The Ensign is the prequel to A Dark Room, and it shares its sense of style and difficulty.

Screenshots on the App Store can't really do a game like The Ensign justice, because so much of its appeal is hidden behind crude ASCII characters, black text on a white background, and relentless difficulty.

Look beyond that though, and you'll find a mysterious world to explore, and a rich narrative to weave together.

Here's my hands-on with the game.