Developers state the following mature themes: Depictions of suicide, Partial underage nudity, Depiction of sexual violence.
“The Hungry Lamb” presents a haunting narrative set against the tumultuous backdrop of the Ming Dynasty’s demise. In this visual novel, players assume the role of Liang, a morally ambiguous bandit navigating a world rife with criminal enterprises and moral quandaries.
Story
I had…no idea what I was walking into with this one. But I found out real quick.
The story begins with the player character, Liang, leading a sheep through the woods. Oh he’s a shepherd okay…oh…oh no.
“Sheep” is the pet name predators like Liang give to the rest of the population as they prey on them. In the first minutes of the game, Laing murders a traveler and steals their possessions, splitting it with his incredibly sinister partner, Tongue.
Needless to say, at this point, I strapped in.
The story revolves around Liang’s involvement in trafficking four young girls (read girls, as in six and nine-years-old children) across China. While completely okay with murder, Liang is not happy to add Human Trafficker to his resume.He does some pretty amazing mental gymnastics to set aside his misgiving. But as the journey progresses, Liang grapples with his conscience, developing a relationship with Man Sui, one of the girls being taken to a “Fancy Man.”
Choices in “The Hungry Lamb” are sparse yet impactful, shaping Liang’s relationship with Sui and determining the course of the narrative. Multiple endings, ranging from bittersweet to tragic, offer a diverse array of outcomes influenced by player decisions. I genuinely appreciated the inclusion of a story flowchart, a mechanic that makes it much easier to trace different story paths, enhancing replayability.
From a technical standpoint, The Hungry Lamb has strong voice acting, and beautiful art styling reminiscent of traditional Chinese art. However, the translation and presentation suffer from occasional roughness, with typos and disjointed dialogue.The typos can’t protect you though, none of the punctuation or spelling errors (calling “lambs “lamps”) can fully distract from the horror playing out in this story.
The Hungry Lamb’s story is full of unrelenting darkness. While many visual novels enjoy diving into disturbing subject matter, this title’s grim tone and the lack of comic relief make for a particularly harrowing experience. A pervasive sense of despair haunts both the narrative and visuals, amplifying the game’s bleak atmosphere.
Overall:
Art: 8/10 – I really liked the art style, the creepy characters were creepy and the innocent characters were heartbreaking.
Sound: 10/10 – The music was fabulous, but the voice acting takes the cake. Perfection.
Story: —- I can’t fairly rate the story. The writing is good! I wouldn’t have had such an emotional reaction if it wasn’t! The typos couldn’t fully distract from the real empathy evoked for the characters. But this game was like reading Thomas Hardy for me, beautiful, amazing evocation of the time period, but gut wrenching. Stick the knife in and twist. I feel the same way I did about reading Jude the Obscure. I’m glad I did it, but I need to find something soft and fluffy to hold after.
In conclusion, “The Hungry Lamb” is a visual novel that pushes the boundaries of morality and storytelling. Proceed with caution, as this journey through the late Ming Dynasty is not for the faint of heart.
The Hungry Lamb: Traveling in the Late Ming Dynasty is available for PC via Steam.
A copy of The Hungry Lamb: Traveling in the Late Ming Dynasty was provided by the publisher.
Related: Reviews by Michelle Jones
I'm a completionist gamer who just needs to find that one last object and clear that final dungeon. I love all video games, from open world sandboxes on a console to a mindless match three on my phone. In addition to gaming and writing, I am a graduate student working on a thesis about the ancient Icelandic Sagas. Feel free to ask me anything about Vikings.
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