When jumping into the social-deception, survival PvP game Dread Hunger for the first time, players may think they know what to expect, in part thanks to Dread Hunger’s in-depth tutorial and the meteoric popularity of Among Us. The premise is simple: a ship is stuck in an Arctic channel and the crew must work together to survive and destroy the glacier blocking the way, all while two crew members are trying to prevent this from happening due to their allegiance to darker forces. This sounds simple on paper, but the first game quickly reveals that Dread Hunger is anything but simple.
The first surprise comes from the gameplay loop itself, which is so diverse and nuanced that this review can only scratch the surface of what to expect. For the crew, each character starts off with certain objects and some coal, which is a vital resource. On top of managing hunger and warmth, players must explore surrounding areas to find more coal for the ship, as well as figure out who among them are the traitors known as "Thralls." The Thralls must figure out how to work together, manage the same survival mechanics, and find creative ways to kill the crew mates or make them kill each other without being detected.
This dynamic is what makes Dread Hunger so fun and engaging, but also frustrating and confusing. As one might guess, players must balance a lot of different elements during each game, regardless of who they are. Each are exposed to the elements, animals, and deadly cannibals that interfere with trying to locate coal and finding the box of nitroglycerine, which is what the crew needs to destroy the glacier. For the Thralls, their experience is a bit more complicated.
Being a Thrall ultimately relies on finding bone charms to use special abilities, making totems to amplify their strength, and embracing their inner cannibal chef to stave off hunger and survive. The special abilities at their disposal include sending cannibals to attack other players, summoning White Outs to blind everyone, and Spirit Walking in order to quickly escape a dangerous situation. These are crucial abilities because the Thrall's experience is complicated by players having two lives, so Thralls must be creative when killing off their crew mates or they will be revealed easily.
With a game like Dread Hunger, some may feel that this death system hinders the core objective of the Thralls, while others may feel that it forces them to be more creative in dealing with other players and focus on turning the crew against each other rather than rely on brute force. Similarly, the crew may feel like there is too much to keep track of or they may feel like the gameplay loop is encouraging and rewards creativity. Ultimately, Dread Hunger is truly a well-thought-out and brutal game that feels novel in its execution, but its difficulty and gameplay loop may not be for everyone.
Dread Hunger is out now for PC. Screen Rant was provided with a digital download code for the purpose of this review.