Zerocreation Games and 2P Games bring us “The Hungry Lamb: Traveling in the Late Ming Dynasty,” a visual novel that elegantly combines traditional Chinese art with contemporary animation techniques. Let’s dive into this fascinating narrative and explore what makes it stand out.
Set amid the complexities of the Chongzhen era (A.D. 1628-1644), this visual novel doesn’t hold back on its dark themes. It’s both an engaging and challenging tale, not meant for everyone, and is deeply rooted in a tumultuous time. Political turmoil, land annexations, natural disasters, and invasive threats plague the land, casting a heavy shadow over the entire narrative backdrop.
Enter Liang, a bandit, and his sidekick, Tongue. They find themselves hired by a questionable merchant for a seemingly straightforward mission. Their task: escort four young women through Huazhou, Wenxiang, and Shanzhou, ensuring their safe arrival in Luoyang where they’ll be presented to a wealthy lord. Sounds simple enough, right? As you journey with them, the hand-drawn art beautifully illustrates the path and the players within the tale. However, as with any good story, not everything is as it seems.
Liang soon uncovers the grim truth thanks to Sui, one of the girls. She reveals a horrific secret: the lord they’re heading to meet is actually the notorious Swine Demon. A creature that has blended in with humanity for over a millennium, feeding on young women to sustain its unnatural existence, celebrating this gruesome ritual on its birthday annually. With Sui’s sister among its victims, the stakes are personal. This revelation forces Liang to contemplate a critical choice: adhere to the mission or intervene, sparing the women from a dreadful fate.
Visual novels marry storytelling with visual immersion, offering a pseudo-novel experience adorned with animated scenes. They come in all genres, from humorous escapades to heavy-hitting narratives, and often include elements such as romantic pursuits. Adding to its allure, this specific title offers captivating voice work in Chinese and Japanese, which enhances immersion significantly. So, if you’re not proficient in these languages, prepare for a significant amount of reading as you dive into this tale.
On the gameplay front, “The Hungry Lamb” can be navigated using the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con or through the innovative use of the console’s touch screen in various modes. Conversations progress with a tap of the X button, and there are intuitive on-screen icons for navigation, allowing players to adjust the experience to their liking—such as autoplaying dialogue, saving progress, or accessing settings.
For those aiming to uncover every layer of the story, the Flow Chart is your best friend. It maps your progress and highlights branching paths for alternate narrative sequences, ensuring completionists don’t miss a beat. Moreover, the Extras section lets you revisit unlocked music and CG scenes, adding extra value for dedicated players.
“The Hungry Lamb: Traveling in the Late Ming Dynasty” presents itself as a compelling visual novel, intertwining the allure of ancient Chinese artistry with immersive storytelling. Through Liang’s journey, players are faced with moral decisions against the backdrop of a richly depicted historical landscape. The game’s price is set at $11.99, a modest sum for an enthralling narrative on the Nintendo Switch.
This review was crafted from a Nintendo Switch copy provided graciously by 2P Games.
