Best IF Titles - an IFDB Poll
by Fredrik
RSS FeedNo doubt you have played some great games with great titles, or been disappointed to find games with great titles that did not hold up to expectations. What are the best titles of IF? They can be funny, elegant, evocative, or whatever else you find appropriate.
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| A Mind Forever Voyaging, by Steve Meretzky 13 votes "Caught me up and kept me deeply spellbound. " [+]"Caught me up and kept me deeply spellbound. " --Atari Lover... "Very evocative title" [+]"Very evocative title: So much so that I'm surprised it took so long for someone to use it." --Molly... "Great title" [+]"Great title: Great title. I didn't think much of the game though...and I could never figure out why Timothy Hutton's face was on the cover. :P" (   ) --Matt Wigdahl... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( Vote for this game | |
| Leather Goddesses of Phobos, by Steve Meretzky 8 votes "Funny and good story" [+]"Funny and good story" --Chuckles... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Fredrik... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Ghalev... (No comment) [+](No comment) --PNagami... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --shornet... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Nomad... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone... "Like, Leather..." [+]"Like, Leather Goddesses? Why are we going to Phobos? Awesome!" () --Max Fog... Vote for this game | |
| Anchorhead, by Michael Gentry 8 votes "Excellent atmosphere, well implemented" [+]"Excellent atmosphere, well implemented" ( ) --artao... "Deep and immersive" [+]"Deep and immersive" ( - Full review) --Lipa... "Utterly captivating atmosphere." [+]"Utterly captivating atmosphere.: The prose of this game evokes an atmosphere more compelling than any other I've played, managing to bring the Lovecraftian setting to play while seeming completely plausible and without ever stooping to cheesy pastiche." () --Kim Ahmad... "One of best IF ever" [+]"One of best IF ever" () --zer... "Engrossing, terrific fun, creepy!" [+]"Engrossing, terrific fun, creepy!" --The Gabe... "I was wondering what the hell is a Anchorhead." [+]"I was wondering what the hell is a Anchorhead." --Wei Yuan Lee... "Inmersive and one of the best IF ever" [+]"Inmersive and one of the best IF ever" () --Jade68... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Nomad... Fredrik says: None of the voters' comments for this game implies anything regarding the important thing about this poll, namely the TITLE as such. Vote for this game | |
| Hoist Sail for the Heliopause and Home, by Andrew Plotkin 8 votes "Wonderful flow..." [+]"Wonderful flow and alliteration" ( Vote for this game | |
| Slouching Towards Bedlam, by Star Foster and Daniel Ravipinto 7 votes "Great..." [+]"Great semi-quotation of Yeats that turns out to be very descriptive of the game's content." --Victor Gijsbers... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Sam Kabo Ashwell... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Cheryl L... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --E.K.... (No comment) [+](No comment) --shornet... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Sobol... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone... Vote for this game | |
| Kids, don’t eat your Halloween candy without having your parents inspect it first because there are SICKOS out there who will put RAZOR BLADES in it and you will CUT YOUR MOUTH and GET A POISONED INFECTION and DIE, all from eating your candy early. So don’t do that., by Dan Shiovitz 7 votes "omg! this is hilarious" [+]"omg! this is hilarious" --diddlescatter... "Just brilliant!" [+]"Just brilliant!" --John Daily... "Lots of games..." [+]"Lots of games have tried to be funny by having really long titles. Until someone shows me a better one, I'll believe this to be the best of the bunch. (Obviously, a title like this that makes sense is going to be much funnier than a title that is just a string of random or clichéd things, as most seem to be.)" --Victor Gijsbers... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Ghalev... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Nathanial... (No comment) [+](No comment) --E.K.... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone... Vote for this game | |
| Pick Up The Phone Booth And Die, by Rob Noyes 7 votes "Great usage of medium" [+]"Great usage of medium" --BladeL... "That sounds like an IF game i wanted to write" [+]"That sounds like an IF game i wanted to write: That sounds like an IF game i wanted to write (about the GET ALL reflex many IF player possess). The title also gives a clue about the length of that game and is very fitting." --Klaws... "The joke has..." [+]"The joke has become really old by now, but Rob Noyes's original idea was pretty funny." --Victor Gijsbers... (No comment) [+](No comment) --PNagami... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( Vote for this game | |
| Counterfeit Monkey, by Emily Short 7 votes "Sets up the primary game mechanic in two words" [+]"Sets up the primary game mechanic in two words" --Hanon Ondricek... "My absolute favourite!" [+]"My absolute favourite!" ( ) --e.peach... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --CMG... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Laney Berry... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Lance Cirone... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --aluminumoxynitride... Vote for this game | |
| Alabaster, by John Cater, Rob Dubbin, Eric Eve, Elizabeth Heller, Jayzee, Kazuki Mishima, Sarah Morayati, Mark Musante, Emily Short, Adam Thornton, Ziv Wities 6 votes "Very satisfying and good for newcomers" [+]"Very satisfying and good for newcomers" ( ) --BladeL... "Alabaster works as a title on a number of different levels, the simplest of which is Snow Swhite being described, in several versions of the tale, as having "alabaster skin."" [+]"Alabaster works as a title on a number of different levels, the simplest of which is Snow Swhite being described, in several versions of the tale, as having "alabaster skin."" --John Daily... "Taken on its own,..." [+]"Taken on its own, the title isn't so special. But once we realise that alabaster is a snowy white marble beloved of sculptors, we suddenly see how deft Emily Short has told us that she is going to combine Snow White with Galatea. And it fits with her other game titles (Bronze, Glass) as well." --Victor Gijsbers... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Karl Ove Hufthammer... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( Vote for this game | |
| Space Aliens Laughed at my Cardigan, by Andre M. Boyle 6 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) --Emily Short... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Ghalev... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Karl Ove Hufthammer... (No comment) [+](No comment) --shornet... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Robb Sherwin... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone... Vote for this game | |
| Kids Shouldn't Have to Save The World, by Marnie Parker 5 votes "No clue about the game, but ..." [+]"No clue about the game, but ...: That's a fantastic title." --Ghalev... (No comment) [+](No comment) --DJ... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Karl Ove Hufthammer... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Denk... Vote for this game | |
| A Freak Accident Leaves Seattle Pantsless, by Christopher Huang 5 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) --Sam Kabo Ashwell... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Ghalev... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Sobol... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Cerfeuil... Vote for this game | |
| Trinity, by Brian Moriarty 5 votes "It's Trinity! " [+]"It's Trinity! " ( ) --zer... "Great non-linear story" [+]"Great non-linear story" --Chuckles... (No comment) [+](No comment) --PNagami... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Form 27b-6... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --e.peach... Vote for this game | |
| The Meteor, the Stone and a Long Glass of Sherbet, by Graham Nelson (as Angela M. Horns) 4 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) --baf... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Sobol... "The title might..." [+]"The title might not be to everyone's tastes, but I find it's great: memorable, with the right blend of whimsy and mystery" --Christina Nordlander... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone... Vote for this game | |
| The Twelve Heads of St. John the Baptist, by Jake Wildstrom 4 votes "Awesome title. Enough said." [+]"Awesome title. Enough said." --blindncool... "Made me want to play. Good speed-if effort too." [+]"Made me want to play. Good speed-if effort too." --Andrew Schultz... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( Vote for this game | |
| All Things Devours, by half sick of shadows 4 votes "Mysteriously dark" [+]"Mysteriously dark: The title gives such a dark, but intriging outlook on the story, and hey, it's poetic" --Aintelligence... "The title is a..." [+]"The title is a partial quotation from Tolkien - one of the riddles Gollum tells Bilbo. If you look it up you'll find that it is grammatical (because it's a fragment of the sentence) and the answer to the riddle is what the game is about." ( ) --Sobol... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Mr. Patient... Vote for this game | |
| Ballyhoo, by Jeff O'Neill 4 votes "Seems humble, but ..." [+]"Seems humble, but ...: In some ways this is my favorite bit of titling from Infocom, because it works well enough in a vacuum (it's a simple, punchy, colorful word) but it's also a quiet nod that tells anyone versed in circus history that the author has a real affection for the subject matter." --Ghalev... "It the Circus" [+]"It the Circus" --Chuckles... (No comment) [+](No comment) --PNagami... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone... Vote for this game | |
| Mentula Macanus: Apocolocyntosis, by One of the Bruces and Drunken Bastard 4 votes "Lascivious, intelligent, brilliant." [+]"Lascivious, intelligent, brilliant." ( ) --Sdn... "If you know Latin..." [+]"If you know Latin (and are familiar with less well-known Roman literature), you'll know what this game promises: dicks, satire, and Stiffy Makane." --Christina Nordlander... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --e.peach... Vote for this game | |
| Party Arty, Man of La Munchies, by Jonathan Blask 4 votes "Cringy puns work for me!" [+]"Cringy puns work for me!" --Andrew Schultz... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Robb Sherwin... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone... Vote for this game | |
| Midnight. Swordfight., by Chandler Groover 3 votes "A perfect title:..." [+]"A perfect title: it explains the setting and action in two words, and, with those somehow ironic periods, hints that there's much more to the story behind the scenes." ( ) --Caleb Wilson... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --aluminumoxynitride... Vote for this game | |
| The King of Shreds and Patches, by Jimmy Maher 3 votes "Excellent! Love this title." [+]"Excellent! Love this title." --diddlescatter... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Sobol... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone... Vote for this game | |
| Banana Apocalypse and the Rocket Pants of Destiny, by Emily Short 3 votes "The title makes it sound like a dun little game" [+]"The title makes it sound like a dun little game: The title makes it sound like a dun little game. It also reminds of Gravity's Rainbow (by Thomas Pynchon), which deals with rockets - and some editions of Gravity's Rainbow feature banana-themed cover art.." --Klaws... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Sam Kabo Ashwell... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone... Vote for this game | |
| Another Lifeless Planet and Me With No Beer, by Dennis Drew 3 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) --Fredrik... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Ghalev... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone... Vote for this game | |
| Pantheon, Party On, by Tony Delgado 2 votes "Made me snigger,..." [+]"Made me snigger, which is more than most titles do" --Christina Nordlander... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( Vote for this game | |
| Guess the Verb!, by Leonard Richardson 2 votes "Funny interpretation of an IF criticism commonplace" [+]"Funny interpretation of an IF criticism commonplace: Step right up to the booth and Guess The Verb!" ( ) --Christina Nordlander... "It takes guts to name a game after a common gripe" [+]"It takes guts to name a game after a common gripe" ( - Full review) --Andrew Schultz... Vote for this game | |
| Max Blaster and Doris de Lightning Against the Parrot Creatures of Venus, by Dan Shiovitz and Emily Short 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( Vote for this game | |
| Welcome to the Medical Clinic at the Interplanetary Relay Station | Hours Since the Last Patient Death: 0, by Caroline M. Yoachim 2 votes "It's a long and inconvenient title but at least it has nerve." [+]"It's a long and inconvenient title but at least it has nerve." ( Vote for this game | |
| To Hell in a Hamper, by J. J. Guest 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( Vote for this game | |
| Attack of the Yeti Robot Zombies, by Øyvind Thorsby 2 votes "Gives you a good..." [+]"Gives you a good idea of what the game will be like." ( Vote for this game | |
| Augmented Fourth, by Brian Uri! 2 votes "Witty and entertaining, this is a story for the ages!" [+]"Witty and entertaining, this is a story for the ages!" --Nobody... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( Vote for this game | |
| Reference and Representation: An Approach to First-Order Semantics, by Ryan Veeder 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) --some prefer nettles... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( Vote for this game | |
| The Crescent City at the Edge of Disaster, by Emily Short 2 votes "Such an imposing..." [+]"Such an imposing title for a short, silly piece of Speed IF." ( Vote for this game | |
| Adventure, by William Crowther and Donald Woods 2 votes "Classic& fun!" [+]"Classic& fun!: The world's first IF game!" --zhaofeng... "The GAME" [+]"The GAME" --Jade68... Vote for this game | |
| Tales of the Traveling Swordsman, by Mike Snyder 2 votes "Classic image" [+]"Classic image: Evokes an adventure-fantasy image that sets the mood well for the game. The title itself is pleasantly poetic, as well." --strivenword... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Denk... Vote for this game | |
| Journey to Alpha Centauri (In Real Time), by Julian Fleetwood 2 votes "The title is a warning" [+]"The title is a warning" --Emily Short... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone... Vote for this game | |
| Risorgimento Represso, by Michael J. Coyne 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) --diddlescatter... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Sobol... Vote for this game | |
| Wearing the Claw, by Paul O'Brian 2 votes "The title is..." [+]"The title is evocative and mysterious, sucking you in by making you wonder how you would do such a thing (sadly, while the game is good enough, I don't think it lives up to the title)." --Christina Nordlander... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( Vote for this game | |
| Polearn, by Anonymous 1 vote "I haven't..." [+]"I haven't played it, and it doesn't look like I can, but every time I see the title pop up I am reminded that I like it." --Caleb Wilson... Vote for this game | |
| The Impossible Bottle, by Linus Åkesson 1 vote "The best 2020 game" [+]"The best 2020 game" ( ) --Jade68... Vote for this game | |
| Acid Whiplash, by Ryan Stevens and Cody Sandifer 1 vote "that's basically what the game is: a thrashing ride through a hallucinatory world" [+]"that's basically what the game is: a thrashing ride through a hallucinatory world" ( Vote for this game | |
| Use Your Psychic Powers at Applebee's, by Geoffrey Golden 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( Vote for this game | |
| I-0, by Anonymous 1 vote "It's so memorable and provokes trying it out" [+]"It's so memorable and provokes trying it out" --Klaws... Vote for this game | |
| Voodoo Castle, by Alexis Adams and Scott Adams 1 vote "Eclectic, evocative and simple" [+]"Eclectic, evocative and simple: I'm amazed it took until 1980 for someone to come up with this title. One could easily imagine it being the name of a low-budget 1950s horror film, perhaps by the director of "Robot Monster". I wish I'd thought of it, and I wish I could remake the game." --J. J. Guest... Vote for this game | |
| Skybreak!, by William Dooling 1 vote "The exclamation..." [+]"The exclamation point makes it more exciting than if it were just "Skybreak." Plus, it's a cool title." ( ) --Kinetic Mouse Car... Vote for this game | |
| Krakatoa Tuna Melt, by David Welbourn 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone... Vote for this game | |
| AardVarK Versus the Hype, by Truthcraze 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone... Vote for this game | |
| Jacqueline, Jungle Queen!, by Steph Cherrywell 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone... Vote for this game | |
| Low-Key Learny Jokey Journey, by Andrew Schultz 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( Vote for this game | |
| Very Vile Fairy File, by Andrew Schultz (as Billy Boling) 1 vote "So much fun to say" [+]"So much fun to say" ( Vote for this game | |
| You Feel Like You've Read this in a Book, by Austin Lim 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone... Vote for this game | |
| The Tale of the Kissing Bandit, by J. Robinson Wheeler (as 'Cary Valentino') 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) --Denk... Vote for this game | |
| Fallacy of Dawn, by Robb Sherwin 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( Vote for this game | |
| No One Else Is Doing This, by Lauren O'Donoghue 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone... Vote for this game | |
| Lord Bellwater's Secret, by Sam Gordon 1 vote "Marvelous title. " [+]"Marvelous title. : So intriguing that I knew I had to play it!" ( Vote for this game | |
| Best of Three, by Emily Short 1 vote "Thought-provoking and fitting" [+]"Thought-provoking and fitting" ( - Full review) --Lance Cirone... Vote for this game | |
| Galatea, by Emily Short 1 vote "Amazing NPC interactions-- a must-play" [+]"Amazing NPC interactions-- a must-play" --gettera... Vote for this game | |
| When I Grow Up I Want To Be A Firetruck, by Rob Noyes 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone... Vote for this game | |
| ...from the Files of Sigmund Praxis, Guerrilla Therapist, by Mark Silcox 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( Vote for this game | |
| Babel, by Ian Finley 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Egas... Vote for this game | |
| The Duel That Spanned the Ages, by Oliver Ullmann 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone... Vote for this game | |
Poll created on February 13, 2011
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