Winners of the 2018 IFComp

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1st place

Alias 'The Magpie'

Cover art for Alias 'The Magpie'

J. J. Guest jason.guest@gmail.com

Sir Rodney Playfair, gentleman thief, has a simple plan: impersonate a psychiatrist, infiltrate a country house, steal a priceless Egyptian scarab and make it back to London in time for cocktails. All in a day's work for the illustrious 'Magpie'.

Comedy • Two hours • Parser-based

This work also won 1st place in the 2018 Miss Congeniality Awards.

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 8.22
Votes Cast 76
Standard Deviation 1.44

2nd place

Bogeyman

Cover art for Bogeyman

Elizabeth Smyth @untiltheygo lizzie.smyth@yahoo.co.uk

You can go home when you learn to be good.

One hour • Choice-based

This work also won 3rd place in the 2018 Miss Congeniality Awards.

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 7.82
Votes Cast 95
Standard Deviation 1.66

3rd place

Animalia

Cover art for Animalia

Ian Michael Waddell ianwaddell@gmail.com

This is the story of Charlie Stewart, nine-year-old Human child.

Inside this ordinary nine-year-old Human child are four animals from the Forest, working tirelessly to keep YOUR Taiga Federation safe from Human intervention.

To read the rest of this story, please enter one Taiga dollar into the Forest vending machine to receive your exclusive Taiga Digest!

Wacky • Half an hour • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 7.78
Votes Cast 85
Standard Deviation 1.75

4th place

Grimnoir

Cover art for Grimnoir

ProP

It's his biggest selling point and it's a cold, hard fact: occult detective Jacob Morris has never lost a case, and he's been in this business a long time. Join him and his singularly skilled colleague Solene in rainy Steel City as they take on a series of cases involving monsters, people, and that which falls between.

Grimnoir is a hypertext mystery game featuring seven main cases, multiple endings, and an inordinate amount of whiskey. An internet connection and speakers are recommended for the best experience, but not required. The game is not recommended for young children.

Download contains additional content • Two hours • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 7.71
Votes Cast 49
Standard Deviation 1.51

5th place

Erstwhile

Cover art for Erstwhile

Maddie Fialla, Marijke Perry maddie.violets@gmail.com

The neighborhood Thanksgiving party was going pretty well until you keeled over and died.

Now you're a ghost, and you're going to figure out who killed you. But you can't exactly interview people or search for clues when you're dead, can you? All you can do is piece together memories about what happened.

No one said the memories had to be yours.

Paranormal murder mystery • Two hours • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 7.68
Votes Cast 68
Standard Deviation 1.54

6th place

The master of the land

Cover art for The master of the land

Pseudavid @pseudavid pseudavid@yahoo.es

Parties, power, paranoia, ghosts and dancers. Roam freely and explore a maze of stories.

The best festival in the year. All around Irene, political intrigues and social unrest, clashing with her own goal. Will she share the table with the rich or the poor? Will she understand the truth about her world, a precarious Mediterranean city in the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars? Will she get involved, or will she just lay back, enjoy the party and dance with the people wearing skulls?

The Master of the Land lets you walk around the map as different events and stories develop in different places, allowing to see and shape greatly different stories in each playthrough.

(The game can be played on mobile but a PC or a large tablet is recommended for best experience.)

Historical fantasy • An hour and a half • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 7.51
Votes Cast 45
Standard Deviation 1.56

7th place

Junior Arithmancer

Cover art for Junior Arithmancer

Mike Spivey mike.z.spivey@gmail.com

A one-to-many-room puzzler.

Two hours • Parser-based

This work also won 2nd place in the 2018 Miss Congeniality Awards.

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 7.50
Votes Cast 60
Standard Deviation 1.83

8th place

Ürs
A rabbit odyssey

Cover art for Ürs

Christopher Hayes and Daniel Talsky of [[Rabbit, Rabbit]] urs@tinyplace.org

You're a regular rabbit who's lived in the same warren your entire life. You have no reason to leave, but the THUD threatens to destroy all the baby kittens. Maybe something in the ancient places of the Ürs could help.

A lushly illustrated adventure about rabbits, inspired by Watership Down, City of Ember, Skyrim, Caves of Qud, Super Mario Brothers, and Apocolypse now.

Sci-Fi / Cuniculophilia • One hour • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 7.47
Votes Cast 60
Standard Deviation 1.37

9th place

Cannery Vale

Cover art for Cannery Vale

Hanon Ondricek @hanonondricek keencon1999@gmail.com (writing as “Keanhid Connor”)

Hell, even a seagull would hit the spot right now, roasted crispy over a flame--

He immediately put all thoughts of food out of his head because at the moment it was just torture^H^H^H^H^H^H^H

Mystery/Horror • Two hours • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 7.39
Votes Cast 46
Standard Deviation 2.21

10th place

Lux

Cover art for Lux

Agnieszka Trzaska @agat_writes luxadventuregame@gmail.com

You wander around in darkness – even though the lights are on.

Sandra is the only one to survive a mysterious attack on a deep space mining station. She is alive, but has lost her vision. Now Sandra must navigate the dangerous, damaged facility and overcome many obstacles, using her wits and the help of Odys, the artificial intelligence.

In Lux, the adventure game, you will explore the expansive space facility, solve puzzles and discover the truth behind the disaster.

Science fiction • Longer than two hours • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 7.33
Votes Cast 42
Standard Deviation 1.46

11th place

Basilica de Sangre

Cover art for Basilica de Sangre

Bitter Karella @bitterkarella thenewmeat@hotmail.com

What's a demon to do? Your mother has been missing for weeks. Rumor has it that she's being held prisoner in the infamous convent Basilica de Sangre. They say no demon has ever escaped from Basilica de Sangre. That's not encouraging. But you're going to find her and rescue her, no matter how many nuns you have to possess!

Fantasy • One hour • Parser-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 7.24
Votes Cast 54
Standard Deviation 2.00

12th place

Dungeon Detective

Cover art for Dungeon Detective

A game by Wonaglot with art by Caitlin Mulvihill wonaglot@gmail.com

You're a gnoll. Whether that's a blessing or a curse is up to you. Unlike other gnolls, you're trying to eke out a simple existence by plying your trade - that of the world's first Dungeon Detective. Amass clues and present them to your client. Choose your partner or work alone. Eat some eggs. Or don't.

Show them you're not all teeth and claws, kid.

Fantasy/Detective • One hour • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 7.23
Votes Cast 73
Standard Deviation 1.75

13th place

Within a circle of water and sand

Cover art for Within a circle of water and sand

Romain baldricoutremer@yahoo.fr

A tropical archipelago with countless islands, a young woman on a quest with no clear goal, a strange tribe living on an isolated atoll, a race...

Is your journey merely beginning or is it already about to end ?

One hour • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 7.16
Votes Cast 50
Standard Deviation 1.69

14th place (tie)

En Garde
A Voyager Forever Mindless?

Cover art for En Garde

Jack Welch @dhakajack engarde@templaro.com

A man who has lost his mind.

A mouse who has lost his realm.

A dog who has lost his family.

And the scientist who will save the world.

Horror, Comedy • Half an hour • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 7.02
Votes Cast 45
Standard Deviation 1.97

14th place (tie)

Ostrich

Cover art for Ostrich

Jonathan Laury @BornToPootle jonathan_laury@yahoo.co.uk

A new government's coming. A populist government looking to shake up the status quo. Your job in the Advertising Corrections Team is safe enough, but as tensions rise and regulations tighten you know that the only way to get through it all is to keep your head down and focus on your work. Isn't it?

With knife-edge choices between compliance and rebellion, you must weigh up which consequence is worse. This is a game for right now.

Political thriller • One hour • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 7.02
Votes Cast 55
Standard Deviation 1.78

16th place

Terminal Interface for Models RCM301-303

Cover art for Terminal Interface for Models RCM301-303

Victor Gijsbers victor@lilith.cc (writing as “VigiMech Corporation”)

A text terminal interface for interacting with your model RCM301-303 remote controlled mech.

Parser-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 6.96
Votes Cast 49
Standard Deviation 1.58

17th place

The Origin of Madame Time
Authorized sequel to The Owl Consults

Cover art for The Origin of Madame Time

Mathbrush brushton84@gmail.com

As an avid fan of superheroes and a harsh critic of villains, the battle over the abandoned amusement park captured your imagination. But when the nuclear airship Mephistopheles exploded above you, it seemed like all was lost--that is, until your latent powers manifested, and you became Madame Time! Explore a frozen world of unbridled power! Use the abilities of hero and villain alike to save the day!

The Origin of Madame Time is a simple (12K word) inform game set in a single moment of time in a small amusement park. The game is more difficult than my past games, and features less conversation. Madame Time has two hint systems using your powers of Foresight and Aftersight. This game was created in fulfillment of an IFComp 2017 prize.

Superhero • One hour • Parser-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 6.94
Votes Cast 67
Standard Deviation 1.76

18th place

I.A.G. Alpha

Cover art for I.A.G. Alpha

Serhii Mozhaiskyi @frenzytechnix sergei.mozhaisky@gmail.com

You may think this game is about a post-Soviet Research Institute. About an experiment that went out of control. You may think that the initials "I.A.G." are somehow related to the Institute. You may think this game is unfinished. You may even think that the game ends exactly as the author tells you.

But then you will figure it out -- these statements are not entirely true.

* There are two endings in this game.

* Credits roll at the end of the game.

* If you do not see the credits roll, you haven't reached the end of the game. Yet.

Science fiction • One hour

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 6.89
Votes Cast 45
Standard Deviation 1.73

19th place

Dead Man's Fiesta

Cover art for Dead Man's Fiesta

Ed Sibley @thing_stuff epsibley@gmail.com

Summer was coming to an end, and all you wanted to do was finish grieving in peace before you had to go back to work. And because it had been a rough couple of months you bought yourself a car, you know, as a treat.

It turned out to be haunted. That was a big deal for you.

This is the story of how you dealt with that problem.

Mystery, roadtrip • Half an hour • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 6.75
Votes Cast 61
Standard Deviation 1.82

20th place (tie)

The Temple of Shorgil

Cover art for The Temple of Shorgil

Arthur DiBianca a_dibianca@yahoo.com

One day, travel guides will talk about this "masterpiece of the Pirothian architect Kitral" -- but only if you, the first person to visit it in over 1,000 years, can find out what's inside.

(Puzzle-oriented and family friendly, with illustrations by Corinna Browning.)

Parser-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 6.73
Votes Cast 56
Standard Deviation 1.77

20th place (tie)

DEVOTIONALIA

Cover art for DEVOTIONALIA

G. Grimoire ricassofiction@gmail.com

The high priest of an obscure cult is preparing a ritual. Don the priest’s sacred mantle, for these holy labors are yours to direct. You may carve a votive, lead a prayer, or make a sacrifice — but you must see to the task with care. Unearthly eyes gaze down upon you from the sea above. Will your devotion reach them?

Does it matter?

Weird Fiction / Fantasy / Ritual • One hour • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 6.73
Votes Cast 55
Standard Deviation 2.14

22nd place

They Will Not Return

Cover art for They Will Not Return

John Ayliff @johnayliff contact@johnayliff.com

A post-apocalyptic tale of lonely robots.

Science fiction • Half an hour • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 6.72
Votes Cast 60
Standard Deviation 1.20

23rd place

Tethered

Cover art for Tethered

Linus Åkesson linus@linusakesson.net

"I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man." -- Chuang Tzu

One hour • Parser-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 6.63
Votes Cast 60
Standard Deviation 1.44

24th place

Charming

Cover art for Charming

Kaylah Facey kaylah.facey@gmail.com

Potions shattered on the floor, pages torn out of books, a demolished statue... These are a few of the magical messes you will have to clean up before Enchantress Igmenta arrives for your coming-of-age test tonight. Unfortunately, you've never been much good at magic, and it will take all of your determination to learn enough of it to set the Pentacle Chamber to rights--and pass that test!

Charming is a short, light, puzzly game. Writing it began around September of 2015; two programming language switches, many hiatuses, a college graduation, and two missed IFComp deadlines later, Kaylah Facey is thrilled to finally release it to the public. She very much hopes you enjoy her debut interactive fiction game.

Fantasy • Two hours • Parser-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 6.62
Votes Cast 55
Standard Deviation 1.67

25th place

Dynamite Powers vs. the Ray of Night!
Episode 7: Fishing with Dynamite!

Cover art for Dynamite Powers vs. the Ray of Night!

Mike Carletta mcarletta@comcast.net

Dynamite Powers and Rosalind have escaped the Chinese water torture on Lord Infamy's dirigible. With the help of their new friend, Melcor, they led the revolt of the singing monkeys of Melodion and toppled Infamy's oppressive regime.

Now the trio has learned the location of Lord Infamy's superweapon, the Ray of Night -- Mars! As Dynamite infiltrates the mysterious Martian base, he is ambushed by henchmen with paralyzing gas!

We rejoin Dynamite as he awakens in a new deathtrap…

Space Adventure • Longer than two hours • Parser-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 6.42
Votes Cast 43
Standard Deviation 1.97

26th place

Re: Dragon

Cover art for Re: Dragon

Jack Welch @dhakajack redragon@templaro.com

Something went dreadfully wrong in last year's IFFComp. Now a diabolical lawyer representing a cabal of angry dragons threatens to sue the Interactive Fiction Technological Freedom Foundation into oblivion over content on the IFFComp website.

Armed only with email, can you, George MacBraeburn, chief administrator of the IFTFF, find a solution that will save the competition and the Foundation itself?

Strap on your meta-goggles.

Fantasy • Half an hour • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 6.32
Votes Cast 68
Standard Deviation 1.59

27th place

Writers Are Not Strangers

Cover art for Writers Are Not Strangers

Lynda Clark @Notagoth

The meteorite could hit tomorrow, or in an hour, or six months from now. No-one seems to know, and so life goes on as normal. Although, for Alix, normal is relative.

Alix's short stories are inspired by a variety of famous videogames and classic novels. Please click the 'Show Stats' button for a full credits page.

Apocalyptic • One hour • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 6.29
Votes Cast 52
Standard Deviation 2.00

28th place

Ailihphilia
Fit IF: A *GASP* SAGA

Cover art for Ailihphilia

Andrew Schultz @anandrewschultz blurglecruncheon@gmail.com (writing as “N. Y. Llewellyn”)

It is what you think, you. What, is it?

No need for aibohphobia. It's polite on the Zarfian cruelty scale -and- will let you jump to the exciting conclusion if your 2-hour judging period is almost up!

Comedy, Adventure, Wordplay • Longer than two hours • Parser-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 6.17
Votes Cast 52
Standard Deviation 2.04

29th place

Abbess Otilia's Life and Death

Cover art for Abbess Otilia's Life and Death

Arno von Borries (writing as “A.B.”)

In English, on parchment, written in 13th century textualis. Quarto, 14 leaves, in double columns, with rubrication and miniatures. Marginalia in several hands of the 14th and 17th century.

Hagiography • One hour • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 6.15
Votes Cast 73
Standard Deviation 1.50

30th place

Diddlebucker!

Cover art for Diddlebucker!

J. Michael frotzing@gmail.com

Who's the best and brightest Gamer of 'em all? Find out by joining the 27th Annual All-Night Diddlebucker Run! You'll compete against hundreds of other teams in the world's most popular scavenger hunt! Find the treasures, find the clues, beat your competitors to the finish line and your team will win one million dollars and a lifetime supply of Diddlebucker popcorn! Even more, you will prove that you and your teammates are the true champions of Diddlebucker '87!

Two hours • Parser-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 6.00
Votes Cast 44
Standard Deviation 2.12

31st place

Six Silver Bullets
A game of mystery by William Dooling

Cover art for Six Silver Bullets

William Dooling @theodidactus theodidactus@gmail.com

You are the Silver Agent, a spy who has lost their mind.

You are alone in the city, without your memories...but you do have a mission, and it changes every time you play.

You also have your silver gun. It will kill any agent you choose to kill...but you only have six bullets. The city is full of agents. Friends and rivals, former lovers and mortal enemies. Can you accomplish your mission? Should you?

Decide quickly. There is not much time.

Mystery • Longer than two hours

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 5.90
Votes Cast 20
Standard Deviation 2.10

32nd place

Railways of Love

Cover art for Railways of Love

Provodnik Games @ProvodnikG provodnikgames@gmail.com

They have feelings for each other. They are doomed to part. Train wheels click-clack monotonously. The ring of existence remains intact. Only you can break it giving the protagonists a chance for happiness. Play the fate's part in Railways of Love, a road novel set in a science fiction world of the future.

Romance, science fiction, road novel • One hour • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 5.89
Votes Cast 36
Standard Deviation 1.94

33rd place

The Forgotten Tavern

Cover art for The Forgotten Tavern

Peter M.J. Gross @pmjgross pmjgross@gmail.com

Max and Diana need your help, although Diana might be reluctant to admit that.

You should visit their humble establishment. If you help them with their problems, they can help you with yours.

You remember that problem of yours, right?

(In this game, you and your hammer will explore a brief career in hospitality & tourism.)

Fantasy • Half an hour • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 5.86
Votes Cast 57
Standard Deviation 1.52

34th place (tie)

Adventures with Fido

Cover art for Adventures with Fido

Lucas C. Wheeler @LucasCWheeler author@lucascwheeler.com

"You are a Corgi in a sunny backyard." A simple premise becomes a world of opportunity in the paws of your protagonist. Explore your humble beginnings, and unlock worlds of wonder and intrigue as you complete quests, achieve objectives, earn currency, and build friendships. From a trip to the clouds to a haunted mansion to an underground kingdom, how much can a Corgi like you really get up to while exploring a backyard?

Fantasy • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 5.81
Votes Cast 63
Standard Deviation 1.85

34th place (tie)

Bi Lines
1981. And you're still not straight. Mother will be ashamed.

Cover art for Bi Lines

Naomi Norbez (call me Bez, e/he) @NaomiNorbez mninorbez@gmail.com (writing as “Norbez”)

So what if you're unsure? What if you're falling apart?

Forget about yourself and worry about them.

That's what she'd want.

(Note: This game poured out of me during the Brett Kavanaugh hearings in America, and the discussion of sexual assault surrounding it. I am very interested in how players like you will respond to this. Please don't hesitate to contact me with your thoughts.)

Urban fantasy, Realistic fiction • One hour • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 5.81
Votes Cast 57
Standard Deviation 2.20

36th place

Haywire

Cover art for Haywire

Peri

Yet another day is ending. Yet another day of dazzling bystanders with your spectacular illusions, all for a fistful of coins. Now it's time to grab a bite and find a place to sleep, all alone in the big city. But little did you know that tonight, things are about to go a little... haywire.

Warning: may contain traces of violence, dark themes, and peanuts. No, really, peanuts.

Supernatural • 15 minutes or less • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 5.72
Votes Cast 71
Standard Deviation 1.50

37th place

LET'S ROB A BANK
the choice-based simulator game

Cover art for LET'S ROB A BANK

Bethany Nolan @tempestaurora

Hey there, potential bank robber, today's your lucky day.

Richman's Circle Bank is ready, waiting, and unsuspecting. All you have to do is choose a team and try not to get caught (or die - dying is definitely a possibility).

There's only three ways this kind of life goes: you either end up six feet under, behind bars, or sitting on a pile of money.

So get in, get the cash and get away. That's all there is to it.

Crime • 15 minutes or less • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 5.66
Votes Cast 93
Standard Deviation 1.73

38th place

StupidRPG

Cover art for StupidRPG

Steven Richards aranai@gmail.com

A guided role-playing experience with some light puzzles, semi-optional combat, an extremely inexperienced GM and an imminent apocalypse.

SRPG is a browser-based parser game with some hyperlinking for convenience. Optional musical accompaniment provided at no extra charge. Chrome is strongly recommended, maximized for optimal experience.

Fantasy / Comedy • An hour and a half

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 5.57
Votes Cast 47
Standard Deviation 1.97

39th place

The Mouse Who Woke Up For Christmas

Cover art for The Mouse Who Woke Up For Christmas

Luke A. Jones @drlukejones luke.jones@gmail.com

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse...

Well, that's not quite true, there was a mouse stirring, not in the house, but in the shed at the bottom of the garden where he lived.

This is a text adventure game in the classic puzzle parser style (but with less hunt the verb/phrase frustration).

This game uses the Quest engine (which is free to download: http://textadventures.co.uk/quest) and you can then play the game file offline (recommended), or you can play online here: http://textadventures.co.uk/games/view/dwh6ap1wbkqtujkhgxzrog/the-mouse-who-woke-up-for-christmas

Seasonal, puzzle, parser • An hour and a half • Parser-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 5.49
Votes Cast 35
Standard Deviation 1.81

40th place

I Should Have Been That I Am

Cover art for I Should Have Been That I Am

E. K. Wagner ekw.writer@gmail.com

You're a bot, dealing cards in Vegas casinos. You live in a black and white world, an either-or world. Until now.

Science Fiction • 15 minutes or less • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 5.45
Votes Cast 88
Standard Deviation 1.62

41st place

Pegasus

Cover art for Pegasus

Michael Kielstra

Pegasus: the best friend of a democracy and the worst enemy of a dictator. Their Agents safeguard the liberty of the people around the world. Trained by and armed with the best humanity has to offer, they would love to see themselves as emissaries of a brighter future, but it doesn't always work out that way. When your closest friends are trained to look around and see nothing but enemies, when your superiors are incontestably powerful and equally incontestably fallible, when your entire body is built for the sole purpose of causing pain, who can you trust?

And no, "no-one" isn't a good enough answer.

Science Fiction • Half an hour • Parser-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 5.43
Votes Cast 53
Standard Deviation 1.41

42nd place

Polish the Glass

Cover art for Polish the Glass

Keltie Wright keltiewright@gmail.com

An odd story about a child, a bar, and something hiding in the glass. Does contain sound, check settings and use headphones for the best experience. Mature content. There is only one ending.

Recommend using the following browser versions to play: Chrome 69.0.3497 Firefox 62.0.3

Horror Fiction • Half an hour • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 5.39
Votes Cast 46
Standard Deviation 2.13

43rd place

Into the Lair
A simple story about blood, death, and revenge

Cover art for Into the Lair

Kenna May @PagesofKenna kennam.write@gmail.com

You're standing in the silent graveyard, by the entrance to the crypt Wil pulled you out of when she rescued you. The sky grows brighter and brighter behind you; soon, it'll be too light outside for you to stand it. You're terrified, and excited, to go back in.

You'll sleep easier after the task is done - or you'll be dead, really truly dead, and it won't matter.

Fantasy, Horror • Half an hour • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 5.30
Votes Cast 50
Standard Deviation 1.81

44th place

Stone of Wisdom

Cover art for Stone of Wisdom

Kenneth Pedersen kennethvpedersen@yahoo.dk

Once again queen Drana has a task for you. Can you obtain the Stone of Wisdom and will you ever be a free man?

Play as the warrior Bash on his quest to obtain the Stone of Wisdom. You will start out equipped with a magical combat ring, a lamp and a backpack filled with food rations. And of course, you have your trusty sword. But use it wisely. After all good karma is the path to success...

IMPORTANT: This is an ADRIFT 5 game, requiring an ADRIFT 5 interpreter. For Windows, the interpreter can be downloaded here:

http://www.adrift.co/files/ADRIFT5r.zip

Fantasy • One hour • Parser-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 5.29
Votes Cast 24
Standard Deviation 1.46

45th place

A Woman's Choice

Cover art for A Woman's Choice

Katie Benson

To breed or not to breed, that is the question. So what'll it be, Jennifer?

Join Jennifer on her journey through life. The choices you make in her early years will resonate for years to come, sometimes with devastating consequences. But remember, as with so much of life, there are no right answers. What matters is Jennifer's right to choose, a right that none of us can afford to take for granted.

Half an hour • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 5.26
Votes Cast 66
Standard Deviation 2.08

46th place

Border Reivers

Cover art for Border Reivers

Vivienne Dunstan viv.dunstan@one-name.org

It's late fifteenth century Scotland, and the dangerous world of the Anglo-Scottish Border Reivers. A murder has been committed, and it's your task as the Warden's son to try to find out who was responsible. Can you solve the mystery before it's too late? Or will others die before the criminal is unmasked?

Mystery • An hour and a half • Parser-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 5.15
Votes Cast 48
Standard Deviation 1.62

47th place

Careless Talk
They could be ally or traitor

Cover art for Careless Talk

Diana Rider

"You pace the deck anxiously as you wait for the chaplain to finish his current appointment. The skies above are a gloomy grey--not foreboding enough for a storm, too grim to be considered cheery. The green-blue smoke from the engines rises up into the atmosphere, further clouding the air. You breathe in and out, steadily. You've been in worse frights, but are hard-pressed to think of them now.

Nothing to do now but wait, you suppose."

(A brief conversation game about fear, prejudice, and trust. Cover art adapted from an image from the National Archives of the United Kingdom. Testing by Sergio.)

Fantasy Historical • 15 minutes or less • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 5.07
Votes Cast 75
Standard Deviation 1.63

48th place

Tower

Cover art for Tower

Ryan Tan ryantan5577@hotmail.com

"And at last I resolved to scale that tower, fall though I might; since it were better to glimpse the sky and perish, than to live without ever beholding day." ― H.P. Lovecraft, The Outsider

A game about words and castles. Please play online.

One hour • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 5.06
Votes Cast 36
Standard Deviation 1.72

49th place

Bullhockey!

Cover art for Bullhockey!

Bill F Lindsay ragtimebill@outlook.com (writing as “B F Lindsay”)

Your girlfriend has left you, leaving disturbing notes.

And she--oops--lost your laundry. In various places. Around town.

You can't have her back. But you can try to get your laundry.

Scavenger hunt/adventure • Longer than two hours • Parser-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 5.00
Votes Cast 43
Standard Deviation 2.07

50th place

Time Passed

Cover art for Time Passed

Davis G. See @DavisGSee

All these years later and I still think about you.

A game about memory and middle school.

Introspective • 15 minutes or less • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.95
Votes Cast 58
Standard Deviation 1.93

51st place

Dream Pieces 2
The Lego Box

Cover art for Dream Pieces 2

Iam Curio mdiazg77@hotmail.com

Sequel to Dream Pieces.

You got trapped in a dream again before your birthday. Now you are a figurine toy and everything is made of lego!

Escape a series of rooms with puzzles by playing with pieces of words.

Puzzle • One hour

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.93
Votes Cast 45
Standard Deviation 1.76

52nd place (tie)

The King of the World

Cover art for The King of the World

G.A. Millsteed

In this fantasy adventure, a boy discovers his destiny to become the legendary King of the World.

Fantasy • Half an hour • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.84
Votes Cast 56
Standard Deviation 1.92

52nd place (tie)

Intelmission

Cover art for Intelmission

Martyna "Lisza" Wasiluk martyna.wasiluk@gmail.com

What do you do when you get stuck in a cell with that annoying rival agent of yours who's been the bane of your existence for years?

In the world where words are weapons and secrets are worth more than gold, a casual conversation might be the most dangerous mission you'll tackle yet.

Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.84
Votes Cast 43
Standard Deviation 1.72

54th place

Murder at the Manor
A 1930s whodunnit

Cover art for Murder at the Manor

Obter9 jas@shooter.net.nz

The year is 1936 and the murder of Lord Stagwood is your first big case as an Inspector of the Metropolitan Police, London.

You play the part of Inspector Percival Pike, tasked with investigating the murder of Sir Stanley Stagwood, Lord of Stagwood Manor.

Was Lord Stagwood murdered by the glamorous, yet tempestuous, Evelyn West in the parlor with the fire poker? Or did his heir-apparent, Henry Bray, stab him in the kitchen with the billiard cue?

Question the four suspects, examine the evidence, and search the manor. Only then will you have one chance to make an arrest. Will you detain the guilty party, or will the murderer get away scot-free?

Half an hour • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.80
Votes Cast 59
Standard Deviation 1.60

55th place

smooch.click
an experimental smooching simulator

Cover art for smooch.click

Devon Guinn @dguinntweets devguinn@gmail.com

Is a kiss about the kiss itself—or the moments leading up to it? Explore all sorts of smooch-moments in this experimental interactive story.

**Not optimized for mobile, and not suitable for children**

Romance, experimental, dark humor, surreal • 15 minutes or less • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.76
Votes Cast 68
Standard Deviation 2.01

56th place

Flowers of Mysteria
An old-fashioned text adventure

Cover art for Flowers of Mysteria

David Sweeney

Your quest is to cure the Fisher King of his illness. When he fell ill, the once fertile land became barren. You must collect the four legendary flowers of Mysteria and make from them a herbal remedy.

Fantasy • An hour and a half • Parser-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.71
Votes Cast 31
Standard Deviation 1.61

57th place

+ = x

Cover art for + = x

Chandler Groover chandler.m.groover@gmail.com

An equation is a language, which is a road to move information. All matter is information. Even a crust trimmed from a sandwich. Even a planet's crust, adrift in space, with its core blown. Those lights are the last cities, sparkling in the dark. That crescent husk is what remains, floating between the stars. Everything is an engine, and every planet is a vehicle.

Science fiction • 15 minutes or less • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.70
Votes Cast 125
Standard Deviation 1.78

58th place

Tohu wa Bohu

Cover art for Tohu wa Bohu

alex wesley moore @alexwesleymoore alexwmoore23@gmail.com

An immersive exploration of chronic depersonalization / derealization disorder. (Recommended listening: Radical Face, GHOST.)

Surreal nonfiction • An hour and a half

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.68
Votes Cast 37
Standard Deviation 2.64

59th place

Eunice

Cover art for Eunice

Gita Ryaboy rachelgita@gmail.com

Eunice is a shadow of its former glory. Hope is lost, just a faint mem-ory Whatever might have brought you here, That Eunice needs you, it is clear. Type out simple commands, and Notice the changes in Eunice land. Odd creatures and strange places require your aid. You'll get as much out as the efforts you made

Magical realism • Half an hour • Parser-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.66
Votes Cast 53
Standard Deviation 1.57

60th place

Instruction Set

Cover art for Instruction Set

Jared Jackson bustedthumbs@gmail.com

How do you run a mind that cannot run itself? Enter the mind of Nora Atwood and with the help of a little science, you may be able to puzzle out her situation.

Update: While the game has run fine in most browsers, a small number players have reported a slow or laggy game. Instruction Set runs in Scratch (a children's programming language - this is a game I wrote with my kid, designed to be playable by her peers), which in turn runs in Flash. Environments with poor Flash support may run into this problem. Switching environments often fixes the problem for those that encounter it.

Puzzle, with a touch of science fiction • Half an hour • Parser-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.63
Votes Cast 40
Standard Deviation 1.95

61st place

Anno 1700

Cover art for Anno 1700

Finn Rosenløv rosenloev.1@gmail.com

You have taken a job as receptionist at an old hotel on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, hoping to rekindle your interest in history before the final exam at college. Little do you know that you will get more than you bargained for when you find yourself hopelessly entangled in the legend of the famous pirate LeBeuf, the murder of his young bride and his lost treasure.

Mystery / Romance • Longer than two hours • Parser-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.62
Votes Cast 26
Standard Deviation 1.71

62nd place

The Addicott Manor

Cover art for The Addicott Manor

Intudia nicolaikellberg@hotmail.com

You thought the abandoned manor would be easy to rob. But you were dead wrong. Its many rooms and corridors are filled with evil. You need to be lucky to make it out alive!

The Addicott Manor is constructed around two goals which can also be integrated, if the reader so desires. - One goal is to uncover the intertwining mysteries of the manor, how it all came to be. - The other goal is to find as much jewelry as possible. There are a total of six items and only one way to get them all and come out alive! You will have to choose what motivates you the most; your curiosity, greed or to save your life.

Horror, suspense, mystery • An hour and a half • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.60
Votes Cast 45
Standard Deviation 2.09

63rd place

Dreamland

Cover art for Dreamland

Tatiana Statsenko @eejitlikeme poetomu@gmail.com (writing as “eejitlikeme”)

Dreams are fascinating, illogical, colourful, and some people just cannot live without them.

Are you sleeping to remember or are you sleeping to forget?

Credits to testers: Uliana Sirotina, Matt Nicolls

Fantasy • 15 minutes or less • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.45
Votes Cast 80
Standard Deviation 1.56

64th place

Awake
Part 1 of Many

Cover art for Awake

Soham Sevak soham.sevak@gmail.com

Set in the near future, you play as William, Lead Scientist, an instrumental part of the Project team. You are woken up in the middle of the night by an urgent summons to work. A test subject managed to escape - again - but only this time, it resulted in casualties. You must salvage your Project at any cost - choose wisely.

NOTE : A short game, it'll barely take up half an hour of your time. As a newbie, I am very excited to have created something and am thankful of this platform to share my work. Please leave your suggestions and other comments on what you would like to see improved/the same of in the next games in the series. Or any other helpful words. Hope you enjoy the game!

And I probably shouldn't have written all that in the blurb.

Science-Fiction • Half an hour • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.43
Votes Cast 51
Standard Deviation 1.74

65th place

Space Punk Moon Tour

Cover art for Space Punk Moon Tour

J_J

You are nineteen-year-old Tina Tessler: missing father, dead mother, and plagued by nightmares of things you can’t quite remember. You just won a ticket to see your favorite band. So, pack your bags and catch your space flight. You’re on your way to the Space Punk Moon Tour.

Sci-fi • Two hours • Parser-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.41
Votes Cast 27
Standard Deviation 1.93

66th place

The Broken Bottle

Cover art for The Broken Bottle

Josh Irvin and the Affinity Forge team contact@affinityforge.com

Orphaned and outcast in medieval Romania, Florin’s life takes a turn for the worse when his sister, Nadia, disappears from the neighboring gypsy circus. He and his faithful wolf companion, Zana, need your guidance to unravel the mystery. Thrust into a world of mysterious performers, a tyrant with a sinister secret, and endless intrigue and magic, Florin and Zana are in for more than they could ever imagine. Will you guide them to safety, or fall prey to this new world? The choice, and their lives, are in your hands.

Fantasy • An hour and a half • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.37
Votes Cast 35
Standard Deviation 2.00

67th place

Escape from Dinosaur Island
A retro style text adventure!

Cover art for Escape from Dinosaur Island

Richard Pettigrew richard@oceana.org.uk

Escape from Dinosaur Island, is an IF text based adventure based very loosely on 'The Lost World' by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

After enduring a hurricane, your hot air balloon has crashed on an a mysterious island. Lost and alone, you have to find a way to survive and escape!

Fantasy • One hour • Parser-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.33
Votes Cast 36
Standard Deviation 1.80

68th place

Dilemma

Leonora

WARNING - Contains some violent, disturbing, and sexual content

You find yourself at a busy intersection where an accident is about to happen. What do you do? Who do you save? Your choices define your moral viewpoint, but everything is not as it appears to be. The more choices you make, the more you find out about the people and their motivations for being at this intersection at this particular moment. Space-time portals, murders, even aliens, are somehow all involved.

Experimental • An hour and a half • Parser-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.28
Votes Cast 40
Standard Deviation 1.83

69th place

Birmingham IV

Cover art for Birmingham IV

Peter Emery biv@yanshi.me.uk

A solitary scholar, his purpose and presence in the world a mystery even to himself, ventures abroad in a dream state. He finds a land of sunny lanes and dark forests, steeped in the blood of Celt, Saxon, Viking and Norman, where paganism never really went away - the West Midlands.

Birmingham IV tells the story of what happened next. A big, puzzle-based adventure, it contains scenes of mild peril, cartoon violence, and consumption of alcohol, so please be warned.

Fantasy • Longer than two hours • Parser-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.27
Votes Cast 37
Standard Deviation 1.65

70th place (tie)

Shackles of Control

Cover art for Shackles of Control

Sly Merc yoshirocks341@gmail.com

It was a normal day at school, but then that was gone. Teachers? Gone. Students? Also gone. You? Not gone.

Half an hour • Choice-based

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Score 3.93
Votes Cast 58
Standard Deviation 1.66

70th place (tie)

H.M.S. Spaceman

Cover art for H.M.S. Spaceman

Nat Quayle Nelson and Diane Cai natquaylenelson@gmail.com

On the H.M.S. Spaceman, the first anatomically complete human-shaped space ship, the crewmen are genetically engineered to fulfill one purpose: intergalactic domination. Their latest conquest: the alien rhizoXls of Planet rhizoX. With the dangerously high levels of testosterone on board, and the aliens' cryptic references to some upcoming "Big Bang," these surrender negotiations are bound to go juuuuust fine.

Sci-fi comedy • Half an hour • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 3.93
Votes Cast 41
Standard Deviation 1.76

72nd place

A Final Grind

Cover art for A Final Grind

nrsm_ha nrsm_h0@gmail.com

Text-based RPG where your character becomes weaker over time. A game about frustration, regret, and slaying goblins.

Use of a calculator is to be considered cheating.

Fantasy

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 3.84
Votes Cast 50
Standard Deviation 1.84

73rd place

And You May Find Yourself
A Metaphysical Inversion

Cover art for And You May Find Yourself

VPC @VPCowboy virtualperfectioncowboy@gmail.com

You awake one morning with a beautiful house, and a beautiful wife, and no idea how you got there.

Magical Realist / Mystery / Sci-Fi / Romance • Half an hour • Choice-based

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 3.45
Votes Cast 78
Standard Deviation 1.94

74th place

Let's Explore Geography! Canadian Commodities Trader Simulation Exercise

Cover art for Let's Explore Geography! Canadian Commodities Trader Simulation Exercise

Carter Sande carter.sande@duodecima.technology

Have you ever wondered what life is like for commodities traders? Why not hop in a truck, drive around Canada, and find out?

Tourism research and writing by Kyra Sande. Powered by the Desmos® Computation Layer™; download package includes access code, printable map, and solution manual. Aligned with Common Core standards CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.7, and CCSS.Math.Content.4.NBT.B.4.

Choice-based

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Score 3.42
Votes Cast 53
Standard Deviation 1.55

75th place

Nightmare Adventure

Cover art for Nightmare Adventure

Laurence Emms, Vibha Laljani nightmare.adventure.ifcomp@gmail.com

A clock, a wizard and a delicious secret. Solve the riddle to restore life to a town that has all but disappeared.

Fantasy • Half an hour • Parser-based

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Score 3.38
Votes Cast 34
Standard Deviation 1.48

76th place

Campfire Tales

Cover art for Campfire Tales

Matthew Deline @mattdeline deline.matt@gmail.com

Campfire Tales is an experimental storytelling game that uses procedural generation to change elements of the story each time you play! Gather your friends to play together, with one player reading the story aloud as narrator. And be careful, because out here, nothing is as it seems!

Experimental • 15 minutes or less

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 2.92
Votes Cast 78
Standard Deviation 1.68

77th place

Linear Love

Tom Delanoy @MassacredI

An old-school love story set where else but in France.

Romance • 15 minutes or less

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 2.60
Votes Cast 52
Standard Deviation 1.48

The organizer of the 2018 Annual Interactive Fiction Competition was Jacqueline Ashwell.