Heir of the Dog: Everything We Know

Oi Oi — Tall Story Games is chalking up the outlines for its latest IP—a point-and-click adventure set in Victorian London and a seemingly monster-infested, shenanigan-adoring world that’ll put even the likes of Oliver Twist to shame. From the looks of the details that the devs have drawn out to date, the so-called Heir of the Dog will tout a rich and humorously glorifying city to explore, along with a web of underlying mysteries that pertain to a dark and ominous elixir. Sound like your ideal cup of tea? Then read on.

“Back in 2020, we created a short adventure game in under two weeks, for a game jam competition,” reads an excerpt from Tall Story Games’ site. “In that time, we developed a fully-voiced point & click adventure called Hair of the Dog. We released it on Steam, Itch.io, iOS and Android and, since then, it has been enjoyed by over tens of thousands of players worldwide.”

“We parked the concept while we worked on developing our first commercial title, Lucy Dreaming, which has enjoyed awards and critical acclaim since its release in 2022. Now we're returning once again to the fog-smothered streets of London town to expand the world of Cummerbund Bandersnatch and his peculiar condition.”

So, with all of that out in the open, what more do you need to know about the upcoming adventure? Well, here’s everything we’ve been able to collect on the project since first catching wind of its existence a fair ways back. Let’s dive right in.

What Is Heir of the Dog?

Heir of the Dog is a pixel-centric point-and-click mystery game in which players take control of Cummerbund Bandersnatch, “a likeable, if dim-witted twit”, as he works to unravel a thread of mysteries that seemingly point to a “secret society, the royal family, copious amounts of dog hair and his uncle at the very centre.”

Set in Victorian London, the crowdfunded project aims to spin a humor-filled yarn, and weave together a myriad of unforgettable characters, dialogue, and plot points. So, if you’re looking to delve into a rather niche rabbit hole at some point in the foreseeable future, then this ought to be the place go and visit from the looks of it.

Story

Heir of the Dog will follow Cummerbund Bandersnatch—a Londoner who, upon entering the confines of his uncle’s laboratory, discovers an experimental elixir, one that promises its consumer a “good time” and an unforgettable adventure. “What may seem like a curse at first, leads Bandersnatch on a thrilling, love-torn adventure through the back alleys of Old London Town as he uncovers a sinister plot involving a secret society, the royal family, copious amounts of dog hair and his uncle at the very centre.” Color us intrigued.

From the looks of the footage that has been provided to date, the bulk of the story will revolve around sifting through the back alleys of London, as well as a number of important landmarks and underground facilities. As for what it is you’ll be getting up to while under the influence of the unusual elixir is unclear, though according to the devs, Cummerbund’s life “will never be the same again.”

Gameplay

Much like Hair of the Dog—the studio’s original episode that released back in 2020, Heir of the Dog will feature a point-and-click blueprint, one of which will include a slew of NPCs to converse with, objects to analyze, and puzzles to sift through.

“Take a night-time stroll around the local park, take in a show at “Giuseppe Mitchell's Famous Travelling Louse Circus” or enjoy a fat-encrusted delight from Mrs Figgins' pie shop as you attempt to mix the antidote to your uncle's experimental formula,” reads an excerpt from the game’s demo description. “Just watch your back at the local barbers! The demo is the perfect introduction to the world of Cummerbund Bandersnatch with high-quality art, hilarious dialogue and a promise of what's yet to come.”

Development

Not only have we released our new point & click game demo on Steam! Here's a sparkly new trailer to go with it, featuring a tantalising glimpse of some of the gameplay you can expect in the full game! 🤩#trailer #dogs #indiegame #indiedev #indiegamedev #gamedev pic.twitter.com/mMPUGw2qaN

— Tall Story Games (@tallstorygames) November 16, 2023

In case you missed out on their first venture, Tall Story Games released Lucy Dreaming, yet another British point-and-click adventure game, in October of last year. Outside of this particular project, the studio has also worked to flesh out the lore behind Hair of the Dog—a point-and-click IP that first popped its head up back in November of 2020. Suffice to say, the forthcoming episode in the series will be bigger, better, and far more ambitious than the original. Or at least, that’s what we’ve been led to believe, anyway.

Trailer

There is indeed a trailer of Heir of the Dog already knocking about on Tall Story Games’ streaming handle. Interesting in catching a few hairs from the upcoming IP? You can check out the latest announcement in the trailer embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Heir of the Dog will be coming to Android and PC via Steam at some stage in 2025. Can’t wait that long? Don’t sweat it — you can get your hands on a demo and enjoy a quick stroll through Victorian London over on Steam today.

As far as launch editions go, Tall Story Games has only lifted the veil on the one, which is the standard digital copy for PC and mobile. You can go ahead and add that to your wishlist on Steam here.

Interested in staying up to date with Heir of the Dog? If so, then be sure to check in with Tall Story Games’ official social handle for all the latest updates here. Alternatively, you can follow the game’s UK Games Fund extension here. If anything does pop up ahead of its 2025 debut, then we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Heir of the Dog when it releases on mobile and PC? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.