Interactive Fiction Reviews
Interactive fictions games, also known as text adventures, are but a niche game
type these days, which is a shame. There are many great classic games and
great new games being made today. Indeed, many of the new games are breaking
new ground, creating experiences superior to the cutting edge work of the
1980s.
If you're interested in interactive fiction, you might also be interested
in maps I've
made of various interactive fiction games. If you're new to interactive
fiction, you'll need an "interpreter" to run these games. I have some suggestions
on which interactive fiction interpreters I recommend.
Click the game's title for the full review.
- Ad Verbum
- 7/10. An amusing collection of wordplay puzzles
(2007-11-11)
- Anchorhead
- 10/10. An isolated town's dark secrets are revealed when you and your husband move in to claim an inherited mansion. Creepy and immersive. (free)
(2006-03-14)
- Another Goddamn Escape the Locked Room Game
- 4/10. A parody of bad flash escape-the-locked-room puzzle games that fails to rise above its source. (free, short)
(2007-04-07)
- Bronze
- 7/10. Emily Short's enjoyable take on Beauty and the Beast. (free, short)
(2007-04-14)
- Curses
- 7/10. Rummaging through the attic for a map leads to a quest across time and space to break a curse on your family line. The perfect Infocom game. (free)
(2006-03-14)
- Enchanter
- 7/10. Stop the evil warlock! Solid Infocom fun. (Infocom)
(2006-03-14)
- Enter the Darkness
- 1/10. Poke around in a graveyard. Unplayable buggy. (free, short)
(2007-04-07)
- Floatpoint
- 7/10. A diplomat travels to another world to arrange a treaty with a radically changed branch of humanity.
(2007-05-12)
- Jack Toresal and the Secret Letter
- 6/10. An orphan discovers their secret past. Reasonably good.
(2009-07-09)
- Lawn of Love
- 4/10. A linear yet incoherent story of teenaged romance. (free, short)
(2007-04-07)
- The Lurking Horror
- 5/10. Otherworldly horrors infiltrate a college campus. But a shadow of what it could have been. (Infocom)
(2006-03-14)
- Moonmist
- 4/10. You visit an old friend to help her with her ghost problems. Too simplistic. Only for die-hard Infocom fans and historians. (Infocom)
(2006-03-14)
- Moon-Shaped
- 8/10. A smooth flowing, enjoyable reinterpretation of "Little Red Riding-Hood." (free, short)
(2007-04-07)
- Nord and Bert Couldn't Make Head or Tail of It
- 7/10. An amusing collection of wordplay puzzles
(2007-11-11)
- Pathfinder
- 5/10. A corporate conspiracy is out to get you. Mediocre. (free, short)
(2007-04-07)
- Sherlock: The Riddle of the Crown Jewels
- 4/10. Doctor Watson takes over from Sherlock Holmes to find the stolen crown jewewls. Random and pointless. Only for die-hard Infocom fans and historians. (Infocom)
(2006-03-14)
- Sorcerer
- 6/10. Sequel to Enchanter. Your mentor has disappeared; find out what happened to him. Mid-grade Infocom. (Infocom)
(2006-03-14)
- Tales of the Traveling Swordsman
- 7/10. A pleasant fantasy story that ties up nicely
(2007-11-11)
- Unauthorized Termination
- 6/10. A hard boiled cop story with robots. Flawed but amusing. (free, short)
(2007-04-07)
- Wishbringer
- 6/10. A simple delivery takes you to a twisted parody of the real world where you must face a witch. A mid-grade Infocom game. (Infocom)
(2006-03-14)
- Xen: The Hunt
- 5/10. A college student is hunted by the authorities. Mediocre. (free, short)
(2007-04-07)