|
Have you played this game?You can rate this game, record that you've played it, or put it on your wish list after you log in. |
Playlists and Wishlists |
RSS Feeds![]() ![]() ![]() |
About the StoryIt's 1920, you're a minor aristocrat fallen on hard times, and your wretched Aunt Cedilla is on the warpath. A Wodehousean comedy of manners, manors, mysterious butlers and unfriendly poodles.Game Details
Language: English (en)
Current Version: Unknown License: Freeware Development System: Custom Forgiveness Rating: Polite Baf's Guide ID: 2956 IFID: Unknown TUID: kvg34tnaj1zpydoe |
Awards
16th Place - 12th Annual Interactive Fiction Competition (2006)
Nominee, Best NPCs; Nominee, Best Individual NPC - 2006 XYZZY Awards
Editorial Reviews
Jay Is Games
Because of its relatively simple plot and small environment, Aunts and Butlers is a good introductory game for anyone new to the world of interactive fiction. And apart from a rather stale maze sequence, the game feels fresh and interesting at every turn. Put on your tailcoat and grab the teacup, Aunt Cedilla is waiting for you in the drawing room.
See the full review
SPAG
If you aren't as much a fan of P. G. Woodhouse as I am, you'll probably see Aunts and Butlers just as a light-hearted, not too deep work with an unproblematic gameplay, good enough to while away an hour or so. It has a slight general adventuring frosting, which isn't necessarily needed and could be removed without anybody missing it, yet, on the other hand, it doesn't hamper the game, either.
-- Valentine Kopteltsev
See the full review
Tags
Member Reviews
| Average Rating: ![]() Number of Reviews: 4 Write a review |
Most Helpful Member Reviews

Bottom line? Give this game a try, just don't take it too seriously.

The parser seemed pretty good. The writing was based a bit on Wodehouse's writing. The puzzles are a mixed bag, with a lot of guessing what the author was thinking; however, each area is so small so that you can just try everything and eventually get it right. The last half of the game involves visiting 8 time periods to obtain enough articles of clothing to enter a certain building.
The game is notable for a mysterious butler figure that attends you and acts at first as an automatic warning system, and then as a summonable help system. He is dry and witty. He was nominated for Best Individual NPC in the XYZZY's, and the game was nominated for Best NPC's.

The opening paragraph of Aunts and Butlers immediately sets the tone for this game: silly, jolly punniness played off of British stiff-upper-lipness.
The first part of the game succeeds in keeping up this atmosphere. You play an impoverished young man from a wealthy family. Your filthy rich aunt is coming to visit and you will have to jump through hoops to have a chance to get some money from her so you can pay your debts.
The puzzles are not difficult. The game pretty much tells you what to do, in a polite and British way. The implementation might give some troubles: when trying to interact with something, the game does not differentiate between an unimportant object or an object that is simply not there.
Up until here, I had great fun trying stuff out and breathing in the fresh British air.
Unfortunately, after solving the bottleneck-opening puzzle at the end of this first part, the game loses its ambiance and slides off into oldschool incoherent silliness (the bad kind). A medieval knight and a starship are involved, among other things.
In the hints for one of these rooms, the author writes that this room was coded at 11pm the night before IF Comp's deadline. I suspect that he turned to unfunny random madness as a last resort, pushing himself to get something finished to enter in the competition. Pity. I would have loved to see what this game could have been if it stuck to its first-paragraph principles.
Disappointing.
See All 4 Member Reviews
If you enjoyed Aunts and Butlers...
Related Games
People who like Aunts and Butlers also gave high ratings to these games:Kaged, by Ian Finley Average member rating: ![]() ""But my madness speaks: It will but skin and film the ulcerous place, Whilst rank corruption, mining all within, Infects unseen." Welcome to the Citadel of Justice. The Inquisitor is waiting." [--blurb from Competition Aught-Zero] |
Erstwhile, by Aster Fialla, Marijke Perry Average member rating: ![]() The neighborhood Thanksgiving party was going pretty well until you keeled over and died. Now you're a ghost, and you're going to figure out who killed you. But you can't exactly interview people or search for clues when you're dead, can... |
Something In The Night, by AnssiR66 Average member rating: ![]() Alone in a big house at night, can you make it upstairs to your bedroom? |
Recommended Lists
Aunts and Butlers appears in the following Recommended Lists:Light-hearted games with solveable puzzles by Celestianpower
Games with comedic elements, and good, solveable puzzles.
Society, Socialites and Social Climbing by E.K.
Games where the protagonist has to navigate aspirational society in some way, whether it is an attempt at climbing the social ladder or avoiding those who seek to do so. Status, gossip, backstabbing and money are the orders of the day...
My new walkthroughs for February 2020 by David Welbourn
On Thursday February 27, 2020, I published new walkthroughs for the games and stories listed below! Some of these were paid for by my wonderful patrons at Patreon. Please consider supporting me to make even more new walkthroughs for...
Polls
The following polls include votes for Aunts and Butlers:Your favorite homebrew parser by MathBrush
Homebrew games don't get a lot of love here, but some of them are pretty good. What is your favorite homebrew game?
Your very first game. by DustyCypress
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...
IF of yours you'd most recommend by blue/green
If someone were going to play one IF you've written, which one would you recommend? This can be based on any criteria you choose: personal favorite, highest rated, most representative, most accessible, whatever. (You can always change...
This is version 13 of this page, edited by David Welbourn on 27 February 2020 at 11:30pm. - View Update History - Edit This Page - Add a News Item