Heir of the Dog brings Victorian comedy to iOS

Developed by Tall Story Games, Heir of the Dog follows Cummerbund Bandersnatch, an upper-class man who drinks a formula from his uncle’s journal and turns into a monster. He becomes involved in an investigation into missing dogs.

The game uses a day-and-night system that changes locations, characters, commands and puzzles. Bandersnatch appears in human form during the day and in monster form after dark. Players switch between the two forms to advance through the story.

Later sections present Victorian London from a dog’s perspective. Some puzzles change with the time of day and the player’s viewpoint, providing different ways to inspect locations and solve problems.

The game has English voice acting and text in English, German, French, Spanish and Italian. Its cast includes Sally Beaumont, Shaun Mendum, Alasdair Beckett-King and Savy Des-Etages. The characters include street urchins, talking lice and members of Victorian high society.

Tall Story Games created the original Hair of the Dog in two weeks for a game jam and released it for free. The project attracted tens of thousands of players, after which the studio expanded the concept into Heir of the Dog. The developers list Blackadder and Monty Python among the game’s influences.

Heir of the Dog is available for iPhone and iPad through the App Store. Tall Story Games has not announced an Android version.