As part of Steam’s Next Fest event, the demo for the culinary-based, roguelike deckbuilding game, Hungry Horrors, is now available. It’s well worth trying; the adorably animated, pixel art style, the emphasis on feeding monsters rather than fighting them, and the unique recipe crafting/deckbuilding mechanics give Hungry Horrors a completely original flavor.

In the demo, you’re introduced to a rather snarky Princess, who is insistent that she does not cook. However, it doesn’t take long for Lady Catherine, a fancily named cat, to convince her otherwise. Of course, being threatened by famished monsters is its own kind of convincing!

You’ll need to carefully watch out for what each monster favors in terms of their culinary preferences. Successfully deal with their hunger and they’ll leave you alone to continue on your adventure. Fail, and it’ll be you on the menu instead! You’ll pick up ingredients with which to create recipes, taking new food items into your next encounter, feeding ever more hungry and demanding monsters as you go. With beautifully animated, pixel art creatures drawn from British and Irish folklore, Hungry Horrors looks as good as it tastes plays.

Like many deckbuilding games, Hungry Horrors can be a bit overwhelming with its mechanics at first. That’s especially true given how unique everything feels, with a series of culinary encounters, and strategic combos based around flavors rather than combat. However, it’s well worth persevering with the demo, which is surprisingly fully featured and expansive. It does give you a good idea of how the full game will feel and play upon release.

You can download the Hungry Horrors demo using the widget below:

Note that it plays well using a Steam Deck, which I can personally vouch for! Check out another cooking based title, Abra-Cooking-Dabra, and our look at the best scary digital card games!