A few months ago, I thought, "There really aren't that many sci-fi IF games". Then I started going through old games I had played, and downlaoded TADS, and was shocked at how many great sci-fi games there are. This is a list of my favorite science fiction games with a short blurb about each. Some horror-type games are not on this list, and time travel games and space games are common enough to have their own list.
1. Worlds Apart by Suzanne Britton (1999) Average member rating: (89 ratings)
MathBrush says:
My very favorite sci-fi game. I love reading sci-fi novels, and this book is just a great sci-fi novel in puzzle form. You play a healer in a very different world from ours. This is a TADS game. It's worth downloading the interpreter (not available on mobile) just for this game.
2. Spider and Web by Andrew Plotkin (1998) Average member rating: (316 ratings)
MathBrush says:
Just as Worlds Apart is one of the best-written sci-fi games, Spider and Web has some of the best puzzles, including what many consider the best single puzzle of all time. You play with numerous gadgets and tools in the not-too-distant future.
3. Coloratura by Lynnea Glasser (2013) Average member rating: (115 ratings)
MathBrush says:
A very popular competition game from recent years that I really enjoyed. You play the part of the alien who escapes on a ship. Your efforts to get home cause some trouble for the crew...
4. howling dogs by Porpentine (2012) Average member rating: (125 ratings)
MathBrush says:
A twine game by Porpentine. In this game, you are a prisoner who uses an alternate reality machine every day. Porpentine is the best Twine writer I've seen.
5. Delusions, by C. E. Forman (1996) Average member rating: (37 ratings) MathBrush says:
A game about reality and truth. You play a tester of a virtual reality machine. Intricate and long.
6. Babel by Ian Finley (1997) Average member rating: (153 ratings)
MathBrush says:
The most popular TADS game of all time. You wake up on a cold floor in an arctic base wearing a medical gown with no memory of who you are.
7. Gun Mute by C.E.J. Pacian (2008) Average member rating: (156 ratings)
MathBrush says:
Has some parts that are PG-13 (just enough to be mildly annoying), but this shoot-em-up is a lot of fun. You are a cowboy in a post-apocalyptic world shooting through a sequence of a dozen robots/mutants.
8. Glowgrass, by Nate Cull (1997) Average member rating: (97 ratings) MathBrush says:
Another great TADS game. You play an archaelogist from the distant future investigating some ancient ruins. Has one of the most lovable NPC's of all time.
9. Slouching Towards Bedlam by Star Foster and Daniel Ravipinto (2003) Average member rating: (214 ratings)
MathBrush says:
A very popular steampunk game where you investigate the death of a man with a mysterious illness. Turns IF conventions on their head.
10. Chlorophyll by Steph Cherrywell (2015) Average member rating: (61 ratings)
MathBrush says:
A very well-implemented game where you play as a teenager 'xyloid' (a plant creature) who must fend for herself when her mother is incapacitated. A lot of optional material, which provides a beautiful and well-developed setting.
Explore an underwater base with robots and squids after an experiment goes horribly wrong. Humor game.
12. Scavenger by Quintin Stone (2003) Average member rating: (29 ratings)
MathBrush says:
Follow a lead on a big find as a scavenger in a post-apocalyptic world. Emily Short described it in part as playing Doom in Interactive Fiction (referring to atmosphere more than fighting, of which there is little).
What a fun natural disaster science fiction game! The writing is good, though a bit unusual at times. This game has elements similar to Sphere, Babel, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Independence Day (although without rubber-suited aliens). I liked it a lot.
An old-school difficult big sci-fi game. You are a PhD student working with scientists in an alternate universe when things go terribly wrong.
15. Solarium by Anya Johanna DeNiro (2013) Average member rating: (52 ratings)
MathBrush says:
A Twine alchemy/steampunkish game. Uses a large inventory of sorts, interesting use of colors, voted Best Story the year it came out. I loved it.
16. Starcross by Dave Lebling (1982) Average member rating: (52 ratings)
MathBrush says:
I liked this Infocom SciFi game more than Planetfall. Explore a big cylindrical space station controlled by mysterious rods and inhabited by 4 or more interesting races of creatures.
IFComp 2015's winner. A funny 50's tow run over by slimy brain Guzzlers. Mid length and illustrated.
18. Final Exam by Jack Whitham (2015) Average member rating: (25 ratings)
MathBrush says:
Save a simulated world. Interesting commentary on worldwide politics.
19. Choice of Robots by Kevin Gold (2014) Average member rating: (43 ratings)
MathBrush says:
Incredibly detailed and fascinating commercial choicescript game about shaping the future of robots.
20. Trading Punches by Mike Snyder (2004) Average member rating: (11 ratings)
MathBrush says:
Dramatic sci-fi game similar to Worlds Apart, but shorter. A story of two civilizations, one vaguely like ours and one of fiery humanoids, interacting over 3 or 4 episodes in their history.
21. Open Sorcery by Abigail Corfman (2016) Average member rating: (67 ratings)
MathBrush says:
Outstanding, long Twine game about a firewall that is a living elemental in a world where magic mixes with tech.
