King Of Dragon Pass has been on my list of ‘mobile games I should really get around to checking out but oh gosh look what’s on the television maybe next time’ for quite a while. Friends have recommended it, podcasts have raved about it and it’s been left unbought from the app store for much too long. Now it’s on the mother platform via Steam, making me playing the RPG/strategy/adventure hybrid far more likely.
Here’s the trailer, that does a good job of introducing what you spend your time doing by running through a series of in-game events:
So you have a clan you manage, debts to collect, wars to fight. It’s a lot of ideas we’ve seen elsewhere all in on, a cross between Dwarf Fortress and any game with an actual UI. The kicker is that, from what I’ve been told, it actually works. There’s so many variations of events that it doesn’t get old and there’s actual strategy to the decisions being made.
Obviously it’s a mobile game, so don’t expect a massive graphical powerhouse or complex interaction. The talent here is laser focused on the writing and systems. £8.99 may seem a bit high for something this simple, and I can’t make a personal recommendation, but it’s a price I’ll happily be paying from the recommendations I’ve had.
Update:
Hey, whaddya know, King of Dragon Pass was originally a PC game that’s available on GOG for £3.89. That’s the first version, from 1999. The one on Steam has all the mobile extras and some nicely upgraded art, by the looks of things. Thanks to Rob on Twitter for the heads up.