himself in a void, where he is told he needs to go north and that’s all.
He wakes up to a frantic Pig and shrugs it off, only to realize that little trip has given him a newfound ability when battling.
They make it back to their home and notice a young girl, Mary, waiting by their house, which is when I realized Hermit has crippling social anxiety as sweat drops fly from his head.
Timed Tension
This is a great time to get into the gameplay. As you are introduced to Mary, she explains that the corporate overlords of the town have ruined the food supply. Hermit is now nervously in an encounter almost like a battle. He’s asked questions where you can see the straightforward answer, but the two other options are clearly his anxiety playing into things—like a character saying thank you, and your choices being:
No welcome
Problem
No problem
I answered with “No welcome” and was hit for 1 cringe damage.
When I played the demo the first time, I was already liking the game, but when this cringe damage was represented, I knew it would be a great game. The sense of humor continues throughout the game in a consistent way that had me giggling often.
The turn-based combat in Hermit and Pig is fun and can get intense because it has a time-based setup. You have your typical RPG elements of attacking, defending, and using powered-up moves you get after tripping on mushrooms, along with mushrooms to assist you in battles.
The way you input each attack is what kept me on my toes. You learn in your wilderness survival book that each enemy has a specific way they must be taken out. For instance, a bug may need to be stomped on, and a bird will need you to use your slingshot. Enemies can also change their movement or technique, so you need to adjust your attacks accordingly.
The trick here is that the attacks all need inputs. You need to select attack, then input a pattern like Up, Down, Down to Stomp, and then hit RT to unleash the attack. This is all happening while a timer on the right slowly winds down. This adds so much stress and fun to the whole experience. I even had a notepad in view at all times with the moves written down to help me remember which animals or bugs needed which type of attack.
This can get so intense and stressful later in the game, but rest assured, you can adjust the settings to make it easier. You can simplify the attacks to the point where it’s set up like any RPG—selecting an attack and the move without the extra inputs. The flexibility of the combat and difficulty is a great touch. The developers have taken tons of feedback from playtesting into account, and it shows.
You also have mini-games in battles where you use those powered-up, trippy moves to either steal mushrooms with Pig’s abilities (yes, Pig also eats the blue mushrooms and trips out—it’s so good, lol). I’ll show you one of Hermit’s that you first unlock called the Slam Technique. A bar shoots from left to right, and you need to hit the direction in a small window as it passes over, accompanied by these lovely animations of Hermit. It increases in speed as you play, and you’re given three strikes before it ends and you unleash a huge attack.
Levelling up is pretty linear. I didn’t find that I could grind independently to level up; it happens naturally as you progress through the story. With each level up, you’ll get a trinket slot opening. You’ll find hidden trinkets throughout the world or trade different truffles and mushrooms as currency to buy them. Trinkets assist with status effects you experience in the game, such as stuns, confusion, and poisoning. The design choices play so well into this system, which leads perfectly into the visuals.
Pixel Whimsy
The visuals for Hermit and Pig are what drove me headfirst into wishlisting the game to begin with. I’ve already said to a few people that if I ever made a video game, this is exactly what I would have made. I love the pixel, hand-drawn style that isn’t heavy on detail, looks clean, and uses color to define the world.
Each character’s design is done in a way that makes them unique in their own right. The animations—especially how battles start or how attacks play out—have these quick, almost GIF-like styles, which are extremely my thing. Even the mushroom designs look wonderful, with incredible attention to detail.
Side note: I’ve been illustrating for years and even had a Tumblr in the early days of the platform where I made animated GIFs. So, unfortunately, I see everything in GIFs. Short bursts of animation are everywhere, and it speaks to me in Hermit and Pig. The way enemies appear, how they look when an attack lands, or how someone reacts to Hermit’s cringe comments all make for a visual delight.
I’m so obsessed with the art style that I immediately ordered Mason’s graphic novels for kids called Housecat Trouble, and I’m eager to read them with my son.
Percussive Melodies
With great gameplay and visuals, it’s no wonder the sound design and soundtrack are amazing. You’ll notice right from the start that the sound of a battle beginning is a rumble of drums and chaos. Landing attacks on enemies gives you drum hits and cymbal smashes that add to the action.
I was genuinely excited to enter new areas of the game just to hear the next track in the soundtrack. Every piece is delightful and never feels repetitive or overbearing, which can happen in some RPGs. There’s also a playfulness to the music that had me dancing while I played.
I wasn’t able to find details on the composer or sound designer at the time of this review, but rest assured, I’ll update it here once I do!
A Cozy and Rebellious Must-Play Game
It’s clear I like Hermit and Pig. I love how it looks, the turn-based combat kept me on my toes, and the story’s premise—along with the hilarious characters you meet—feels like the perfect dose of medicine, especially with how well it mirrors the current social and political climate in the U.S.
It’s rebellious in the coziest way an indie game can be.
I personally think this is one of the best games I’ve played since I started reviewing games over a year and a half ago. I don’t think it needs to be a Clair Obscur or Silksong to be a great contender. Mason’s illustration and graphic novel style is deeply embedded in the game’s identity, and working with his childhood friend Nathan to develop the game really shows in how fun and silly it can be, while still delivering a mature tone and inventive gameplay mechanics.
Hermit’s social anxiety is represented in a way I’ve never seen before, and I loved every part of it. Who hasn’t made a cringe-worthy comment when first meeting someone? Hermit and Pig gives us a glimpse into a world of mushrooms, corruption from higher powers, and a mystery that grows more unusual as you progress.
It has a loud and colorful design, pixel-perfect animated visuals, and gameplay that genuinely stressed me out in the most fun way possible—which is why I believe it’s a must-play of the year.
It took me roughly 9–10 hours to complete the game. I don’t have a price at the time of this review, as the game releases in a few days, but regardless, I loved it, and whatever the final price is will be well worth it. It ran great on my ROG Ally, and I have no doubt it will play wonderfully on Steam Deck.
I want to give a shoutout to Nathan who has been my point of contact and the whole team for giving me early access to the game for this review.
Also, if you comment below with your favorite RPG, I’ll pick someone at random to give a key to that will unlock on the game’s release date—February 5th. I will announce the winner here on the morning of the 5th of February 9am CET.
Oh wow I love this! It’s giving me Untitled Goose Game meets Earthbound on a date with Undertale vibes. You’ve sold it well, sounds fantastic, throwing it straight on my wish list!
Fave rpg will likely remain Baldurs Gate 3 for a long time but I adored this games demo