Heir of the Dog, the new Victorian comedy caper from Tall Story Games, is one of the funniest point-and-click adventures in years, and it never punishes you for trying something stupid. The game rewards experimentation with silly jokes and funny voice lines, making wrong answers part of the fun.
A Victorian mystery with a monstrous twist
Inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Heir of the Dog follows Cummerbund Bandersnatch, an upper-class twit who drinks his uncle's experimental "good time" formula. The result is a monstrous transformation and a race through the fog-bound streets of Victorian London to get his humanity back and find out why the city's dogs keep disappearing.
The clever bit is how the puzzles work. You switch between day and night by winding a pocket watch, and Bandersnatch switches with it, taking on his non-human form after dark. Each version of him sees London in a completely different way.
Day and night puzzles that reward exploration
By day, you can chat to the locals, but by night that's off the table. Instead, you can sniff them out, picking up clues no amount of polite conversation would reveal. Working out which half of the day holds the answer, and flipping between the two to piece a solution together, is hugely satisfying.
It forces you to think in three dimensions. A locked door in the daytime might be a way in at night, and somewhere you thought you'd exhausted can suddenly open up when the sun goes down. It makes simply exploring a pleasure.
Failure has never been this funny
Plenty of point-and-click games make you feel daft for trying the wrong thing. Heir of the Dog does the opposite. Wrong answers are rewarded with a silly joke or a funny voice line, so experimenting is half the fun.
It's remarkably well fleshed out, too. Almost every sensible (and plenty of not-so-sensible) approach has been thought of, which makes the world feel alive rather than a series of locks waiting for the right key.
The game isn't afraid to wink at the player when it makes things easier. The "tutorial" is simply the main character turning to you and explaining what to do. It's a smart quality-of-life touch that gets you playing quickly, and it sets the tone for a game that's confident in its own silliness.
A cast worth listening to
The characters are likeable even when they're not supposed to be, and the voice acting is a real highlight, with a cast including Sally Beaumont (Old Skies) and Shaun Mendum (Baldur's Gate 3). It's a big step up from Tall Story's acclaimed debut, Lucy Dreaming, where the performances were the one area that didn't quite match the rest. Here, the cast sells every gag.
Heir of the Dog is a joy: silly, sharp and endlessly generous to the curious player. If you grew up on classic point-and-click adventures, or you just fancy a proper laugh, this is an easy recommendation. Score: 5/5. Developer/publisher: Tall Story Games. Platforms: PC (Steam, GOG) and App Store, with console versions to follow. Price: £16.99. Release date: Out now (October 29, 2026).
