I'm a fan of the Ultima Underworld games. People have told me that I'd probably like Arx Fatalis. However, there's one thing that keeps holding me back. The hunger mechanic.

I've read reviews and other things that say hunger is a hidden mechanic. No on-screen indicator letting you know when your character is hungry. I've read that your guy will say "I'm hungry". What if I miss hearing it for some reason? How often or how many times does he say it?

It's just that the last thing I want to do is spend hours playing a game only to find my health decreasing for unknown reasons wondering what the heck, or even just have my guy keel over just all of a sudden. So I've kind of just not ever played the game, even though I am interested. I mean I do like survival elements in games like this, such as hunger. I also like having plenty of warning, too.

How much or how often of a warning do you really get in this game for hunger? Might someone be willing to give some details?

Don't worry about it much. There's plenty of food around and the main character says a line when he's hungry. Keep some food in your bag and you won't have a problem.

There is also the Feed Spell you can use if you run out of food.