Emotional IF - an IFDB Poll

by Sorrel
RSS Feed

I'm looking for IF that inspires one or more strong emotions in the player – an IF that pulls on your heartstrings a little.

Add a comment


Photopia, by Adam Cadre
12 votes
"It made me cry" [+]"It made me cry: Seriously. It was confusing at first, but when I understood it after stopping playing, (I was thinking about it at the busstop), I cried. " --thatPenguinOverThere... "Looks at the life of a single person from different angles." [+]"Looks at the life of a single person from different angles." () --Kinetic Mouse Car... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Azazel... "The archetype of..." [+]"The archetype of the-game-that-made-you-cry." () --Sam Kabo Ashwell... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Grey... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Nusco... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --SarahTheEntwife... (No comment) [+](No comment) --HumanHand... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Karl Ove Hufthammer... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Felix Pleșoianu... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Rovarsson...

Vote for this game

De Baron, by Victor Gijsbers
10 votes
"Not a particularly /comfortable/ emotion" [+]"Not a particularly /comfortable/ emotion" --perching path... "My favorite piece of IF." [+]"My favorite piece of IF." () --R4nd0m... "A touching and unexpected ending." [+]"A touching and unexpected ending." () --Mark Jones... "Evoking a strong..." [+]"Evoking a strong emotional reaction is pretty much the point." () --Matt Wigdahl... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --trojo... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --verityvirtue... "I'd been..." [+]"I'd been spoiled for the twist ahead of time, but the ending/s still brought me close to tears." --Christina Nordlander... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Karl Ove Hufthammer... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Felix Pleșoianu...

Vote for this game

Rameses, by Stephen Bond
5 votes
"Definitely a favorite" [+]"Definitely a favorite" () --Mark Jones... "If it works for..." [+]"If it works for you, this is an effective evocation of wistful, powerless teen angst. (If it doesn't work for you, apparently, it's just annoying.)" () --Sam Kabo Ashwell... "Not a happy..." [+]"Not a happy experience in general, but the last couple of scenes were positively heart-breaking." --Christina Nordlander... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --DAB...

Vote for this game

Worlds Apart, by Suzanne Britton
5 votes
"Only IF to ever bring me to tears." [+]"Only IF to ever bring me to tears." () --JasonMel... "touching and heartwarming" [+]"touching and heartwarming" ( - Full review) --r6144... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Satupeka... "A character..." [+]"A character transformation of innocence, vulnerability, bravery, and finally, empowerment. You cry not just for the protagonist but for other characters who have undergone the same process." () --Kinetic Mouse Car... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Rovarsson...

Vote for this game

Blue Lacuna, by Aaron A. Reed
4 votes
"Made me cry" [+]"Made me cry" --Reeah... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Meredith... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Denk...

Vote for this game

Galatea, by Emily Short
3 votes
(No comment) [+](No comment) --Meredith... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Cat Manning...

Vote for this game

Planetfall, by Steve Meretzky
3 votes
"Yeah, Floyd." [+]"Yeah, Floyd." () --Matt Kimmel... "Floyd." [+]"Floyd." --Matt Wigdahl... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Xervosh...

Vote for this game

Violet, by Jeremy Freese
2 votes
"The abject..." [+]"The abject desperation of the protagonist is contagious and strongly supported by the gameplay." () --Sam Kabo Ashwell... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --smurfas666...

Vote for this game

New Year's Eve, 2019, by Autumn Chen
2 votes
"A symphony of mortification" [+]"A symphony of mortification" () --Greg Frost... (No comment) [+](No comment) --30x30...

Vote for this game

Dead Like Ants, by C.E.J. Pacian
2 votes
(No comment) [+](No comment) () --perching path... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol...

Vote for this game

The Absence of Miriam Lane, by Abigail Corfman
1 vote
"Horror backed up with pathos" [+]"Horror backed up with pathos" () --Greg Frost...

Vote for this game

Changes, by David Given
1 vote
"SPOILERS! The..." [+]"SPOILERS! The final cutscene where the protagonist merges with the Mother Tree. Bittersweet." () --Kinetic Mouse Car...

Vote for this game

With Those We Love Alive, by Porpentine and Brenda Neotenomie
1 vote
"Several scenes,..." [+]"Several scenes, especially the mob scene with the Queen's brood" --Christina Nordlander...

Vote for this game

Will Not Let Me Go, by Stephen Granade
1 vote
"Extremely sad game about a man with Alzheimer's" [+]"Extremely sad game about a man with Alzheimer's" --Amanda Walker...

Vote for this game

Tapestry, by Daniel Ravipinto
1 vote
"Reflecting on regrets over mistakes you made in your past life" [+]"Reflecting on regrets over mistakes you made in your past life: There are a few people who you had hurt dearly throughout the span of your life, which has just ended. Now you have a chance to either correct your mistakes, confront your accuser, or succumb to the guilt." --mjhayes...

Vote for this game

CYBERQUEEN, by Porpentine
1 vote
"Horror counts as..." [+]"Horror counts as an emotion, right?" () --Christina Nordlander...

Vote for this game

Stationfall, by Steve Meretzky
1 vote
"Floyd Lives!" [+]"Floyd Lives!: The final Floyd scene and its aftermath got me slightly choked up." () --Puddin Tame...

Vote for this game

Eurydice, by Anonymous
1 vote
"The protagonist..." [+]"The protagonist branches off from their reality and into the realm of fantasy and mythology to seek closure about the death of a close friend. Has three compelling endings." () --Kinetic Mouse Car...

Vote for this game

Foo Foo, by Buster Hudson
1 vote
"Mostly funny but the main ending is particularly unexpected and heart-wrenching." [+]"Mostly funny but the main ending is particularly unexpected and heart-wrenching." () --Lance Campbell...

Vote for this game

Repeat the Ending, by Drew Cook
1 vote
(No comment) [+](No comment) () --Denk...

Vote for this game

Aisle, by Sam Barlow
1 vote
(No comment) [+](No comment) () --SarahTheEntwife...

Vote for this game

Make It Good, by Jon Ingold
1 vote
(No comment) [+](No comment) () --Meredith...

Vote for this game

Sting, by Mike Russo
1 vote
"Autobiographical game that is gut-wrenching at the end." [+]"Autobiographical game that is gut-wrenching at the end." --Amanda Walker...

Vote for this game

Everybody Dies, by Jim Munroe
1 vote
(No comment) [+](No comment) () --Anya Johanna DeNiro...

Vote for this game

The Endling Archive, by Kazuki Mishima
1 vote
"Not the usual plot-driven tragedy, but moving all the same." [+]"Not the usual plot-driven tragedy, but moving all the same." ( - Full review) --verityvirtue...

Vote for this game

Sunset Over Savannah, by Ivan Cockrum
1 vote
"Wonderment!" [+]"Wonderment!" ( - Full review) --Rovarsson...

Vote for this game

Varicella, by Adam Cadre
1 vote
"Disgust at the profound nastiness of palace machinations and power-abuse. The uncomfortable feeling of sympathising with a thoroughly immoral protagonist." [+]"Disgust at the profound nastiness of palace machinations and power-abuse. The uncomfortable feeling of sympathising with a thoroughly immoral protagonist." ( - Full review) --Rovarsson...

Vote for this game

Is there another game that you think should be on this list? Just fill in the title of a game you'd like to vote for.
Game Title (or TUID or IFID):


Poll created on April 8, 2010