Don’t Let It Starve is the latest in a long line of Balatro clones, with a retro horror twist

Random Select is a new column from Polygon about under-the-radar video games. Every week, Polygon’s editors assign a writer to check out a game at random, downloading the game without knowing beforehand what it is. The catch? They have to play for at least an hour and report on their thoughts — honestly. This week’s game is the bento box builder roguelike Don’t Let It Starve.

Ever since Balatro blew up in 2024, it seems like a new “number go up” roguelike has come out every other week. Often they’re gambling- or coin-themed, like CloverPit and Raccoin, but not always.

Eduardo Scarpato and Black Lantern Collective’s newly released Don’t Let It Starve is one such game, blending Tetris-like puzzles and a retro horror aesthetic for its combo-heavy, multiplier-reliant “number go up” roguelike. Ninety minutes with it has mostly confirmed what I have long suspected: this genre of roguelikes is a no from me, dawg.

Don’t Let It Starve finds you in a sort of purgatory where you’re forced to cobble together meals for an endlessly hungry creature. You do so by slotting in items of food — like a T-shaped cut of meat and a square block of rice — into bento boxes, which is where the Tetris comparison comes into play. It’s enjoyable at first as I try to figure out how to best build these boxes. After a few rounds, though, the gimmick starts to wear thin; the dopamine isn’t hitting as my Steam Deck vibrates each time that number goes up.

I’m given a limited number of ingredients, each with their own point values, to choose from each time I place an item of food. Often I’m left wanting certain shapes that I’m not getting. One time I had 10 re-rolls available, with each re-roll giving me a set of three new items to choose one from. I only needed a one-square pickle to complete my bento box. I did not get a one-square pickle after using my 10 re-rolls.

Noticing the drop rates on the wall helps me strategize (turns out that pickle only has a 4% drop rate, whoops), as well as unlocking different combos. For example, placing three sausages in a box is a “Death” combo that doles out a nice bonus. Two breads and a cut of beef, two of the highest-value items, gets you a “Burger” combo, and, yep, now I know what I’m getting for dinner tonight. Optimizing what recipes you hit with high-value ingredients is the path to success in Don’t Let It Starve, though it still feels like random luck is more of a factor than you’d want.

Even after several runs of varying success, making that number go up never quite does anything for me. My score grows and grows, sprouting flames on its sides, yet my enjoyment doesn’t rise with it. I complete one bento box, satisfying the six-armed monster, and am given a new score to hit. Like a line cook at a fast-food joint, I will do the task before me, but I’m thinking about all the other games I want to play once I clock out.

Luckily for those who are into the “number go up” roguelike genre, I may be an outlier here. Don’t Let It Starve only has about 100 Steam user reviews at the time of this writing, but those who are playing it seem to be vibing with it and giving it a “Very Positive” rating.

Image: Eduardo Scarpato/Black Lantern Collective

And Don’t Let It Starve does have some great things going for it that I appreciate. The retro, rough-around-the-edges graphical style really works for its creepy aesthetic. The monster you’re tasked with feeding has a fun personality, with an over-the-top Frenchness that makes it seem almost friendly… right before it dines on me for failing to reach the required score.

I’m still glad to have spent a brisk 90 minutes with Don’t Let It Starve, as you never really know what genre is your jam until you give a random game a try. I didn’t think a cozy work simulator would be for me, but then Tiny Bookshop turned me onto the space; I recently loved Inkonbini and am likely to pick up Wax Heads soon.

So if “number go up” is your jam, Don’t Let It Starve might be worth checking out. It’s $7.99 on Steam.