Old/new release: King of Dragon Pass
This is actually a really old release–King of Dragon Pass was developed and released independently by A Sharp wayyyy back in 1999. Despite its age, A Sharp remains around today, and has released mobile ports of King of Dragon Pass over the past few years: for iOS in 2011, and for Android and Windows phones quite recently in August 2014.
For those not familiar with it, King of Dragon Pass represents a unique melange of elements: a choose-your-own-adventure / fantasy strategy game hybrid with randomized content and a focus on story and characters.
The premise:
Set in the fictional world of Glorantha, King of Dragon Pass is the saga of colonizing a magical frontier.
That’s about as close to narrative summary as the official materials ever provide (though the developers have made much more information about the game’s setting, its races, and its history available on a dedicated website). You are basically trying to guide a clan through a series of randomly selected challenges throughout the game, making hard choices and trying to manage your resources as you go.There are 550 different events that can occur during any given play session, and you’ll have different clan leaders with different strengths and weaknesses available to execute your decisions on any given playthrough.
Here’s a trailer:
You can snag King of Dragon Pass for $5.99 for Windows via GOG; for $9.99 on iOS and Android; and for $10.99 on Windows Phone. You can also custom-order the game on CD for Windows or Mac, though it’ll set you back $19.95 plus shipping.
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One of the most imaginative and entertaining RPG/strategy/adventure hybrids ever released, IMO. A shame they did that before a good model appeared for web-based sales, so they never really garnered the kind of sales they needed to pursue further development of similar titles. Perhaps now…
What a fantastic and unique game! I still play it now and then after all these years. The lore, the deep interaction possibilities, the art desgin, the choices with their consequences (sometimes many years later), the beautiful music – everything is special in this game. But I’m still very disappointed that they made the new version for all portable devices, but not for pc…