I’m usually happy to socialise and spend time with friends in my free time, but sometimes I’d rather be left alone to play video games. Even when playing games I’d almost always rather get stuck into a single player experience than play with buddies, enjoying my own company and something with a bit more narrative. I guess you could say that when it comes to life I’m a bit of a Hermit, which makes this particular game resonate with me. Hermit and Pig is a cosy RPG about life off the grid, and it blew me away.
You play as the titular hermit, who is spending his twilight years in the wilderness with his pig companion. Days are spent napping and eating the mushrooms of the forest, until more people start to enter their sanctuary. With a factory causing trouble in town, more people are trying to escape urban existence. Hermit is worried that there won’t be enough shrooms for everyone, and sets off on a journey to find the legendary Jumbo Fungo. On the way though he might actually have to talk to some people.
Before you set out on your adventure, you’ll need some supplies. This means pottering around the forest and looking for mushrooms. This is as cosy as it sounds, at least until you’re ambushed by all the local bugs and birds. Then the turn based combat begins, which is incredibly unique and a very different pace from the exploration.
Each turn of combat will see you choosing a type of attack, with a timer constantly draining. There are six different ways to try and damage foes, and it’s up to you to figure out what will work best. For example a bug on the ground will get hurt most by a stomp, whereas a spiky porcupine will be safest to take down with a jab from your cane. Once you’ve decided how to act you’ll need to input a combo before the time runs out, and if you don’t remember each specific one you’ll have to check your book. It’s such a mad rush, especially once you gain bonus attacks with the same meagre timer.
Once you and Pig (who admittedly has less combat options) have taken your turns, the critters will strike. As this happens you’ll be presented with a defend bar, where if you time a button press correctly you’ll reduce incoming damage. The back and forth is frantic, tense, and you’ll come close to wiping out way more than I was expecting (at least on the default difficulty, there are loads of options to play it more peacefully).
I’m only scratching the surface of the combat in Hermit and Pig too. You also have special moves that require expert timing, like a hard hitting slam and the ability to forage for powerful mushrooms if you can input combos fast enough. There are also enemies who change their sprites as you prepare attacks, so you’ll need to keep an eye on turtles ducking into shells to negate damage.
Within the first hour of the game I was barely scraping by in battles, and the reason this kept happening was because I wasn’t taking advantage of my mushrooms. Whereas most RPGs give you items you’ll never need to use, these shrooms are essential for survival in the wilderness. When in doubt it’s always worth chomping on a button mushroom to heal or eating a defence boosting umami treat against a tough opponent, and you collect enough of them that it’s not worth worrying about the size of your stash.
The rarest of all mushrooms are of course truffles, which are basically reviving items. It goes without saying that these are massively useful in battle, but they also function as currency. Balancing your fungal funds is a tough balancing act, but it’s worth being careful with your truffles so you can buy plenty of powerful trinkets.
When you level up in Hermit and Pig you don’t gain any stats, only a single trinket point. These points are used to equip various bits of gear, similarly to how badges work in Paper Mario (or Escape from Ever After if you want something more current). There are all sorts of powerful bits of gear you’ll find in the woods, which boost attack power, make you stronger against water foes, or even pause the timer while you’re in certain menus. I spent a lot of time trying to work out which trinkets suited me most, and there are plenty of options depending on your playstyle.
As a Hermit you’ll become fairly used to taking on the creatures of the forest, but conversations are a totally different beast. Any time you get close to a human character you’ll start to sweat, and talking to them triggers a combat encounter. In these you’ll need to choose the correct conversation option, and if you don’t then you’ll take damage due to the sheer cringe of the social awkwardness. It’s a really clever way to showcase the stresses of socialising, and is perfect for the theme of the game.
I had a wonderful time with Hermit and Pig, but their charming adventure in the forest does have some small issues. The biggest of these is how slowly you move, which is rather baffling. This meant I did very little backtracking, which was a shame when I gained new ways to explore. I also wish there was a way to pause the battles, because too many times I’d need to check on some real life shit and couldn’t because of this constantly moving combat. (Note: this has since been updated to allow pausing during your own turn).
Hermit and Pig is yet another must play RPG for the start of 2026. Its cosy vibes and unique combat help it stand out from the crowd, and its charming premise is perfectly wrapped around all the game’s systems. If you’re looking for a way to get off the grid then lock the doors, draw the curtains, and settle into this turn based delight.