I'm very interested in hearing truthful accounts of at least somewhat difficult games (or games that don't solve themselves at least) solved completely without recourse to hints, walkthroughs, etc.
Delightful Wallpaper, by Andrew Plotkin ('Edgar O. Weyrd') 7 votes "Some Pride" [+]"Some Pride: The first part of this is one of the trickier environmental mechanical puzzles I've seen represented in IF. I was pleased to solve it. I finished the second half as well, though I'm not sure that I fully grasped the different possibilities. " --joncgoodwin... "As long as you take the time to map the house you should have no trouble." [+]"As long as you take the time to map the house you should have no trouble." ( ![]() | |
Planetfall, by Steve Meretzky 6 votes "I remember this game very fondly" [+]"I remember this game very fondly: The first Infocom game I finished on my own. And I loved Floyd." --Sophronisba... "99% sure no hints were available when I played this" [+]"99% sure no hints were available when I played this" ( ![]() | |
Dual Transform, by Andrew Plotkin 6 votes "Easy but satisfying game." [+]"Easy but satisfying game.: I solved this in a couple of hours. A very creative and well crafted game. Too bad about the To Be Continued message. I was hoping for more." ( ![]() | |
Pirate Adventure, by Scott Adams and Alexis Adams 6 votes "Very easy, but then, it was supposed to be. Solved it the first day I played it. I was glad I didn't pay for it!" [+]"Very easy, but then, it was supposed to be. Solved it the first day I played it. I was glad I didn't pay for it!" ( ![]() | |
Zozzled, by Steph Cherrywell 5 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) --J. J. Guest... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Hunter, in Darkness, by Andrew Plotkin 5 votes "Solved the second time around - I think I just wasn't persistent enough the first time." [+]"Solved the second time around - I think I just wasn't persistent enough the first time." ( ![]() | |
Zork III, by Dave Lebling, Marc Blank 5 votes "When Young" [+]"When Young: And I think I solved a couple of puzzles without understanding them completely (as I did in Zork II, but I did use hints for that one.)" --joncgoodwin... "Zork III was one of my most memorable IF experiences. Solving it became a personal mission. I can still remember how fast I woul type in different sequences of operations in desperate attempts to solve puzzles I had been stuck on for weeks :->" [+]"Zork III was one of my most memorable IF experiences. Solving it became a personal mission. I can still remember how fast I woul type in different sequences of operations in desperate attempts to solve puzzles I had been stuck on for weeks :->: I solved it without hints / clues! I remember my graph paper maps had parts of the paper erased so much that holes were worn right though :->" ( ![]() | |
Babel, by Ian Finley 5 votes "Classic IF at its best." [+]"Classic IF at its best." --Anthony Mueller... "Read. Explore. Examine. The Three Adventuring Commandments. They will get you through.." [+]"Read. Explore. Examine. The Three Adventuring Commandments. They will get you through.." ( ![]() | |
Violet, by Jeremy Freese 4 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
I-0, by Anonymous 4 votes "East=y, forgiving, but short" [+]"East=y, forgiving, but short" --Chuckles... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Infidel, by Michael Berlyn 4 votes ""Wasn't Hard"" [+]""Wasn't Hard": For me, for some reason, though I've read that some folks found it difficult." --joncgoodwin... "The first game I ever completed without hints" [+]"The first game I ever completed without hints" ( ![]() | |
Plundered Hearts, by Amy Briggs 4 votes "Dangerous Dining." [+]"Dangerous Dining.: When I finally got access to my own copies of some text adventures in the 1990s (I knew of them in the 80s but had no computer), I began with a stack of Infocom titles handed down from a friend of mine. The first game I completed on my own was probably an odd choice for anyone's "first timer" game, but well worth the effort. I was stuck the longest on the sequence near the end when LaFond is trying to get his clammy mitts on the protagonist." ( ![]() | |
Lock & Key, by Adam Cadre 4 votes "Fun game to..." [+]"Fun game to solve!" --JasonMel... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Junior Arithmancer, by Mike Spivey 4 votes "Got 101 points." [+]"Got 101 points." ( ![]() | |
Pytho's Mask, by Emily Short 4 votes "One of my favorite short games" [+]"One of my favorite short games" ( ![]() | |
Spider and Web, by Andrew Plotkin 3 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Leather Goddesses of Phobos, by Steve Meretzky 3 votes "The Riddle Took Me A While, But ..." [+]"The Riddle Took Me A While, But ...: This was the second game Infocom game I completed during my better-late-than-never dive into the form in the 1990s. I had no access to hints or walkthroughs, so it took awhile, and I recall two specific sticking points: the Sultan's Riddle (the solution to which tickled me to no end when it dawned on me) and the swordfight in space (again, while i hit my head against it for days, I found it very satisfying when I finally nailed it). When virtually every long-form game I'm ever likely to write has a sidekick NPC in it, this game (and not the usual suspect) is why." ( ![]() | |
All Things Devours, by half sick of shadows 3 votes "Very logical, very satisfying" [+]"Very logical, very satisfying: It took me several attempts to solve this, but it was really worth it: at its core is one of the most satisfying, because logical, puzzles." ( ![]() | |
Voodoo Castle, by Alexis Adams and Scott Adams 3 votes "Took me about a year of semi-frequent play during the mid-1980s." [+]"Took me about a year of semi-frequent play during the mid-1980s." ( ![]() | |
Hollywood Hijinx, by Dave Anderson, Liz Cyr-Jones 3 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Large Machine, by Jon Ingold 3 votes "Bugs made it..." [+]"Bugs made it especially hard." ( ![]() | |
Suveh Nux, by David Fisher 3 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Gun Mute, by C.E.J. Pacian 3 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Hoist Sail for the Heliopause and Home, by Andrew Plotkin 3 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Zork II, by Dave Lebling, Marc Blank 3 votes "My proudest achievement" [+]"My proudest achievement: Probably helped that I didn't have internet at the time; nothing to distract me from completing the game on my own!" ( ![]() | |
John's Fire Witch, by John Baker 3 votes "One of my favorites so far." [+]"One of my favorites so far.: Aside from reading a few reviews that mentioned the existence of a couple of items and puzzles, I solved the game without actively seeking any hints. I found the puzzles to be quite challenging, and yet completely fair and well hinted." ( ![]() | |
The Impossible Bottle, by Linus Åkesson 2 votes "Took me a long time, but I managed" [+]"Took me a long time, but I managed" ( ![]() | |
Pick Up The Phone Booth And Die, by Rob Noyes 2 votes "Found all three..." [+]"Found all three endings by myself! Boy, am I proud." ( ![]() | |
Child's Play, by Stephen Granade 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
The Count, by Scott Adams 2 votes "This one actually took me a several years of on-and-off play during the first half of the 1980s." [+]"This one actually took me a several years of on-and-off play during the first half of the 1980s." ( ![]() | |
Brain Guzzlers from Beyond!, by Steph Cherrywell 2 votes "Sleeping on it helped." [+]"Sleeping on it helped." ( ![]() | |
Ka, by Dan Efran 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Alone, by Paul Michael Winters 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Leadlight, by Wade Clarke 2 votes "A great slasher/horror game. " [+]"A great slasher/horror game. : I solved this one without hints or a walk-through. I missed a few of the secrets though, but was satisfied with the game-play and the very logical puzzles. Some of the puzzles took a little while for me, but with some careful thinking got past all hurdles." ( ![]() | |
Cacahuetes, Sal y Aceite, by José Baltasar García Perez-Schofield 2 votes "Short, inmersive piece of IF" [+]"Short, inmersive piece of IF: This is a one location game by Baltasar. It counts into the 20 first adventures I played in my new SXXI IF contact." --Jade68... "Baltasar loves..." [+]"Baltasar loves puzzle fests. This is the only game of his I've beaten without hints." ( ![]() | |
The Origin of Madame Time, by Mathbrush 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams and Steve Meretzky 2 votes "Getting the Babel fish was well worth the effort" [+]"Getting the Babel fish was well worth the effort: This game is so much fun that even afrustrarting puzzle like the babel fish is enjoyable." ( ![]() | |
Chemistry and Physics, by Caelyn Sandel (as Colin Sandel) and Carolyn VanEseltine 2 votes "Took a damnably long time to solve this, but I did" [+]"Took a damnably long time to solve this, but I did: In fact I solved a surprisingly large number of games in this year's Ectocomp with minimal or no hints. (Surprisingly large in this case means non-zero.)" --Molly... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Skies Above, by Arthur DiBianca 2 votes "Reached the ending (sort of - but no achievements)" [+]"Reached the ending (sort of - but no achievements): Even though there is a sort of ending, the game can continue forever it seems with a list of achievements and some mysterious objects you can obtain if you keep playing." ( ![]() | |
The Gostak, by Carl Muckenhoupt 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
The Magpie Takes the Train, by Mathbrush 2 votes "Really intuitive and smooth puzzle" [+]"Really intuitive and smooth puzzle" ( ![]() | |
An Act of Murder, by Christopher Huang 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Wishbringer, by Brian Moriarty 2 votes "Only Infocom Game I ever solved without hints" [+]"Only Infocom Game I ever solved without hints: Wishbringer's not easy, exactly, but after enjoying banging my head against many other Infocom games and resorting to Invisiclues, I got through Wishbringer without a single Invisiclue and without using a single wish. I had one hinky guess-the-verb issue at the very end that I had to look up, but I don't count that since I'd conceptually solved the puzzle." --neroden... "It is very forgiving, multiple ways to win" [+]"It is very forgiving, multiple ways to win" --Chuckles... ![]() | |
Lists and Lists, by Andrew Plotkin 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Wonderland, by David Bishop, Bob Coles, Paul Findley, Ken Gordon, Richard Huddy, Steve Lacey, Doug Rabson, Anita Sinclair, Hugh Steers and Mark Taylor 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Jigsaw, by Graham Nelson 1 vote "Note: I did use..." [+]"Note: I did use Wikipedia and other internet sources occasionally for help on the real world topics in the game (e.g. the Enigma Machine), but no hints directly about the game." ( ![]() | |
Bradford Mansion, by Lenard Gunda 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Dr Ludwig and the Devil, by SV Linwood 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
All Roads, by Jon Ingold 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Edgar's Adventures, by Frank Kunze 1 vote "Nice puzzle game with combat" [+]"Nice puzzle game with combat" ( ![]() | |
The Witness, by Stu Galley 1 vote "In under 72 hours, back in 1984." [+]"In under 72 hours, back in 1984." ( ![]() | |
To Hell in a Hamper, by J. J. Guest 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
The Hermit's Secret, by Dian Crayne 1 vote "I started this..." [+]"I started this game in 1985, and I finally won it in 2005, all without using hints. (I would have used hints if I could have found some; there were none available!)" ( ![]() | |
The Plant, by Michael J. Roberts 1 vote "Stuck Twice" [+]"Stuck Twice: But I worked it out both times. The two or three things you have to do to get into the plant (outside of the scenery searching) were satisfying puzzles to solve." --joncgoodwin... ![]() | |
Undo, by Neil deMause 1 vote "Solved the game...." [+]"Solved the game. Liked it. Didn't understand it." ( ![]() | |
Letters from Home, by Roger Firth 1 vote "Didn't get..." [+]"Didn't get one of the clues though." ( ![]() | |
Border Zone, by Marc Blank 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
The Art of Fugue, by Victor Gijsbers, Jimmy Maher, Dorte Lassen, and Johan 1 vote "Personal high..." [+]"Personal high scores: first puzzle - 7 moves, second puzzle - 9 moves, third puzzle - 11 moves, fourth puzzle - 30 moves, fifth puzzle - 11 moves, sixth puzzle - 13 moves, eighth puzzle - 12 moves." ( ![]() | |
Dutch Dapper IV: The Final Voyage, by Harry Hol 1 vote "Hilarious and mind-bending... a worthy successor of Douglas Adams." [+]"Hilarious and mind-bending... a worthy successor of Douglas Adams.: I'm a terrible puzzle solver, yet I was able to play this puzzlefest to the end with no help at all -- must be exceptionally well-clued." ( ![]() | |
Madam Spider's Web, by Sara Dee 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Never Gives Up Her Dead, by Mathbrush 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
When in Rome 1: Accounting for Taste, by Emily Short 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Perdition's Flames, by Michael J. Roberts 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Tass Times in Tonetown, by Michael Berlyn and Muffy Berlyn 1 vote "One puzzle was a bit obtuse" [+]"One puzzle was a bit obtuse: It took me a while to rescue Gramps. You probably would have to play through the game over and over until you get the right item which you only have one chance to collect. Back in the day, I personally didn't mind. I was proud of myself for figuring it out." ( ![]() | |
A Bear's Night Out, by David Dyte 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Augmented Fourth, by Brian Uri! 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Firebird, by Bonnie Montgomery 1 vote "Being familiar..." [+]"Being familiar with the Russian folklore helped (for example, I instantly knew how to use the water of life and the water of death) - but it isn't necessary." ( ![]() | |
Adventureland, by Scott Adams 1 vote "Very easy; took me just half a dozen tries, at most, during the early 1980s." [+]"Very easy; took me just half a dozen tries, at most, during the early 1980s." ( ![]() | |
Mentula Macanus: Apocolocyntosis, by One of the Bruces and Drunken Bastard 1 vote "It's long,..." [+]"It's long, but isn't hard. I didn't get the last lousy point, though." ( ![]() | |
STARFLIGHT: A Cosmic Adventure, by Chris Lampton 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
The Golden Wombat of Destiny, by Huw Collingbourne 1 vote "Finished this game, but because of the ending, I wasn't sure if I'd missed something." [+]"Finished this game, but because of the ending, I wasn't sure if I'd missed something." --Mike Ciul... ![]() | |
Endgame, by Samuel T. Denton 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Fish!, by John Molloy, Pete Kemp, Phil South, Rob Steggles 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Pyramid of Doom, by Scott Adams and Alvin Files 1 vote "The first adventure I solved without help." [+]"The first adventure I solved without help." --baf... ![]() | |
Broken Legs, by Sarah Morayati 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Softporn Adventure, by Chuck Benton 1 vote "Quite simple. Took me about 2-3 days of determined effort in 1985 to solve my pirated copy." [+]"Quite simple. Took me about 2-3 days of determined effort in 1985 to solve my pirated copy." ( ![]() | |
Trinity, by Brian Moriarty 1 vote "It took me about..." [+]"It took me about two months of playing it fairly regularly, but I finally won it (at age 13)." ( ![]() | |
Metamorphoses, by Emily Short 1 vote "Stark, immersive atmosphere with open ended puzzles." [+]"Stark, immersive atmosphere with open ended puzzles.: Lady Short has thought of just about everything. If you understand the laws, there are many solutions. " ( ![]() | |
Improv: Origins, by Neil deMause 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Make It Good, by Jon Ingold 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
The Lurking Horror II: The Lurkening, by Ryan Veeder 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Inside Woman, by Andy Phillips 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Trouble in Sector 471, by Arthur DiBianca 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Conan Kill Everything, by Ian Haberkorn 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Sorcerer, by Steve Meretzky 1 vote "Fastest time to..." [+]"Fastest time to solve an Infocom game - about a day and a half, at age 14" ( ![]() | |
Faithful Companion, by Matt Weiner 1 vote "A creepy little..." [+]"A creepy little brother to The Art of Fugue." ( ![]() | |
Zyll, by Marshal Linder and Scott Edwards (IBM) 1 vote "Obscure game with..." [+]"Obscure game with no real puzzles, just a huge map and a bunch of keys to find." --saneiac... ![]() | |
Valley of the Minotaur, by Nicolas van Dyk 1 vote "Solved it once, but was never able to achieve the maximum score." [+]"Solved it once, but was never able to achieve the maximum score." ( ![]() | |
Jon Doe – Wildcard Nucleus, by Olaf Nowacki 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
The Xylophoniad, by Robin Johnson 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
First Things First, by J. Robinson Wheeler 1 vote "Satisfyingly puzzly, but not impossible" [+]"Satisfyingly puzzly, but not impossible: The puzzles were pitched at just the right difficulty level: they kept my brain going, but I was able to solve without a walkthrough (except for a point where I found a possible bug: see my review). Really engaging!" ( ![]() | |
Aayela, by Magnus Olsson 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Deadline, by Marc Blank 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
When in Rome 2: Far from Home, by Emily Short 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Redemption, by Sam Ruby 1 vote "Great Eamon Game" [+]"Great Eamon Game" ( ![]() | |
Mindwheel, by Robert Pinsky, William Mataga, Steve Hales 1 vote "This was a lot of fun, and took me probably about two weeks, in 1985." [+]"This was a lot of fun, and took me probably about two weeks, in 1985." ( ![]() | |
The Temple of Shorgil, by Arthur DiBianca 1 vote "Visited all 49 rooms." [+]"Visited all 49 rooms." ( ![]() | |
Gourmet, by Aaron A. Reed and Chad Barb 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Adventurer's Consumer Guide, by Øyvind Thorsby 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Risorgimento Represso, by Michael J. Coyne 1 vote "Didn't get..." [+]"Didn't get full points though." ( ![]() | |
Suspended, by Michael Berlyn 1 vote "Two difficulty levels" [+]"Two difficulty levels: Solved both with best status" ( ![]() | |
For a Change, by Dan Schmidt 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
The Weapon, by Sean Barrett 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
The Magic Word, by B.J. Best 1 vote "The game is described as "fiendishly difficult" by the author" [+]"The game is described as "fiendishly difficult" by the author: It took me three hours or so to play this hintless, fun!" ( ![]() | |
City of Secrets, by Emily Short 1 vote "Reached the good ending without solving all puzzles" [+]"Reached the good ending without solving all puzzles" ( ![]() | |
Myth, by Paul Findley 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Indigo, by Emily Short 1 vote "Perfect blend of infuriation and satisfaction." [+]"Perfect blend of infuriation and satisfaction.: The only speed IF I've ever played. I nearly gave up after trying nearly everything. But when the first bit of the puzzle clicks it becomes a watershed of satisfaction." --calindreams... ![]() | |
The Black Knight, by Mandy Rodrigues 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Dinner with Andre, by Liza Daly 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Starcross, by Dave Lebling 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Alias 'The Magpie', by J. J. Guest 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Varicella, by Adam Cadre 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Oppositely Opal, by Buster Hudson 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Countdown to Doom, by Peter D. Killworth 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ![]() | |
Poll created on July 16, 2010