Hermit and Pig a retro-inspired RPG that's not afraid to innovate

Polygon highlights Hermit and Pig, the debut game from Heavy Lunch LLC, as a charming, retro RPG built around an old man and his truffle‑hunting pig. The pair live off-grid, hunting mushrooms, until a talkative child arrives seeking help after a corporation shut down her town’s factory and left people hungry.

Hermit is anxious and socially awkward, and some important conversations are even framed like battles where picking the "cringe" answer reduces his HP. The game is unabashedly anti-corporation, but its quieter message — that everyone, even a strange, anxious man in the woods, can help in small ways — is what stands out, supported by a reserved script that lets characters breathe rather than mimic their inspirations.

Humor and absurdity are frequent, often balanced in ways that recall '90s cartoons: a grave marked "the snapping turtle got him" leads to an early snapping turtle boss, and the world contains quiche‑baking man‑pigs, cat detectives, post‑industrial witches, and a town willing to eat only mushrooms.