In 1999, designer David Dunham and his studio A Sharp released King of Dragon Pass. Part mythic fantasy RPG, part cattle management sim, King of Dragon Pass was initially a commercial failure—but it gradually amassed a cult following, and is remembered today by those with excellent taste as one of the finest narrative experiences in videogames.
Later this year, Dunham and A Sharp are launching a new twist on their narrative expertise with Thousand Hells: The Underworld Heists, a surreal, replayable set of afterlife adventures that denies easy classification. Its publisher, Kitfox Games, calls it "a systemic storybook experience;" its Steam tags say it's a strategy RPG. Dunham, who considers it a "tactical narrative game," said in an interview with PC Gamer that there's a good reason for the ambiguity: Thousand Hells is the first of its kind.
"There's really nothing else quite like it," Dunham said.
