Hapunan

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Hapunan is a Philippine-made first-person survival horror game created by indie developer Yikon Dev (Josef Nikolaus Yenko). Built with the Unity engine, it released in December 2024 for Windows and Android via Itch.io. The game is single-player and lasts about 30 to 40 minutes.

Story and setting
You play as Niko, a Filipino student who sells balut and other snacks in his home barangay at night. The peaceful family life in Barangay Sakdudol is threatened by a gang called the Pay-to-Kill, hired killers who strike at night. The game blends a short “job simulator” vibe with tense horror as you explore a dark village full of voiced NPCs.

Niko lives with his mother, father, and younger brother Nixon in a single-floor, poverty-stricken home with plywood walls, tuyo, and plastic water dispensers. To work each night, Niko and his father must follow a railway track to a gate that serves as the village’s only entrance and exit.

What happens in the nights
- Night 1: Niko’s mother wakes him to sell balut. The radio warns about the Pay-to-Kill. After a tense day, Niko sells food in the barangay and meets various characters, including the homeless Madona who warns him not to return. He also speaks with Mang Berto, the gatekeeper.
- Night 2: Nixon is better, and Niko must get a business permit. At the barangay hall, the captain explains that other vendors were killed by the Pay-to-Kill. The captain pays Niko to bring packages into the hall, then Ashley appears to talk with the captain.
- Night 3: More murders are reported. The family plans to move, but Niko encounters a mysterious figure and the Pay-to-Kill invade. In an underground tunnel, Niko and his father uncover a web of corruption involving police officers. Mang Berto helps rescue them, and a shootout ensues. The family hides at home while Niko and his father fight off the attackers.
Epilogue: By December, the Pay-to-Kill are arrested thanks to a list provided by Niko’s father, and the family remains in Sakdudol with their village’s safety gradually restored.

Development and style
Hapunan was developed by 21-year-old Josef Yenko (aka Yikon). He started learning programming in 2016 and built the game on a modest laptop, even creating 3D models directly inside Unity due to hardware limits. The concept came from a bike ride with Yenko’s father, who suggested making the player a balut vendor to reflect Filipino culture. The game includes details like plywood walls and everyday Filipino items to ground the horror in real life.

Availability and reception
Hapunan released in December 2024 and is available on Itch.io for Windows and Android. The developer warns players about unauthorized copies on Google Play and the App Store. By February 2025, the game had surpassed 200,000 downloads on Itch.io.

The game drew attention from streamers, including CaseOh, whose video amassed nearly three million views in three weeks, along with Kubz Scouts and Kristian PH. Critics praised its cultural accuracy and grounded realism. Reviews noted the indie-style graphics, described as low-poly but effective, and highlighted the twist about police corruption as a clever subversion of horror tropes.