The dangerous medieval game of Five Finger Fillet has been reimagined as a roguelite called 500 Finger Fillet, challenging players to stab between their fingers with a knife 500 times. In the game, a character's wrist is shackled to a table, and a twitching instrument on a crane hovers above, requiring precise button presses to avoid slicing off digital digits. A maniacal teddy bear head observes the player's every move.
The game breaks down the daunting 500 stabs into rounds of 50, offering brief respites and opportunities to purchase in-game items. These can include medication to manage pain, tablets to restore lost blood, or rings that provide stat boosts or protection against accidental self-harm. The player's success hinges on a careful balance of risk and reward as they select new weapons each round.
Weapon choice is crucial, with factors like surface area, a severe percentage chance of failure, and the potential for pain and blood loss all needing consideration. Each weapon also comes with unique conditions, such as receiving money for successful stabs or gaining rewards for consecutive misses. Despite its challenging premise, meta-progression systems ensure that progress persists between failed attempts, encouraging players to continue.
500 Finger Fillet currently has a demo available as part of Steam Next Fest. The full game is scheduled for release on November 12.