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The Ensign, Prequel to A Dark Room, is Currently Free for a Limited Time

Posted by Jessica Fisher on May 5th, 2015
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Our rating: starstarstarstarhalfstar :: SURVIVE THE UNSURVIVABLE :: Read Review »

Amirali Rajan'sThe Ensign is the prequel to the text-based adventure A Dark Room, and it's gone free for a couple of days.

The Ensign - Tips, Tricks, and Strategies to Give You a Fighting Chance

Posted by Rob Rich on September 4th, 2014
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Our rating: starstarstarstarhalfstar :: SURVIVE THE UNSURVIVABLE :: Read Review »

Hello Wasteland Wanderers:
Wondering what we thought of the grueling trial-by-fire that is The Ensign? Then take a look at our review!


The Ensign is the prequel to the smash-hit A Dark Room by Amir Rajan. The game starts with the player’s starship crashing onto a hostile planet. The commanding officer gives up hope, and the player takes charge to refuel the ship so that the crew can make their escape. Using only a meagre amount of supplies you will have to journey through an unknown world with only your compass and wits to guide you.

The Ensign is actually a spin on an old genre of games that saw its heyday in the late-80s and early-90s called “roguelike adventures.” Roguelikes are known for their high difficulty and being unforgiving to any mistakes. Many of them feature permanent death as well, forcing the player to start over entirely from the beginning if they die. The Ensign can be very unforgiving, and players will need to be aware of the limitations of the in-game character if they hope to make it to the end.

These tips will help you face the harsh world of The Ensign. The best advice however, is to not get discouraged. This game, unlike many mobile games, is a very harsh and unforgiving one. It cannot be said to be unfair, though.

The Ensign, Prequel to A Dark Room, is More About Brutal Strategy Than Town Management

Posted by Rob Rich on August 5th, 2014
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Our rating: starstarstarblankstarblankstar :: NOT MUCH TO LOOK AT :: Read Review »

A Dark Room was something of an enigma when it first appeared on the App Store - it still is in a way. Here's this text-only game that starts out with nothing but a fire that needs to be stoked in order to keep you warm, that then expands into an unexpectedly large (and depressing) adventure. And now a prequel called The Ensign is on its way to the App Store. Time to get excited!

The Ensign will shed some light on the events that took place before A Dark Room - possibly explaining just what happened to the world to make it so inhospitable - but it's not the same type of game. A Dark Room had you delegating tasks to other survivors and expanding your base of operations while simultaneously exploring the wasteland. The Ensign will focus much more on the exploration side of things. Perks will be replaced with artifacts that can enhance your abilities, there will be new dungeons that won't simply funnel you in a single direction, weapons will break if you aren't careful, and a new (presumably horrible) enemy will stalk you all over the map.

Another key difference is that The Ensign is being designed to be extremely difficult. You will die a lot, but the idea is for you to learn from each death so that you can progress a little further each time. It's also meant to be highly-replayable, which is good since that's exactly what you're going to be doing a lot - because you'll probably die all the time.

The Ensign is still in beta, but we'll definitely keep you updated as we learn more about the release date and price.