Games about interactive fiction itself

Recommendations by MathBrush

This is hopefully my last list. These are games that comment on the nature of interactive fiction or the interactive fiction community itself. The quality of these games varies wildly, and this list doesn't attempt to sort by quality.

These are only games that explicitly take about games or IF. It does not include games like 9:05, Degeneracy or Shrapnel that mess around with IF conventions.

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1. Being Andrew Plotkin
by J. Robinson Wheeler
(2000)
Average member rating: (55 ratings)

MathBrush says:

A popular game where you go inside the brain of Zarf (aka Andrew Plotkin).

2. The Cabal, by Stephen Bond (2004)
Average member rating: (27 ratings)
MathBrush says:

This game suggests that there is (or was) a shady group of IF authors who have been plotting to get rid of Infocom style puzzle games in favor of story-based games. Manic comedy, references many old IF games.

3. Endless, Nameless
by Adam Cadre
(2012)
Average member rating: (52 ratings)

MathBrush says:

A large game that starts as an old-school tex adventure and becomes something more. The whole thing is an analogy for the history of interactive fiction.

4. IFDB Spelunking
by Joey Jones
(2012)
Average member rating: (21 ratings)

MathBrush says:

The author has implemented the opening (or all of) 10 games on a random games list from ifdd, with commentary and interesting interactivity.

5. When Help Collides, by J. D. Berry (2002)
Average member rating: (15 ratings)
MathBrush says:

You are a person in a little ship with a kind of radio; your job is to provide hints to adventurers in Interactive Fiction games. Quite difficult without a walkthrough.

6. Deadline Enchanter
by Alan DeNiro
(2007)
Average member rating: (57 ratings)

MathBrush says:

The PC is playing a magical IF game in another world.

7. Constraints, by Martin Bays (2002)
Average member rating: (19 ratings)
MathBrush says:

A game about the nature of free will in games.

8. A New Day, by Jonathan Fry (1997)
Average member rating: (6 ratings)
MathBrush says:

You get sucked into an uncompleted IF game by one of its NPCS.

9. Creatures Such As We
by Lynnea Glasser
(2014)
Average member rating: (90 ratings)

MathBrush says:

The main character plays a video game the whole time, and discusses the nature of games with its creators.

10. Everything We Do Is Games
by Doug Orleans
(2015)
Average member rating: (8 ratings)

MathBrush says:

A game inspired by John Cage's 4′33″

11. All Quiet on the Library Front, by Michael S. Phillips (1995)
Average member rating: (13 ratings)
MathBrush says:

Explore a library filled with IF games and references.

12. Gamlet, by Tomasz Pudlo (2004)
Average member rating: (21 ratings)
MathBrush says:

A surprisingly slick but crass game about infamous RAIF troll Jacek Pudlo. Also Jewish culture. Also Hamlet.

13. The Recruit
by Mike Sousa
(2003)
Average member rating: (10 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Go through a real-life simulation of IF scenarios, such as the NPC room or the Stealth room.

14. Sins Against Mimesis, by Adam Thornton (1997)
Average member rating: (22 ratings)
MathBrush says:

Inspired by the IF essay Crimes against Mimesis, and referencing a critic of IF.

15. Acid Whiplash, by Ryan Stevens and Cody Sandifer (1998)
Average member rating: (15 ratings)
MathBrush says:

An interview with and celebration of Rybread Celsius, who has been called the worst writer in interactive fiction.

16. Review of Life on Mars?, by Stephen Granade (2015)
Average member rating: (4 ratings)
MathBrush says:

A hyperlink review of a great parser game.

17. IF is Dead. Long Live IF., by Joshua Houk (2014)
Average member rating: (7 ratings)
MathBrush says:

Twine reviews of every 2014 IFCOMP game.

18. Piece of Mind, by Giles Boutel (1996)
Average member rating: (6 ratings)
MathBrush says:

A game that explores the pc being a 'puppet' of the player.

19. Last Minute, by Ruderbager Doppelganger (A.K.A. Hulk Handsome) (2012)
Average member rating: (14 ratings)
MathBrush says:

The author must create an IFComp game at the last minute.

20. Ted Strikes Back
by Anssi Räisänen
(2017)
Average member rating: (3 ratings)

MathBrush says:

An ALAN game with a bunch of challenges based on parser conventions.

21. Don't Be Late, by Greg Ewing (1996)
Average member rating: (2 ratings)
MathBrush says:

An msdos game about making it to the IFComp in time.

22. The Cave of Morpheus, by Mark Silcox (2001)
Average member rating: (2 ratings)
MathBrush says:

A game about dreaming about Will Crowther and Adventure.

23. Writers Are Not Strangers
by Lynda Clark
(2018)
Average member rating: (10 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Explores the nature of reviewer-author interaction.

24. I.A.G. Alpha
by Serhii Mozhaiskyi
(2018)
Average member rating: (13 ratings)

MathBrush says:

A game that is unfinished and describes itself as such, but allows you to manipulate it.

25. Re: Dragon
by Jack Welch
(2018)
Average member rating: (13 ratings)

MathBrush says:

A game referring to IFComp itself and a past IFComp game.

26. Porter Cave Adventure, by Cam Miller (2019)
Average member rating: (7 ratings)
MathBrush says:

This game was created as part of a game design course, and has the player wandering through an Adventure-like cave system while teaching about various aspects of gameplay.

27. And Then You Come to a House Not Unlike the Previous One
by B.J. Best
(2021)
Average member rating: (66 ratings)

MathBrush says:

A game about playing an IF game with your best friend. IFComp winner.

28. LAKE Adventure
by B.J. Best
(2023)
Average member rating: (23 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Another game by BJ Best with a similar conceit: an older man playing and explaining his childhood IF creation to another.

29. Repeat the Ending
by Drew Cook
(2023)
Average member rating: (22 ratings)

MathBrush says:

A 'critical edition' of a game that never existed, with extensive fake documentation of its reception by the IF community.

30. A Single Ouroboros Scale
by Naomi Norbez
(2022)
Average member rating: (11 ratings)

MathBrush says:

A fictional story about a dead IF maker and his effect on the community, with fictional versions of many IF sites and people.

31. Hand Me Down
by Brett Witty
(2023)
Average member rating: (9 ratings)

MathBrush says:

A woman gets and plays an adventure game her father spent his life making.

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