by OverThinking - 18 votes for 10 games, last vote on September 18, 2025; created on March 23, 2024
"IF has a tradition of pitting the player against the environment or their circumstances. I'm looking for something a little more personal. Give me your moustache-twirling, card-carrying villains. Give me your apathetic, inflexible..."
by Victor Gijsbers - 125 votes for 51 games, last vote on September 17, 2025; created on August 9, 2018
"Playing Curses!, I started wondering which games belong to the canon of great puzzlefests. With this term I mean puzzle based games that are long, difficult and punishing; but also fair, engaging and truly rewarding to work through. The..."
by MathBrush - 226 votes for 62 games, last vote on September 14, 2025; created on July 13, 2025
"I'm interested in knowing what games people have heard of, but have put off playing for one reason or another (or never intend on playing at all). I'm also interested in people's decision of what 'famous' means in interactive fiction. "
by Andrew Schultz - 10 votes for 8 games, last vote on September 13, 2025; created on September 2, 2023
"I played two entries in the Single Choice jam that made very visible references to root beer. Then I realized not many other games did that I could think of. I had one of my own. But given I like root beer much better than Coke or Pepsi,..."
by grimperfect - 74 votes for 53 games, last vote on September 12, 2025; created on September 23, 2019
"Specifically, works where the main mechanic is either exploring a in-game digital interface(ala Secret Little Haven) or communicating using a type of chat/text messenger system(think Emily is Away). "
by Sam Kabo Ashwell - 115 votes for 58 games, last vote on September 12, 2025; created on May 19, 2011
"I've been thinking about games that provide really brilliant moments. This is not about the overall quality of the game: there are plenty of excellent games that never deliver a clear, standout moment of unalloyed excellence. And surely..."
by Marco Innocenti - 32 votes for 22 games, last vote on September 7, 2025; created on May 17, 2023
"Vote for parser games (in all of history) that had incredible Wow moments, twists, or whatever made you think for ages or left you seriously amazed. As an example “that moment” in Spider and Web. Please avoid being spoilery as I..."
by J'onn Roger - 62 votes for 24 games, last vote on September 7, 2025; created on July 7, 2009
"If there is a moment in a game that stands out to you with vivid clarity, a moment of extraordinary beauty with writing that makes you really makes you see what is taking place, list the game here. Since surprise may play a part in the..."
by baf - 69 votes for 28 games, last vote on September 4, 2025; created on April 21, 2010
"In a normal game, there is a single fictional entity that is considered to be: - The protagonist: the character that the player is meant to identify with, and whose goals you are trying to achieve - The viewpoint character: the character..."
by OverThinking - 67 votes for 56 games, last vote on September 4, 2025; created on July 13, 2025
"I could have sworn this was already a poll, but I can't find it now. This is for games that gained some amount of recognition outside our bubble. Any amount of notice will do, from write-ups on non-IF gaming blogs to Wikipedia pages to..."
by Molly - 25 votes for 16 games, last vote on September 3, 2025; created on October 11, 2012
"It's often been said that super-heroes are a poor fit for IF, given the reliance of the former on flashy, colorful costumes and fights. But let it never be said that some poor bastards didn't try. What are some notable attempts at..."
by Jeremy Freese - 35 votes for 20 games, last vote on September 3, 2025; created on December 12, 2012
"What I'm looking for are games that have fights that are ostensibly combat, but the solution to winning the fight is really a matter of solving a puzzle."
by Juhana - 50 votes for 29 games, last vote on September 2, 2025; created on May 28, 2010
"Fast-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..."
by Pinstripe - 78 votes for 42 games, last vote on September 2, 2025; created on March 2, 2009
"Sometimes, when I'm playing a game, I spend more time juggling my save files than I do reading the text. I don't want to have to restart because I picked up the green rod instead of the clay jug (with apologies to Zarf). So I'm looking..."
by Karl Ove Hufthammer - 33 votes for 26 games, last vote on September 2, 2025; created on July 29, 2012
"I have always thought that music has a huge potential for enhancing IF, more so than graphics has. So what are the best examples of IF games that use music? Note that this poll does not include games with only sound effects; they have to..."
by Isa - 44 votes for 19 games, last vote on August 28, 2025; created on September 26, 2018
"I'm really interested in games which put a new spin on the mechanics. I'm thinking of a specific one where the narrator is really mean to you and is its own character in the game, but I'm really interested in any games which are..."
by Tabitha - 91 votes for 66 games, last vote on August 28, 2025; created on December 13, 2023
"The discussion in this thread, from which I've borrowed the term "microparser" (thanks Pinkunz!), led me to want to collect small parser games. I'm thinking of ones that fit what's described in the thread--generally taking less than 30..."
by Anya Johanna DeNiro - 19 votes for 19 games, last vote on August 27, 2025; created on May 8, 2016
"Interpret "under-rated" however that means to you. Perhaps it's one that's simply not played very much for whatever reason. Or it's a game you consider flawed but still worth playing, or an early effort that you are fond of."
by Tabitha - 4 votes for 4 games, last vote on August 24, 2025; created on July 15, 2025
"The IF Review-a-thon is an event meant to spur reviews of games that haven't received much reviewing attention. If you're an IF author who would like more reviews of your work, feel free to submit your eligible works (up to three per..."
by Andrew Schultz - 48 votes for 33 games, last vote on August 21, 2025; created on May 13, 2016
"I'm interested in games with lots of books you can read through. Maybe it's just a lot of cool titles and authors. Maybe they're randomly or procedurally generated. Maybe they reference pop culture, or maybe they're the author's own..."
by penguincascadia - 57 votes for 16 games, last vote on August 18, 2025; created on February 19, 2016
"I'm looking for games that attempt (with at least some success) to portray a large city setting that the player can explore and interact with to at least some depth. Games like Gotomomi, City of Secrets, and A Mind Forever Voyaging are..."
by DustyCypress - 83 votes for 47 games, last vote on August 17, 2025; created on March 28, 2012
"Do you still remember when you played your very first IF? How did you get drawn (and perhaps addicted) to IF and have been playing still? What was the title that started it all for you? I started with a collection called "The Adventure..."
by Brennen Kinch - 12 votes for 8 games, last vote on July 29, 2025; created on June 25, 2018
"fore example games that involve keys and things that unlock other parts of the game that don’t involve creepy things such as ghost and monsters and things like that"
by Jeff Sonas - 321 votes for 61 games, last vote on July 29, 2025; created on March 26, 2009
"I am looking for the games that, in your opinion, you simply must have played in order to really call yourself an IF aficionado. Or if someone wanted to play N number of IF games in order to get as good an overview of the IF classics..."
by Canalboy - 19 votes for 16 games, last vote on July 28, 2025; created on March 16, 2025
"As a compulsive map maker I recently came across two games where you have to know your location exactly as you need to move in complete darkness. This set me wondering about how many games feature this particular conundrum."
by MathBrush - 56 votes for 29 games, last vote on July 23, 2025; created on May 18, 2015
"I've seen many people discuss their feelings for Twine. Many of them say that they didn't think it was a 'real' platform at first, but then certain games changed them (see, for instance, the commentary in "IF is Dead. Long Live IF") For..."
by dfranke - 19 votes for 15 games, last vote on July 8, 2025; created on December 30, 2024
"What game first got you interested in interactive fiction? This may, or may not, be the first IF game you ever played. Respond to this poll only if you first played the game BETWEEN 1995 and 2012 INCLUSIVE; otherwise, respond to one of..."
by pieartsy - 24 votes for 18 games, last vote on June 29, 2025; created on March 16, 2023
"Games with PCs that have mental disabilities aside from depression or anxiety - PTSD, OCD, ADHD, Bipolar, Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, dyslexia, etc - that significantly impact them/the story. The PC does not need an official realistic..."
by Tabitha - 19 votes for 19 games, last vote on June 27, 2025; created on August 3, 2024
"The IF Review-a-thon is an event meant to spur reviews of games that haven't received much reviewing attention (for this event, that's defined as "has fewer than 5 reviews across IFDB and the intfiction.org forum"). If you're an IF..."
by Teaspoon - 46 votes for 29 games, last vote on June 22, 2025; created on April 9, 2016
"Whilst writing a review of "All Alone", Joey Jones's sequel to his game "If I Wasn't Shy", I became curious - how many examples of sequels are there in IF? Preferably good ones."
by dfranke - 16 votes for 12 games, last vote on June 15, 2025; created on December 30, 2024
"What game first got you interested in interactive fiction? This may, or may not, be the first IF game you ever played. Respond to this poll only if you first played the game IN 2013 OR LATER; otherwise, respond to one of the two other..."
by JasonMel - 87 votes for 42 games, last vote on June 10, 2025; created on March 27, 2012
"I would like to be able to recommend to someone many examples of interactive fiction in which the player character is far from a cipher or an everyman or everywoman, but is instead a character with a definite personality within a game..."
by Anya Johanna DeNiro - 7 votes for 5 games, last vote on June 8, 2025; created on November 19, 2015
"Looking for games that did more than bug fixes or extra polishing in their post-IF Comp releases, but rather made substantial changes in scope or content for the better. It could be a middling Comp game made great or an already good game..."
by Cryptic Puffin - 42 votes for 22 games, last vote on June 7, 2025; created on November 14, 2021
"I'm looking for games with effective use of location, language, etc. to really immerse you in the locale and the story, no matter the genre-- any game which you felt really taken with the atmosphere would be great. Thank you!"
by Bishopofbasic - 54 votes for 21 games, last vote on June 7, 2025; created on July 12, 2015
"It's pretty hot up here in Canada and I was wondering if anyone knew of any great surreal type games. Something I can spend my time in front of the AC or in my office hiding from the world. Thanks you guys."
by strivenword - 18 votes for 12 games, last vote on May 31, 2025; created on July 27, 2010
"My favorite genre of fiction, interactive or otherwise, is high fantasy -- the genre of such epic series of novels as The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien and The Wheel of Time by Jordan. I'm especially interested in games with an alternate..."
by Puddin Tame - 71 votes for 21 games, last vote on May 26, 2025; created on October 28, 2012
"IF that doesn't explicitly clue players in on knowledge they would/should have if they actually were the player character (The character's motivation, interests, relevant parts of their past etc.), which, for good or bad, results in some..."
by Urtikor - 39 votes for 22 games, last vote on May 24, 2025; created on August 19, 2012
"Hello, I just recently came across interactive fiction and I want to try it out and see if it's my kind of thing. I tried Dreamhold for maybe half an hour, but even though it seemed well written, solving puzzles isn't interesting for me...."
by MathBrush - 76 votes for 33 games, last vote on May 3, 2025; created on December 28, 2024
"This is a poll for the games that you think would be helpful for people new to IF. You should vote for whatever game(s) you think best answer the question: "My friend is new to IF. Can you recommend a good game for beginners?" There..."
by WriterBob - 297 votes for 75 games, last vote on April 25, 2025; created on November 11, 2008
"I'm looking for games that are suited for adults who are new to IF. My purpose is to share these games with friends and let them get experience IF without being frustrated by mazes or guess-the-verb issues. Please avoid children's games...."
by Fredrik - 220 votes for 70 games, last vote on April 23, 2025; created on February 13, 2011
"No 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..."
by Fredrik - 65 votes for 38 games, last vote on April 9, 2025; created on January 7, 2011
"I have always been fascinated with games that have several wandering and independent NPCs, especially when you have the ability to try to order them around. This sets the stage for a game where no one session is like any other, and even..."
by Floating Info - 39 votes for 13 games, last vote on April 4, 2025; created on December 10, 2012
"I'd like to see games that are long and spacious, yet aren't Cruel (or very Nasty) on the Zarfian scale. Essentially, games that the main reason for saving is for time or the occasional timed part."
by MyTheory - 57 votes for 35 games, last vote on March 30, 2025; created on July 27, 2010
"Whether it was the witty dialogue, the charming atmosphere, or the cleverness of the puzzle - you played "this" game and it inspired you to write your own. Selfishly, I'm looking for my own inspiration, but I am also very, very curious..."
by Marius Müller - 58 votes for 27 games, last vote on March 29, 2025; created on October 25, 2011
"I'm looking for games that don't show up in the IF histories or recommended lists, for what reason whatsover. Old games that maybe weren't boundary-pushing or noteworthy, but still give you a fun play experience. If you ever thought..."
by baf - 21 votes for 10 games, last vote on March 28, 2025; created on August 5, 2024
"I'm interested in games where the player must learn an unfamiliar language. I'm particularly interested in ones that have done it in unique ways, and ones where the language is dissimilar to English."
by Rovarsson - 114 votes for 46 games, last vote on March 27, 2025; created on November 9, 2020
"When browsing for good recent games, I'm overwhelmed by the amount of Twine and Choice games. Add to that a great number of games with five stars and only one rating, many of which are also, yes, Twine and Choice games, it gets difficult..."
by albie - 41 votes for 24 games, last vote on March 23, 2025; created on January 10, 2024
"Looking for Twine games (ideally) that are appropriate for 10-16 year olds. Bonus points if it has an interesting/fun story or showcases some of the cool stuff that can be done with this medium. Thanks! :)"
by Merk - 67 votes for 35 games, last vote on March 17, 2025; created on July 29, 2015
"Two that come to mind, which I haven't played in years and may be remembering wrong, are Moebius and All Things Devours. Games with fail states, by their nature, fit the bill from a mechanical level, but I'm curious about games where..."
by MarkyJez - 32 votes for 21 games, last vote on March 16, 2025; created on January 11, 2021
"I'm interested in trying out games that are more relaxed than a lot of IFs are. Though I do like the adventure and excitement of those particular IFs, I also want to try out other stuff that is more quiet and understated, the kind of..."
by verityvirtue - 40 votes for 22 games, last vote on March 12, 2025; created on February 1, 2015
"I'm looking for games which work like Bigger Than You Think - where dying isn't the end, where you're given second chances, where your second chances give you gear or skills or knowledge that you need to know to win the game."
by Fredrik - 25 votes for 21 games, last vote on February 25, 2025; created on November 2, 2010
"I really need to improve my rotten Spanish, and I can think of no better way to do it than by playing IF. But there are tons of games out there, so what to choose? In other words: Por favor, ¡dame los favoritos tuyos!"
by MathBrush - 18 votes for 6 games, last vote on February 17, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for the best Moiki game of 2024. Voting is open to all IFDB members. Eligible games..."
by MathBrush - 20 votes for 6 games, last vote on February 16, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for the best Spanish game of 2024. Voting is open to all IFDB members. Suggested..."
by MathBrush - 106 votes for 27 games, last vote on February 16, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for the best overall game of 2024. Voting is open to all IFDB members. Eligible..."
by MathBrush - 51 votes for 12 games, last vote on February 16, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for the best game of 2024 by a new author. Voting is open to all IFDB members...."
by MathBrush - 119 votes for 41 games, last vote on February 16, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for the best short game of 2024, where the definition of 'short' is left up to the..."
by MathBrush - 51 votes for 15 games, last vote on February 16, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for the an outstanding game of 2024 that felt truly interactive. Voting is open to..."
by MathBrush - 59 votes for 20 games, last vote on February 16, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for the best humor game of 2024. Voting is open to all IFDB members. Suggested..."
by MathBrush - 41 votes for 9 games, last vote on February 16, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for the best mystery game of 2024. Voting is open to all IFDB members. Suggested..."
by MathBrush - 66 votes for 15 games, last vote on February 16, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for the best Twine game of 2024. Voting is open to all IFDB members. Eligible games..."
by MathBrush - 51 votes for 16 games, last vote on February 16, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for the best game of 2024 written in an uncommon system. Voting is open to all IFDB..."
by MathBrush - 95 votes for 25 games, last vote on February 16, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for the most outstanding writing in a game from 2024. Voting is open to all IFDB..."
by MathBrush - 64 votes for 17 games, last vote on February 16, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for the most outstanding plot in a game from 2024. Voting is open to all IFDB..."
by MathBrush - 32 votes for 10 games, last vote on February 16, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for the most outstanding game for beginners from 2024. Voting is open to all IFDB..."
by MathBrush - 52 votes for 19 games, last vote on February 16, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for the best Slice of Life game of 2024. Voting is open to all IFDB members...."
by MathBrush - 69 votes for 16 games, last vote on February 16, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for the best Science Fiction game of 2024. Voting is open to all IFDB members...."
by MathBrush - 62 votes for 20 games, last vote on February 16, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for the most outstanding multimedia experience in a game from 2024. Voting is open..."
by MathBrush - 65 votes for 14 games, last vote on February 16, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for the best fantasy game of 2024. Voting is open to all IFDB members. Suggested..."
by MathBrush - 23 votes for 7 games, last vote on February 16, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for the best Ink game of 2024. Voting is open to all IFDB members. Eligible games..."
by MathBrush - 47 votes for 11 games, last vote on February 16, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for the most outstanding technical implementation in a game from 2024. Voting is..."
by MathBrush - 16 votes for 5 games, last vote on February 16, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for the best retro game of 2024. Voting is open to all IFDB members. Suggested..."
by MathBrush - 55 votes for 13 games, last vote on February 16, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for a game of 2024 that you saw as a trailblazer. Voting is open to all IFDB..."
by MathBrush - 43 votes for 11 games, last vote on February 16, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for the most sequel-worthy game of 2024. Voting is open to all IFDB members...."
by MathBrush - 51 votes for 11 games, last vote on February 16, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for an outstanding game of 2024 with a playtime of over 2 hours (as judged by the..."
by MathBrush - 91 votes for 35 games, last vote on February 16, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for the most underappreciated game of 2024. Voting is open to all IFDB members...."
by MathBrush - 87 votes for 20 games, last vote on February 16, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for the most outstanding puzzle design in a game from 2024. Voting is open to all..."
by MathBrush - 19 votes for 5 games, last vote on February 16, 2025; created on February 1, 2025
"This poll is part of the 2024 IFDB Awards. The rules for the competition can be found here, and a list of all categories can be found here. This award is for the best travel game of 2024. Voting is open to all IFDB members. Suggested..."