An In-Depth Analysis About Hapunan, Filipino Indie Horror: A Groundbreaking Game Story Made by Yikon
deskvalor
Mar 26
4 min read
By: Terence Nolasco
Introduction
Hapunan (2024) is a deeply rooted Filipino culture horror indie game developed by Yikon. Players take on the role of Niko, a lower-class citizen in Barangay Sak Dudol, who makes a living by selling balut (Yikon, 2025). The story starts as an ordinary night but then progresses into “pay-to-kill” involving corrupt authorities engaging in unjustifiable killing for monetary gains, leading Niko and his family to fend for themselves. The story parallels the past actions of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (FPRRD), which surfaced with the issues of “war on drugs” and its extrajudicial killings (EJK) of supposed “drug users” during his mayoral and presidential term.
Hapunan serves as a social critique of systematic corruption and violence. An in-depth analysis through a sociological approach of how the subject critiques social, political, or economic issues will be used to identify the political system's unjustified and cruel way of leading the nation, especially with the resurfacing of the wrongdoings of FPRRD.
Body
Hapunan has the player go through the perspective of the balut seller named Niko experiencing treacherous encounters while obtaining the permit to sell it to the town. The game shows a significant embedding of Filipino cultural elements within its horror framework. The title “Hapunan” represents families who gather to dine together regardless of class during nighttime, representing the bond of a family. The game depicts the perspective of a young boy who lives in the slums and sells for a living depicting the struggles of a Filipino netizen living in poverty, the barangay chairman and his henchmen spreading terrors represent the corruption of authorities highlighting the abuse of power that have been committing to oppress individuals who are deemed vulnerable.
The eerie environment of the game represents the uncertainty of the unknown. The occurring events around town also add traumatizing experiences caused by a particular authority a parallel to Duterte’s policies, intimidating not only drug users but his nation. This significantly shows the dangers that lurk in Niko's world, mirroring the anxieties faced by Filipino citizens over the ruling of unjust social conditions giving them an unfavorable and voiceless position to retaliate.
Critical Analysis
In a form of sociological analysis, the game highlights a significant theme of the struggle and survival of Filipinos. This caused a repeating cycle of improper voting of the country's citizens for those who make empty promises and deceptive figures instead of those who are meant to bring justice to the country's politics. These consequential decisions influenced the creation of this game advocating awareness to the people that democracy, the hierarchy of class benefits only those who are fortunate and not those who are unfortunate, solidifying the theme of the game's way of urging others to vote wisely as opposed to voting in a mystified manner.
To add, Hapunan is a fictional horror game, it digs deeper, displaying the abuse of power within the people of a seated position. Hapunan features state-sanctioned violence due to the game being in the timeline of the harsh anti-drug campaign of Duterte's administration, police officers and vigilantes were accused of killing suspected drug offenders without a trial (Reuter, 2025). Poor communities were particularly affected by these killings, where people suspected of drug-related activity were put to death without following the proper legal procedures (PhilRights, 2023).
In Hapunan, players are active participants in a system that is prejudicial against them rather than merely observers. Hapunan reflects both former and present conflicts that the country has encountered during its existence. It reflects on the citizens who are concerned for themselves and others, and mirrors the anxiety and helplessness under the authority ruling, that may label themselves as “trusted” or “safe”. The story depicts the life of a low-class citizen, reflecting the powerless and voiceless who have to fend for themselves against the person in position, fearing the consequences of speaking out, leading to violence, or their deaths.
Conclusion
Overall, through these symbols, not only does Hapunan deliver what looks to be a horrific experience, but also showcases the struggles of the Philippine society today, and recent events like Duterte’s case, it can be against human rights acts. The recent release means that academic and media analysis on it remains limited, but its message is clear as the horrors of corruption and oppression are just as terrifying as any fictional nightmare, effectively portraying the battles between survival, struggles, and corruption while emphasizing the resilience of a person and family. Though a simple game may portray a gorey event, it gives insight for citizens to know how valuable votes are for the qualified candidates for this upcoming Halalan, advocating to look right, find rights, and vote right.
Reference List
Caldwell, B. (2025, January 27). Filipino horror game Hapunan is about escaping police brutality and selling fertilised duck eggs. Rock Paper Shotgun.
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