Interactive fiction- the best games.

[Zazzy]

So on another recent thread I voiced my love for interactive fiction games (or text adventures). Zork was one of the earliest. There is still a rich community of IF writers and gamers, and I hope I can convince some of you to come back to the fold, or try it if you never have.

No graphics. No sound. Just kick-ass stories and puzzles integrated with the game. For people who like to solve puzzles and like good stories- these are the games. They take patience and thought- the one linked below took me nearly a month of playing every day to solve.

A few names of AWESOME writers: Michael Gentry, Graham Nelson, Andrew Plotkin, Emily Short.

And a link to one of the best games I've played in the last 10 years (if you like Gothic horror, you'll love it)- Anchorhead, by Michael Gentry. The link is to a place to downlaod (as well as links for the platform to play it on) as well as reviews.

It's one of the few games where your character is a woman, to boot.

If you like sci-fi or time travel, etc, I can recommend others.

Any other IF fans out there? Hellooo.... hello?

***EDIT- Oh, and THEY'RE FREE.

[Walking Void]

Do You mean a game like this?

If so I have played a few games like this and they were pretty engaging.

[Zazzy]

Do You mean a game like this?

If so I have played a few games like this and they were pretty engaging.

The best ones, IMO, are not multiple choice- they're actually interactive. You type in what to do, where to go, etc. You need to have patience for this kind of game, since you need to command it, and learn the commands that the game understands. Really good games will understand just about any command you make that's reasonable.

The multiple choice ones are just leading you through a story without you having to work. Try Anchorhead, which I linked in the OP. It's a killer story. If you like horror, it's really bleak and violent and disturbing.

If you get easily frustrated with difficult puzzles, these are not the games for you, but if you like mental challenge, they're awesome.
Here's a link to a shorter one (a sci-fi), Babel, that I really liked, although it does a bit more leading you through the story than I generally like.

Try them, people! They're fun and free, and they're not reliant on a quick thumb, but on thoughtfulness, patience, and problem-solving.

[Zazzy]

Here's a link to the one I'm playing now- Slouching Toward Bedlam.

It's a bizarre steampunk thing where you're the director of Bedlam asylum in 1885 London- except filled with strange machines you have to figure out, and a mystery at the hospital. It's got a great creepy weird tone. I just figured out how to use the panopticon to enter different areas of the building!

Somebody out there- give it a try! It's always best to have someone else playing so you can share tips...

[pineapplebunnybounce]

Sounds really cool I think I might give it a try.

[Faith No More]

I've played a lot of the original Zork, and a few months back I downloaded an app for my iPad that let me play a bunch of different games. The only one I really tried was one where I was a magician on stage, but I couldn't figure out how to proceed at a certain point. I do enjoy those games, but I've sworn off gaming for a while for other pursuits.

[Zazzy]

Sounds really cool I think I might give it a try.

YAY!
I'm good with the general command language and tricksiness of the games, so if you're having any issues- ask me!

A good tip- to examine objects, usually you can use the shorthand "X object" instead of having to write out "Examine object."

[pineapplebunnybounce]

Sounds really cool I think I might give it a try.

YAY!
I'm good with the general command language and tricksiness of the games, so if you're having any issues- ask me!

A good tip- to examine objects, usually you can use the shorthand "X object" instead of having to write out "Examine object."

Ok, I opened the help pages, it says press backspace to go back to game, I pressed the delete key on my macbook and it isn't working. :/

Not that I made a lot of progress

[Zazzy]

YAY!
I'm good with the general command language and tricksiness of the games, so if you're having any issues- ask me!

A good tip- to examine objects, usually you can use the shorthand "X object" instead of having to write out "Examine object."

Ok, I opened the help pages, it says press backspace to go back to game, I pressed the delete key on my macbook and it isn't working. :/

Not that I made a lot of progress

I use a PC, but Q is usually the "return to game" command.

Examine EVERYTHING and make a map.

Does that help?

[Owlix]

So they're computer games, I see...... I typed 'Anchorhead' in my Iphone search and it came up with an app for "Christ Anchored Tabernacle"....

...........