No Mazes, please! - an IFDB Poll

I am a returning player to IF (which I loved 30 years ago) having recently discovered the fantastic Frotz for the iPad. Looking at some of the old games again has really blown me away. I don't enjoy drawing maps but I love reading good fiction, what can you recommend that doesn't involve mapping or extremely complicated puzzles but still gives a great interactive experience and doesn't take weeks to finish. Thanks Andy

View Comments (9) - Add a comment

	Rameses, by Stephen Bond 3 votes "Darker and more..." [+]"Darker and more slice-of-life than some of the other suggestions on this poll, in case you prefer that to fantasy/surreal stuff. It showcases some interesting aspects of interactivity while still being pretty much impossible to lose." () --Emily Short... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Anders Hellerup Madsen... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --AndyC... AndyC says: Interesting, I was waiting for the opportunity to make some choices or to face some sort of dilemma. It never came, and for a while I felt frustrated and vaguely annoyed. Then I began to understood that we were supposed to feel as trapped as Alex himself who was paralysed by his own fears. Vote for this game

	Violet, by Jeremy Freese 3 votes "Quick, fun play" [+]"Quick, fun play: A one room, puzzly IFComp game, so it should take less than two hours to complete." () --Rose... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --AndyC... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Vulturous... AndyC says: It gives a real sense of urgency, Once you complete the first part of the puzzle you kind of understand the patten and the play though is quite quick. Saying that I still had to look at the hints a couple of times, I knew what to do but couldn't get it into words. My own inexperience with IF I suspect. 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 3 votes "A creepy..." [+]"A creepy conversation-based game. " --baywoof... "Since you liked..." [+]"Since you liked Galatea, you'll probably like this one (especially if you enjoy spooky!)" --Danielle... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Vulturous... Vote for this game

	The Fire Tower, by Jacqueline A. Lott 3 votes "Though this is..." [+]"Though this is about a walk in the woods, you won't need to map. It's all about putting yourself in that particular setting and soaking it up." () --Emily Short... "Straightforward..." [+]"Straightforward navigation and a good sense of atmosphere." () --Greg Frost... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Vulturous... Vote for this game

	Aisle, by Sam Barlow 3 votes "One-move game with a lot of depth" [+]"One-move game with a lot of depth" --Molly... "Fits all four criteria" [+]"Fits all four criteria: No mazes, no difficult puzzles, full-on impression of interactivity (virtually any standard IF command you enter will have a meaningful response), and certainly doesn't take weeks to finish (though you can spend a lot of time exploring the nooks and crannies)." --Ghalev... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --AndyC... AndyC says: It was an interesting concept; some funny, but a lot of sad outcomes/ flashbacks. It took a while for me to find the truth behind the sadness, but then talking about it gave a satisfactory ending to the story for me. A nice IF suggestion, thank you. Vote for this game

	Lost Pig, by Admiral Jota 3 votes "The ultimate IF for beginners" [+]"The ultimate IF for beginners: This game has a very simple layout that you don't need to map, plus an in-game hint menu." () --Molly... "Funny, no-mazes,..." [+]"Funny, no-mazes, but a fun experience nevertheless. " () --Danielle... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --AndyC... AndyC says: It was definitely well made and a great beginners game, I couldn't fault it, no mazes and it was easy to remember all the locations. Puzzles were quite easy and logical, but the answers didn't jump out at me straight away and I had to think hard sometimes. The time it took to complete (for me about 2 or 3 hours) was perfect. The only downside was the content wasn't really very engaging for me, it was amusing, but I prefer things a little more grown up. Thanks for the suggestion. Vote for this game

	9:05, by Adam Cadre 3 votes "An easy,..." [+]"An easy, accessible minor classic." --Emily Short... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --AndyC... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Richard Otter... AndyC says: I loved it, the ending was a surprise and had me smiling. I went straight back and played it again. Vote for this game

	Love, Hate and the Mysterious Ocean Tower, by C.E.J. Pacian 2 votes "A funny and poignant game with a very awkward title" [+]"A funny and poignant game with a very awkward title: Contains very few locations and only one big puzzle (and that's only if you're going for the best ending)." --Molly... "Very brief and..." [+]"Very brief and memorable. If you like Walker and Silhouette, you might like this (and vice versa)." ( - Full review) --Emily Short... AndyC says: Quite an interesting short steampunk tale, perhaps a bit too short. I'd like to read more of this genre. Vote for this game

	Galatea, by Emily Short 2 votes "Brief conversation-centered work" [+]"Brief conversation-centered work: Galatea is a brief game about a conversation between the protagonist and the titular statue. Has multiple endings." --Molly... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Ghalev... AndyC says: I enjoyed it, and have played it though a couple of times. It took me a while to get started the first time and to think of what questions to ask. I was left wondering what other responses there might have been. The conversation felt quite real and a bit spooky at times. I wasn't expecting anything like this from IF. Vote for this game

	The Ebb and Flow of the Tide, by Peter Nepstad 2 votes "Dreamlike and strange." [+]"Dreamlike and strange.: A brief, evocative, and almost puzzle-free piece based on a short story. " --Emily Short... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Artran... Vote for this game

	All Roads, by Jon Ingold 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) --Indigo... Vote for this game

	Pick Up the Phone Booth and Aisle, by David Dyte, Steve Bernard, Dan Shiovitz, Iain Merrick, Liza Daly, John Cater, Ola Sverre Bauge, J. Robinson Wheeler, Jon Blask, Dan Schmidt, Stephen Granade, Rob Noyes, and Emily Short 1 vote "Once you enjoy..." [+]"Once you enjoy Aisle (and, alternatively, "Pick up the Phone Booth and Die"), this is the hilarious followup." () --Danielle... Vote for this game

	Lady Thalia and the Seraskier Sapphires, by E. Joyce and N. Cormier 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Greg Frost... Vote for this game

	Whom The Telling Changed, by Aaron A. Reed 1 vote "A game about stories, war, and peace" [+]"A game about stories, war, and peace: The layout of this game is very simple, and playing it shouldn't take more than an hour or so." () --Molly... Vote for this game

	Out, by Viktor Sobol 1 vote "Only one way to go" [+]"Only one way to go" --Greg Frost... Vote for this game

	Grimnoir, by ProP 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Greg Frost... Vote for this game

	Shade, by Andrew Plotkin 1 vote "A game with a..." [+]"A game with a well defined atmosphere, no hard puzzles, and set in a single room." --chlorine... Vote for this game

	Everybody Dies, by Jim Munroe 1 vote "A few simple..." [+]"A few simple puzzles, no mapping, very strong narrative voices, and excellent use of integrated graphics." () --Emily Short... Vote for this game

	Exhibition, by Ian Finley 1 vote "An examination of a dead man's artwork from 4 different viewpoints" [+]"An examination of a dead man's artwork from 4 different viewpoints: Exhibition is an interesting puzzle-less look at how people view art and artists." () --Molly... Vote for this game

	16 Ways to Kill a Vampire at McDonalds, by Abigail Corfman 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Greg Frost... Vote for this game

	Pale Blue Light, by Kazuki Mishima 1 vote "Parts of this..." [+]"Parts of this look like it might be a puzzley game, but really it's very light on that kind of thing, and it includes some unusual but cool interaction styles that you might not find in many other games." ( - Full review) --Emily Short... Vote for this game

	Walker & Silhouette, by C.E.J. Pacian 1 vote "Several of..." [+]"Several of Pacian's games would be suitable suggestions here; this one is a bit of an adventure/detection romp in a weird alternate somewhat-steampunky, somewhat-surreal London. It's keyword based, though, which means that input is simplified (might be easier on a mobile device) and challenges are on the easy side." () --Emily Short... Vote for this game

	Fair, by Hanon Ondricek 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) --Greg Frost... Vote for this game

	Toby's Nose, by Chandler Groover 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Greg Frost... Vote for this game

	What Fuwa Bansaku Found, by Chandler Groover 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Greg Frost... 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.