Fast-paced action scenes - an IFDB Poll
by Juhana
RSS FeedFast-paced action is something that's notoriously hard to do in IF where waiting for player's input necessarily pauses the game every turn. Which games have succeeded in creating action scenes that convey the sense of urgency, danger and speed? The scene in question could be combat, car chases, escaping a collapsing building or anything else.
| Gun Mute, by C.E.J. Pacian 7 votes "The funnest action I've had in IF." [+]"The funnest action I've had in IF." ( ) --Wade Clarke... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --perching path... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Mr. Patient... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sorrel... "The game is..." [+]"The game is completely structured on violent action scenes." --strivenword... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Pinstripe... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol...  Vote for this game | |
| Rogue of the Multiverse, by C.E.J. Pacian 5 votes "The vehicle chase sequence." [+]"The vehicle chase sequence.: The vehicle chase sequence in Rogue was truly actionous, fast-paced and lots of fun. Excellently wrought." ( - Full review) --rach... "Speeder bike chase!" [+]"Speeder bike chase!" ( - Full review) --Wade Clarke... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --DJ... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --CMG... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --IFforL2... Vote for this game | |
| Fine-Tuned, by Dennis Jerz 3 votes "driving the Dynamo" [+]"driving the Dynamo" --perching path... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --AmberShards... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --DJ... Vote for this game | |
| The Shadow in the Cathedral, by Ian Finley and Jon Ingold 3 votes "Several..." [+]"Several fighting/climbing sequences that feel tense even though the timing is in fact reasonably generous." ( - Full review) --Emily Short... "The chase scene..." [+]"The chase scene is particularly action packed, and surprisingly effective considering the lack of time limits." () --Sdn... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... Vote for this game | |
| The Duel That Spanned the Ages, by Oliver Ullmann 3 votes "Contains many action sequences, including a few that feel fast." [+]"Contains many action sequences, including a few that feel fast." --Victor Gijsbers... "Out of all the IF..." [+]"Out of all the IF that I've played, this game is the one that feels the most like a first person shooter." --strivenword... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --DJ... Vote for this game | |
| Spider and Web, by Andrew Plotkin 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Steven... "Very memorable..." [+]"Very memorable action scenes that really got my adrenaline pumping, and which I still remember vivdly years later." () --strivenword... Vote for this game | |
| Border Zone, by Marc Blank 2 votes "This is kind of cheating, since the action doesn't actually wait for player input. :)" [+]"This is kind of cheating, since the action doesn't actually wait for player input. :)" --DJ... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Michael L.... Vote for this game | |
| Borrowed Time, by Brian Fargo, Michael Cranford 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Juhana... "The initial..." [+]"The initial escape sequence, with all the improbable Hollywood style action hero stuff you have to do, is the best part of this game. It goes downhill a lot afterwards." () --Wade Clarke... Vote for this game | |
| Attack of the Yeti Robot Zombies, by Øyvind Thorsby 2 votes "Eliminates..." [+]"Eliminates EXAMINE, makes all puzzles time-based, and encourages you to play through without ever saving or undoing. " --Emily Short... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Sobol... Vote for this game | |
| Kaged, by Ian Finley 2 votes "has an exciting escape/chase sequence" [+]"has an exciting escape/chase sequence" ( ) --Michael L.... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Kinetic Mouse Car... Vote for this game | |
| Till Death Makes a Monk-Fish Out of Me, by Mike Sousa and Jon Ingold 1 vote "The escape from the squid." [+]"The escape from the squid." ( ) --DJ... Vote for this game | |
| The King of Shreds and Patches, by Jimmy Maher 1 vote "Several scenes..." [+]"Several scenes fit the bill, but the most memorable is when you're running from... whatever it is... in the deserted manor. I couldn't type fast enough, and my hands where shaking in fear not to get the commands wrong and die." ( ) --Felix Pleșoianu... Vote for this game | |
| The Tower of the Elephant, by Tor Andersson 1 vote "The fight with the spider." [+]"The fight with the spider." ( ) --DJ... Vote for this game | |
| Fail-Safe, by Jon Ingold 1 vote "The whole game feels tense and urgent to me." [+]"The whole game feels tense and urgent to me." ( ) --DJ... Vote for this game | |
| Augmented Fourth, by Brian Uri! 1 vote "The fall down the pit" [+]"The fall down the pit: Not the first thing I think of when I hear "action scene," but there is certainly danger and speed! Not bad, especially given the number of turns you spend falling." ( ) --DJ... Vote for this game | |
| Firebird, by Bonnie Montgomery 1 vote "Being chased by..." [+]"Being chased by the maniac with the sledgehammer." --baywoof... Vote for this game | |
| Plundered Hearts, by Amy Briggs 1 vote "The gunpowder puzzle (once you realize it's happening!)" [+]"The gunpowder puzzle (once you realize it's happening!)" ( ) --Ghalev... Vote for this game | |
| Earth And Sky 3: Luminous Horizon, by Paul O'Brian 1 vote "The final battle, especially (though it loses some of the tension if you have to replay a lot)." [+]"The final battle, especially (though it loses some of the tension if you have to replay a lot)." ( ) --DJ... Vote for this game | |
| Leadlight, by Wade Clarke 1 vote "There's actually a final boss!" [+]"There's actually a final boss!: Lot's of action and combat mixed with horror scenes here.(The one with the prefect right before the end bears notable mention.) The final boss fight is probably the most impressive IF has achieved t hus far,but then again,that's not saying much. Barely any IF games have a boss battle,let alone a final boss." ( ) --Traze... Vote for this game | |
| Rover's Day Out, by Jack Welch and Ben Collins-Sussman 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --perching path... Vote for this game | |
| Six, by Wade Clarke 1 vote "The duel (even though you know it's imaginary)." [+]"The duel (even though you know it's imaginary)." ( ) --DJ... Vote for this game | |
| 3 Minutes to Live, by Ren 1 vote "This short game..." [+]"This short game opens with a strong sense of urgency and manages to hold that sense throughout, aided by a countdown clock." ( - Full review) --Bernie... Vote for this game | |
| Dragon Adventure, by William Stott 1 vote "The magic bicycle." [+]"The magic bicycle." ( ) --Ghalev... Vote for this game | |
| The PK Girl, by Robert Goodwin, Helen Trevillion, Nanami Nekono, and Oya-G 1 vote "Several scenes, but particularly the initial motorcycle/helecopter chase" [+]"Several scenes, but particularly the initial motorcycle/helecopter chase: This game used an interesting technique for timed action scenes: if you fail, often another character will step in and save the day. This allows you to continue the game (with a lower score, of course) without making the action scenes meaningless." ( ) --DJ... Vote for this game | |
| Earth and Sky, by Paul O'Brian 1 vote "The battle with the monster." [+]"The battle with the monster." ( ) --DJ... Vote for this game | |
| Winter Storm Draco, by Ryan Veeder 1 vote "Has one very cleverly-implemented action scene, that set my heart racing" [+]"Has one very cleverly-implemented action scene, that set my heart racing" ( ) --Ivanr... Vote for this game | |