Game Mechanics

Fear and Hunger has several complex game mechanics that attribute to the horror dungeon-crawler genre.

Game Mechanic	Description
Hunger	Hunger, like in real life, plays a vital role in your survival. The more hungry you are, the weaker you become. Letting your character (or your party members) get hungrier will generally give de-buffs to them and impair their ability to fight.
Mind	Your sanity is draining, and the clock is ticking. The player character and their party members each has a mind meter, which slowly drains as they travel through the darkness and encounter horrors. The insanity surrounding you (and your party) will eat your mind away as you progress through the dungeon. Failing to maintain a person's mind will result in severe consequences.
Coin flip	An event that dictates a good or bad outcome in different circumstances, ranging from simple chest loot to life-or-death situations. Coin flips add an element of randomness to the dynamics of your game.
Phobias	Most characters have random phobias by default, which can lead to a variety of gameplay consequences. This can be worsened in many ways, such as by failing to maintain one's Mind.
Hexen (F&H1, F&H2)	Hexen Tables allows the player to allocate their soul stones into different skills. In Fear & Hunger, you can also use it to curse your weapons.
Attributes	Stat values such as Health, Attack and Defense, Magic Attack and Defense, Agility, and Luck, all of which affect how well you perform in combat.
Status Effects (F&H1, F&H2)	A variety of dangers await those who venture into the dungeons, many of which can have adverse effects on their bodies. Status effects can reduce a character's combat effectiveness, place their life at risk, or worse...
Saving	Saving an important part of your game and can be done mainly in two different ways: Winning a coin flip while attempting to sleep in a bed, or using a Book of enlightenment. Beware: failing the coin toss can have unfortunate consequences, and Books of enlightenment are very hard to come by. Additionally, you cannot save on Hard Mode.
Quests	(Unmarked) Quests may grant the player additional equipment and items... though they may also draw the player into further peril.
Crafting	Crafting is an integral part of the game, allowing you to create vital equipment and items such as torches and blue vials.
Traps	Many obstacles stand in your way as you progress through the dungeon, ready to spring unexpected surprises on you...
Darkness	An unbearable darkness spreads from the depths of the dungeon. Your character emanates a small light around them, but most parts of the dungeon are fairly dark, encouraging the use of torches and tinderboxes to light the area around you (and keep yourself sane). In harder difficulties, you are shrouded in almost complete darkness while without a torch.
Events	Fear & Hunger generates variance in its level design. Some paths may be blocked in one save, but opened in another; items in containers, room layouts, vendors, and beds can be varied in location and in their content; and dangerous enemies lurk in the shadows, ready to attack whenever they see fit.
Disguises	Fear & Hunger allows you to disguise yourself as certain enemies. Some disguises reduce the distance at which certain enemies will be aggressive towards the player. Some may also grant you extra perks. Disguises require you to have a Skinning Knife, the skins of certain slain enemies, and an Assassin's Handbook I.
Dismemberment	You only have four limbs, making each a valuable commodity... and you, your party members, and your enemies are likely to lose them over the course of your journey. Losing limbs has consequences both in combat and in the overworld, often inhibiting one's ability to fight or move around.
Damage (F&H1, F&H2)	The ways in which the power of your attacks are determined.