My best fantasy games list is getting too long, so I decided to branch off a list of all Zorkian fantasy games.
These are games that have a vague fantasy setting where anachronisms or inconsistencies are allowed, the game is goofy or funny, and there are shout-outs to original games like Adventure and Zork.
1. Adventure by William Crowther and Donald Woods (1976) Average member rating: (96 ratings)
MathBrush says:
Zork itself borrowed a significant amount of material from Adventure, either the first or second adventure game, depending on who you ask. Complete with dragon, troll, and magic rods. The underground volcano is breathtaking, and the dwarves are a great obstacle. Worth checking out the short endgame, too.
2. Zork, by Tim Anderson, Marc Blank, Bruce Daniels, and Dave Lebling (1979) Average member rating: (31 ratings) MathBrush says:
The original free version of Zork, which was later split up into 3 smaller games. Very big, and the origin of many tropes in IF.
3. Zork I by Marc Blank and Dave Lebling (1980) Average member rating: (215 ratings)
MathBrush says:
The first Infocom game. It contains the easier puzzles from the MIT version of Zork, and starts with the famous white house with a mailbox out front.
4. Zork II by Dave Lebling, Marc Blank (1981) Average member rating: (95 ratings)
MathBrush says:
The Zork game with the most fantasy elements. A princess, a dragon, a wizard, a demon, a unicorn, and a great adventure. Frequently considered the best Zork game.
5. Zork III by Dave Lebling, Marc Blank (1982) Average member rating: (75 ratings)
MathBrush says:
Much darker than the earlier games, a haunting journey of self-discovery.
6. Enchanter by Marc Blank, Dave Lebling (1983) Average member rating: (109 ratings)
MathBrush says:
Introduced a wildly popular spell system into interactive fiction. Find scrolls, copy them into a spell book, and use them to defeat an evil sorcerer. The adventurer from Zork makes an appearance.
7. Sorcerer by Steve Meretzky (1984) Average member rating: (64 ratings)
MathBrush says:
Darker than the first Enchanter game, you have to save your mentor from demons. Has a famous time travel puzzle.
8. Spellbreaker by Dave Lebling (1985) Average member rating: (55 ratings)
MathBrush says:
The greatest fantasy game of all, in my opinion. Infocom's final Enchanter trilogy game.
Magic is crumbling, and you have to say it. Info com's biggest games, and one of its hardest. Has incredible puzzles and a map made of discrete chunks you teleport around in.
9. Wishbringer by Brian Moriarty (1985) Average member rating: (109 ratings)
MathBrush says:
An excellent Infocom game aimed at beginners. Rescue a cat from an Evil witch using a magic stone that grants seven wishes. One of the highest-ranked commercial games on IFDB. Features a light world/dark world vibe.
Between Infocom and Inform, Unnkulia was the most popular series of games. You, the slave of master Kuulest, have to stop the demons of Unnkulia from under the Beegas'hell mountains from destroying the world. Very Zork-influenced.
11. Balances by Graham Nelson (1994) Average member rating: (36 ratings)
MathBrush says:
A succesor to the Enchanter trilogy, also designed to show off Inform's abilities as a brief demo. Find four cubes, save some monks.
12. Curses by Graham Nelson (1993) Average member rating: (129 ratings)
MathBrush says:
The game that got everyone interested in Inform. Although set in the modern day, the magic system and the feel owes a lot to Infocom. My favorite game, up there with Spellbreaker.
Set in the Zork world; investigate a magic-wielding nation by exploring an underground area. Graham Nelson's IFComp game that won first place.
14. Enlightenment by Taro Ogawa (1998) Average member rating: (40 ratings)
MathBrush says:
A one-room game in the Zork tradition. At the end of an adventure, you must remove all your sources of light to bypass a troll.
15. Lock & Key by Adam Cadre (2002) Average member rating: (75 ratings)
MathBrush says:
You make the dungeon in this game. Place traps in a path through a 4x4 grid and watch as a versatile adventurer sneaks through them. Create the perfect path to defeat the adventurer.
16. Risorgimento Represso by Michael J. Coyne (2003) Average member rating: (44 ratings)
MathBrush says:
A very complex and large Infocom-style fantasy humor wizard game. Makes extensive use of chemistry, has numerous NPCs and a deep backstory.
17. Lost Pig by Admiral Jota (2007) Average member rating: (493 ratings)
MathBrush says:
Many rate this as the best piece of IF ever. I loved it when I first played, but I lost interest replaying it recently. A funny game where you play as a less-than-intelligent orc searching for his lost pig. Includes a great gnome npc.
18. Frobozz Magic Support, by Nate Cull (1996) Average member rating: (7 ratings) MathBrush says:
A Zork tribute game. Visit six locations inspired by Infocom to fix a time loop. Great puzzles, funny writing.
19. Speculative Fiction by Diane Christoforo and Thomas Mack (2012) Average member rating: (13 ratings)
MathBrush says:
A long, puzzly finished version of an Introcomp game. Play as a wizard commanding a crow as you try to bust out of jail.
20. Augmented Fourth by Brian Uri! (2000) Average member rating: (66 ratings)
MathBrush says:
A long and well-implemented funny game about a magical musician in an underground volcano.
21. Scroll Thief by Daniel M. Stelzer (2015) Average member rating: (14 ratings)
MathBrush says:
An enjoyable sequel to the Enchanter trilogy. A long game. Raid the magical library to get enough spells.
22. Endless, Nameless by Adam Cadre (2012) Average member rating: (55 ratings)
MathBrush says:
A straight-up high-fantasy game with dragons, trolls, and wizards, mixed with something a bit more soft and thoughtful. Unforgettable. A must-play for fantasy fans.
23. Portcullis by Robin Johnson (2016) Average member rating: (13 ratings)
MathBrush says:
A game that came out the same week as this list. A Web game with a custom parser interface, from the author of the popular Aunts and Butlers.
