Episode 187

Fear & Hunger (with Adam Bucceri)

00:00:00
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02:53:57

October 15th, 2025

2 hrs 53 mins 57 secs

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About this Episode

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Sometimes a game's reputation precedes it in a way that makes you question whether you want to play it at all, and Fear & Hunger (Miro Haverinen, 2018) certainly fits that bill. Punishing difficulty, harsh teaching, extreme content warnings and more put me off from playing the game for a while, but I'm glad to have played it now, and all of that made for a great conversation.

Content warnings for Fear & Hunger: https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/17804

Guest info: Adam Bucceri (he/him)

TIMESTAMPS

  • 0:00 Title Card
  • 0:15 Intros
  • 6:03 Our Histories with Fear & Hunger
  • 9:55 Should We Play Fear & Hunger 1 or 2?
  • 11:27 Opening Thoughts About Fear & Hunger
  • 17:24 Content Warnings
  • 26:15 Game Setup and Character Selection
  • 31:15 Difficulty and Learning How to Play
  • 44:55 Player-Hostile Design and Pressures
  • 58:34 Immersive Sim Elements, Experimentation and Emergent Narrative
  • 1:07:47 Combat
  • 1:21:36 Visuals and Sound Design
  • 1:27:20 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations
  • 1:34:20 Adam's Games and Creative Works
  • 1:37:18 SPOILER WALL and Patron Thank-Yous
  • 1:39:18 Spoiler Section- The Girl, Le'garde and Fun Discoveries
  • 2:26:35 Spoiler Section- Endings

Music used in the episode is credited to Miro Haverinen. Tracks used: Fear & Hunger, The Four Apostles, Pulse & Anxiety, Ancient City, Tomb of the Gods, Everyday Schoolday

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Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

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