Games that I couldn't put down

Recommendations by MathBrush

These are games that for some reason or over I just couldn't stop playing and thinking about. There are no specific reasons given.

These aren't necessarily my favorite games; one reason they are pageturner is that the pacing is good and puzzles always have a way forward.

Many games that I love aren't in here because there's some emotional distance or have you stop and mull things over for a while.

These are essentially all dramas, mostly dark, because I find it easier to put down comedy or lighter ganes.

Add a comment

1. Hadean Lands
by Andrew Plotkin
(2014)
Average member rating: (65 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Commercial game. 5-30 hours. Huge, complex alchemy game. Puzzling out plotline is fun, and there's always something to do. Great organizational tools.

2. Sorcery! 3
by Steve Jackson and inkle
(2015)
Average member rating: (9 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Commercial game. 2-6 hours with high replay value. Click based. High fantasy genre.

3. Choice of Robots
by Kevin Gold
(2014)
Average member rating: (43 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Commercial game. 30-120 minutes with high replay value. Stats based choice game. Create a robot and live out a lifetime.

4. Worlds Apart
by Suzanne Britton
(1999)
Average member rating: (89 ratings)

MathBrush says:

A truly novel length game. 8-20 hours. TADS game. Sci fi about sentient humanoid dolphins.

5. Theatre, by Brendon Wyber (1995)
Average member rating: (87 ratings)
MathBrush says:

Z-code. One of the earliest such games. 4-12 hours. Long, medium difficulty. Explore a haunted theatre.

6. Spellbreaker
by Dave Lebling
(1985)
Average member rating: (55 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Commercial game. Infocoms longest game. 30-40 hours. Magic is failing and you have to save it.

7. One Eye Open
by Caelyn Sandel (as Colin Sandel) and Carolyn VanEseltine
(2010)
Average member rating: (46 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Z machine. Long game. 4-6 hours. Gory horror in a hospital.

8. Eidolon, by A.D. Jansen (2014)
Average member rating: (32 ratings)
MathBrush says:

2-4 hour long Twine game. Dark fairy tale.

9. You are Standing at a Crossroads
by Astrid Dalmady
(2014)
Average member rating: (29 ratings)

MathBrush says:

30-60 minute Twine game. Dreamlike creepy game.

10. Anchorhead
by Michael Gentry
(1998)
Average member rating: (399 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Z machine. Very long, 1-2 weeks of casual gameplay or a day or two of full time playing. Lovecraftian horror set in Maine.

11. Adventure
by William Crowther and Donald Woods
(1976)
Average member rating: (95 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Z-machine port. First IF ever. Explore a forest and cave. More puzzles than the rest, but I spent a month trying to beat it without hints.

12. Building
by Poster
(2005)
Average member rating: (13 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Z machine. Long, difficult game with no walkthrough. Over the top abandoned business horror. I don't expect anyone else to be consumed with this one, but I liked it.

13. Chancellor, by Kevin Venzke (2005)
Average member rating: (15 ratings)
MathBrush says:

TADS. Several hours long. Explore two dark worlds, one fantasy and one in a university.

14. Creatures Such As We
by Lynnea Glasser
(2014)
Average member rating: (95 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Choicescript game. Free. 1-2 hours. A person on the moon is lonely and plays videogames.

15. Eurydice
by Anonymous
(2012)
Average member rating: (37 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Z code. 1 hour. From reality, go to hades to bring back a friend. Haunting.

16. Fate
by Victor Gijsbers
(2007)
Average member rating: (50 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Z-machine. Many replays, each 10-30 minutes long. Dark fantasy, a queen tries to foil prophecies of her child's death.

17. Fish Bowl
by Ethan Rupp and Joshua Rupp
(2012)
Average member rating: (30 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Z code. Short. A creepy game on the beach.

18. Following Me
by Tia Orisney
(2014)
Average member rating: (17 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Twine. Two women are pursued in the woods. 30-60 minutes.

19. Hana Feels
by Gavin Inglis
(2015)
Average member rating: (58 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Something like Twine with nice images. 30-60 minutes. About self-harm. Made by a government.

20. howling dogs
by Porpentine
(2012)
Average member rating: (122 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Twine. 30-45 minutes. Explore allegories about confinement, reality, and injustice to women.

21. Hunter, in Darkness, by Andrew Plotkin (1999)
Average member rating: (121 ratings)
MathBrush says:

Z-machine. 1-2 hours. A claustrophobic cat-and-mouse type game in a cave with abundant environmental details.

22. Nightfall
by Eric Eve
(2008)
Average member rating: (59 ratings)

MathBrush says:

TADS. 1-4 hours. Stop a plot in a huge city at night. Nice GO TO command.

23. Plundered Hearts
by Amy Briggs
(1987)
Average member rating: (64 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Commercial. A late Infocom game. A pirate romance with swashbuckling, perhaps infocoms best story.

24. Shade
by Andrew Plotkin
(2000)
Average member rating: (416 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Z-machine. 30-90 minutes. Psychological horror. No gore.

25. The Shadow in the Cathedral
by Ian Finley and Jon Ingold
(2009)
Average member rating: (31 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Z-machine. Former commercial. 2-5 hours. Big, fast paced steam punk game.

26. Snatches, by Gregory Weir (2005)
Average member rating: (13 ratings)
MathBrush says:

Z machine. About 1 hour. Play as several PCs fleeing something unknown. Somewhat unpolished.

27. Tangaroa Deep
by Astrid Dalmady
(2016)
Average member rating: (43 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Twine. 30 minutes. Descend into thee depths in a submarine.

28. Thanksgiving
by Harris Powell-Smith
(2015)
Average member rating: (17 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Twine. About 30 minutes. Experience a tense thanksgiving dinner.

29. Who Among Us, by Tia Orisney (2013)
Average member rating: (11 ratings)
MathBrush says:

Twine. 30-90 minutes. An adaptation of And Then There Were None in a Russian observatory.

30. Fingertips: I Hear the Wind Blow
by Jacqueline A. Lott
(2012)
Average member rating: (24 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Z code. Very short. Wake up in the darkness, hearing the wind blow.

31. Cragne Manor
by Ryan Veeder, Jenni Polodna et al.

Show other authors

Adam Whybray, Adri, Andrew Plotkin, Andy Holloway, Austin Auclair, Baldur Brückner, Ben Collins-Sussman, Bill Maya, Brian Rushton, Buster Hudson, Caleb Wilson, Carl Muckenhoupt, Chandler Groover, Chris Jones, Christopher Conley, Damon L. Wakes, Daniel Ravipinto, Daniel Stelzer, David Jose, David Petrocco, David Sturgis, Drew Mochak, Edward B, Emily Short, Erica Newman, Feneric, Finn Rosenløv, Gary Butterfield, Gavin Inglis, Greg Frost, Hanon Ondricek, Harkness Munt, Harrison Gerard, Ian Holmes, Ivan Roth, Jack Welch, Jacqueline Ashwell, James Eagle, Jason Dyer, Jason Lautzenheiser, Jason Love, Jeremy Freese, Joey Jones, Joshua Porch, Justin de Vesine, Justin Melvin, Katherine Morayati, Kenneth Pedersen, Lane Puetz, Llew Mason, Lucian Smith, Marco Innocenti, Marius Müller, Mark Britton, Mark Sample, Marshal Tenner Winter, Matt Schneider, Matt Weiner, Matthew Korson, Michael Fessler, Michael Gentry, Michael Hilborn, Michael Lin, Mike Spivey, Molly Ying, Monique Padelis, Naomi Hinchen, Nate Edwards, Petter Sjölund, Q Pheevr, Rachel Spitler, Reed Lockwood, Reina Adair, Riff Conner, Roberto Colnaghi, Rowan Lipkovits, Sam Kabo Ashwell, Scott Hammack, Sean M. Shore, Shin, Wade Clarke, Zach Hodgens, Zack Johnson

(2018)
Average member rating:

(25 ratings)

MathBrush says:

A game I contributed to. So big, so complex, so rich! A massive horror game tribute to Anchorhead.

32. Polish the Glass
by Keltie Wright
(2018)
Average member rating: (6 ratings)

MathBrush says:

A dynamic fiction game about addiction and horror that really captured my imagination.

33. 180 Files: The Aegis Project
by Karelia Hall
(2020)
Average member rating: (3 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Great spy game that really drew me in. Loved the characters and the different setups you could play around with. Probably will play again.

34. Dr Horror's House of Terror
by Ade McT
(2021)
Average member rating: (20 ratings)

MathBrush says:

A clever, polished and big game about exploring a B-movie company studio.

35. Trigaea
by Adam Ipsen (RynGM)
(2022)
Average member rating: (9 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Twine game with really addicting fight/build/learn cycle that focuses on discovering memories of the past.

View this member's profile
See all lists by this member

Create your own Recommended List