Fear and Hunger

Submission 7,104

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Overview

Fear and Hunger is a survival horror JRPG video game series consisting of two games, Fear & Hunger (released in 2018) and Fear & Hunger 2: Termina (released in December 2022). The games feature a turn-based "dismemberment combat system" that encourages players to dismember enemies' limbs to defeat them. The series garnered a significant fanbase throughout the 2020s, particularly through 2023 as YouTubers began posting Let's Play videos playing it, inspiring fan art, memes and other fan content referencing the games. The game's title is sometimes abbreviated to "Funger" by fans online.

History

Fear & Hunger

Itch.io user orange~ began developing Fear & Hunger as early as 2017. That year, they posted a story trailer for the game and a video showcasing several features of the game to the Fear & Hunger YouTube^[1]^[2] channel. The full game was released on Itch.io^[3] on December 11th, 2018, receiving several updates over the next few years. A trailer for the full release was posted to YouTube that day, garnering over 50,000 views in five years (shown below).

Fear & Hunger 2: Termina

Fear & Hunger 2: Termina began development in 2020.^[4] The full version was released on December 10th, 2022. A trailer for the game was released on YouTube^[5] that day, garnering over 50,000 views in seven months.

You are only given 3 days to uncover the sercrets this wicked land holds within its darkest corners. Among 14 strangers, you find yourself at the outskirts of a backwaters town of Prehevil. A town that still holds tight onto its ancient rites and macabre traditions. You are forced to partake in the Festival of Termina, an ominous event that only occurs once in every pale and sickly green moon. A moon that happens to be grinning and watching your every step… There is only one that walks away once the three days are over.

Online Presence

The Fear & Hunger games became increasingly popularized online throughout 2023. For example, on February 22nd, 2023, YouTuber^[6] Worm Girl posted a video reviewing Fear & Hunger and analyzing the story, garnering over 1.3 million views in five months (shown below).

On May 6th, YouTuber^[7] Super Eyepatch Wolf posted a Let's Play of the game, garnering over 2.4 million views in four months (shown below, left). On June 18th, YouTuber^[8] ConnorDawg posted a Let's Play that gained over 1.4 million views in a month (shown below, right).

TikTok

The game garnered a significant presence on TikTok throughout mid-2023, inspiring numerous memes and videos about it. On June 14th, 2023, TIkToker^[9] @jazzon_shorts posted an animation referencing the game that gained over 720,000 views in a month (shown below, left). On July 5th, TikToker^[10] @chickennnnuggest posted a video that gained over 771,000 views in three weeks (shown below, right).

Fan Art / Memes

The game also inspired numerous works of fan art and memes on sites including Tumblr, Twitter and DeviantArt throughout 2023. On July 20th, 2023, Twitter^[11] user @komemerda posted a piece of fan art that gained over 34,000 likes in five days (shown below, left). On July 24th, Tumblr^[12] user kerschplat posted a piece of fan art that gained over 270 notes in a day (shown below, right).