Setting

HUNGER takes place during a dark alternate version of the Napoleonic era in early 19th-century Europe. War has already ravaged the continent when a bacterium of unknown origin begins to spread, twisting the land and transforming those it infects. The plague is called the Hunger. It moves with the speed and violence of rabies, and its effects are both swift and grotesque.

The Bacterium and the Hunger

The bacterium has altered the landscape of Europe at a fundamental level, producing infected creatures from those who could not survive or resist it. Survivors who managed to avoid full infection have become the Living, the player characters of the game. The infected, now twisted beyond recognition, have become the enemies that populate every Expedition.

The Last Strongholds

The few uninfected survivors have retreated to fortified bastions. The Chateau, HUNGER's central hub, is one of these last strongholds. Its visual design draws on the island monastery of Mont-Saint-Michel, presenting a crumbling but populated fortress where the remaining Living organize, trade, and plan their sorties into the ruined world outside.

Aesthetic

The visual style of HUNGER has been described by the developers as Renaissance Gothic, drawing on the paintings of Caravaggio and the atmosphere of Victorian and Renaissance-era art. This produces a world that blends historical grime with horror atmosphere, where Napoleonic-era weapons and uniforms coexist with supernatural dread.