Winners of the 2017 IFComp

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1st place

The Wizard Sniffer

Cover art for The Wizard Sniffer

Buster Hudson

You were recently acquired by the brave Ser Leonhart and his squire to sniff out the evil shapeshifting wizard. Unfortunately, you are not a wizard sniffer (if such a thing even exists). As far as you can tell, you are an ordinary pig.

A comedy of errors experienced through a parser with a limited verb set. Also, puzzles.

Two hours

This work also won 1st place in the 2017 Miss Congeniality Awards.

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 8.57
Votes Cast 63
Standard Deviation 1.37

2nd place

Eat Me

Cover art for Eat Me

Chandler Groover chandler.m.groover@gmail.com

In this castle, you'll eat or be eaten.

May contain dairy, carnage, puzzles, nuts.

Two hours

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 8.45
Votes Cast 96
Standard Deviation 1.26

3rd place

Harmonia

Cover art for Harmonia

Liza Daly @liza liza@lizadaly.com

Fuller, A. (b. 1966, d.?) 12 chapters, edited by E. Merchant.

091 Manuscripts—096 Illustrated—098 Prohibited works, forgeries, and hoaxes

Signed permission from the Dean required for viewing. No exceptions.

One hour

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 8.27
Votes Cast 85
Standard Deviation 1.78

4th place

Will Not Let Me Go

Cover art for Will Not Let Me Go

Stephen Granade @Sargent stephen@granades.com

Dallas, Texas. 1996. Fred Strickland has Alzheimer's.

One hour

This work also won 2nd place in the 2017 Miss Congeniality Awards.

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 8.09
Votes Cast 64
Standard Deviation 1.82

5th place

Absence of Law

Cover art for Absence of Law

mathbrush brushton84@gmail.com

Excuse me, can you help me? Yes, you, browsing IFcomp games! I need your assistance, but I don't have long. There's so much going on: remote surveillance, unauthorized cloning, forgotten languages, robots playing poker. It's time to take control!

Absence of Law is a science fiction comedy from the author of Ether and Color the Truth. This game is designed to be accessible to those who have never played parser games, while keeping a few surprises for parser experts.

The online version of this game uses non-standard colors and fonts, and has a complete musical soundtrack that can be enabled from the first menu. (Note that the game only works at normal zoom level; enlarging the text may cause the game to freeze.)

Two hours

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 7.98
Votes Cast 62
Standard Deviation 1.48

6th place

The Owl Consults
Aboard the Airship "Mephistopheles"

Cover art for The Owl Consults

Thomas Mack, Nick Mathewson, and Cidney Hamilton the.owl.consults@gmail.com

Once you've established yourself as the ruler of the crime world (and, eventually, the literal world), the only challenge left is helping out the next generation of supervillains---for a suitable fee, of course.

An hour and a half

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 7.96
Votes Cast 55
Standard Deviation 1.57

7th place

A Beauty Cold and Austere

Cover art for A Beauty Cold and Austere

Mike Spivey mike.z.spivey@gmail.com

That survey course in conceptual mathematics seemed like a good idea at the start of the term - no graded homework, no midterm exams - just an oral final at the end.

But now that final is tomorrow morning. After months of procrastination you've got one night left to learn enough to pass the course.

You might even be desperate enough to try one of your roommate's sketchy memory pills.

Longer than two hours

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 7.89
Votes Cast 66
Standard Deviation 1.58

8th place

1958: Dancing With Fear

Cover art for 1958: Dancing With Fear

Víctor Ojuel @victorojuel victor.ojuel@gmail.com

"Dancing with Fear" (1958, directed by Víctor Ojuel). In this forgotten classic of Golden Age Hollywood, a vedette fallen on hard times (Salomé Vélez) finds herself enmeshed in a tangle of political intrigue, romance and betrayal in a Caribbean republic. Torn between her love for a smuggler, the lust of a corrupt policeman and the machinations of a Soviet intelligence operative, the protagonist navigates the dangers of a high-society party on the eve of revolution. As she tries to survive through that fateful night, the memories of her past will come to haunt her. Controversial at the time for its depiction of Cold War politics and morally ambiguous protagonist. (120 minutes, Technicolor, in-game hint system).

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 7.43
Votes Cast 60
Standard Deviation 1.35

9th place

Future Threads

Cover art for Future Threads

Xavid future@xavid.us

You see it.

Today is the day they will come.

Their ship will crash, but the resulting explosion will trouble them not at all.

They will emerge, wrapped in shadows and smoke, from the wreckage.

Their senses will lead them unerringly to Kayla, wherever she hides.

She is but a girl. She is not at all ready.

And you will not be here to protect her, for they know your weakness: you must return to the obelisk before midday, or the poison of this world will kill you.

And Kayla will be alone.

You blink, and the vision fades, but it is no less true. You still see the traces of the future around you. The traces will last until the noon sun, and it is well that they will do so, for you will need them.

You can see the future. But is that enough to let you change it?

Two hours

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Score 7.37
Votes Cast 41
Standard Deviation 1.63

10th place

Domestic Elementalism

Cover art for Domestic Elementalism

fireisnormal fireisnormal@gmail.com

The plants that grow out of your bedroom walls are associated with Earth. The fairy lights strung across your kitchen are associated with Fire. Change an object's element, and the object will turn into something else.

As a research witch, elemental transformation is second nature to you. And that's just as well, because your house is malfunctioning, and you'll need to use everything you know to put it right.

One hour

This work also won 3rd place in the 2017 Miss Congeniality Awards.

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 7.30
Votes Cast 57
Standard Deviation 1.71

11th place

The Wand

Cover art for The Wand

Arthur DiBianca a_dibianca@yahoo.com

Explore the wizard Bartholloco's castle with the help of a versatile magic wand. Can you overcome his challenge? Can you levitate a rock? Can you slice a baltavakia?

(Puzzle-oriented and family friendly.)

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 7.13
Votes Cast 56
Standard Deviation 1.81

12th place

Alice Aforethought

Cover art for Alice Aforethought

Hanon Ondricek @hanonondricek hanon.ondricek@gmail.com

I need your help. I mean, you're the one who is supposed to talk me out of things before I do anything stupid.

Time has stopped moving, and that might turn out to have been my fault. I didn't mean to do it. You must believe me. I'll prove it to you if you help me fix this. There are other people who might be able to help us.

Unfortunately, they are all mad.

Two hours

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 7.12
Votes Cast 52
Standard Deviation 1.90

13th place

Word of the Day

Cover art for Word of the Day

Richard Otter richardo@delron.org.uk

You are the very first Outer Worlder to gain an appointment on a Bio-Drive vessel, let alone as part of the engineering team. Looking to gain enough credits to procreate could this be your first and last journey?

Two hours

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Score 6.95
Votes Cast 42
Standard Deviation 1.75

14th place

Guttersnipe: St. Hesper's Asylum for the Criminally Mischievous
All the latest treatments for good little children

Cover art for Guttersnipe: St. Hesper's Asylum for the Criminally Mischievous

Bitter Karella @bitterkarella thenewmeat@hotmail.com

The year is 1929. You are Lil' Ragamuffin, the roughest toughest urchin in all of Garbagetown DC and the surrounding wastes of Montgomery County, but somehow the constabulary has managed to capture you and commit you to the city's highest security asylum. You don't aim to stay long.

Guttersnipe: St. Hesper's Asylum for the Criminally Mischievous is a humorously grotesque (or grotesquely humorous) game about a street urchin and her pet sewer rat escaping a sanitarium full of tinctures, brines, and other misbegotten 1920s health remedies.

An hour and a half

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Score 6.88
Votes Cast 40
Standard Deviation 1.62

15th place

Charlie The Robot

Cover art for Charlie The Robot

Fernando Contreras @hadesunited fx1672@gmail.com

What is the purpose of humankind?

Earth is overpopulated and low on resources: the puppies, the kitties, and the fishies are all gone. There are not enough jobs, yet Hiremy & Hirschl has employed robots as middle management staff, which causes much friction. According to the employees, Charlie the robot is malfunctioning. But it could be that Charlie is being bullied. And what is a Shrimp Shake?

Meanwhile, you are being tested by the ISG, and if you make the Elite® ranks, you'll be able to live on Mars and start a new civilization with people who are as intelligent as you. But the exam questions are suspect at best.

This is only the plot. Your job, really, is to ascertain the value of human existence.

Two hours

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 6.70
Votes Cast 47
Standard Deviation 2.43

16th place

Tuuli
An interactive ritual.

Cover art for Tuuli

Daurmith and Ruber Eaglenest rubereaglenest@gmail.com

"The old witch, your teacher Mákke, is dead. If you want to save your village you'll have to destroy the raiding fleet that's coming. Can you do it, young Lenne-who-would-be-the-witch?"

Cover photo by Benjamin Sloth Lindgreen.

Made during June 2017 for the JAM "Canciones del desierto, la tormenta y el mar". The game is inspired by the song "Tuuli" from the Swedish/Finnish group Hedningarna.

Polished, extended and translated for the 2017 IF Comp.

Half an hour

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 6.69
Votes Cast 58
Standard Deviation 1.58

17th place

Insignificant Little Vermin
A sword & sorcery simulation rendered in text

Cover art for Insignificant Little Vermin

Filip Hracek @filiphracek filip.hracek+ifcomp@gmail.com

Escape slavery in Mount Bloodrock, an underground enclave of orcs and goblins preparing for war. What will you discover in these dark caves? What mayhem can you wreak on your way out? And how will your former captors remember you?

Explore a simulated living (and dying) world inhabited by AI actors, rendered through text.

15 minutes or less

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Score 6.49
Votes Cast 75
Standard Deviation 1.59

18th place

The Unofficial Sea-Monkey(R) Simulation

Cover art for The Unofficial Sea-Monkey(R) Simulation

B.J. Best @bjbest60 bjbest60@gmail.com

Sometime during 1987, your father comes home from work--late, as usual. He tosses a small box onto the kitchen counter. "Here," he says, "you wanted fish. You get these. Let's see how you do first, and then maybe we'll get a real tank."

One hour

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Score 6.48
Votes Cast 62
Standard Deviation 1.61

19th place

Rage Quest: Disciple of Peace

Cover art for Rage Quest: Disciple of Peace

John Ayliff @johnayliff john@johnayliff.com

When Valtash the War God created orcs he gave them an inner rage that constantly urged them towards violence. A few orcs learned to use meditation to control this rage, and founded a remote monastery where they could live free of the War God's influence. But when the monastery is destroyed by human raiders, the last surviving Disciple of Peace must decide whether to give in to their rage and seek blood-soaked revenge, or resist and choose another path.

Half an hour

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Score 6.37
Votes Cast 52
Standard Deviation 1.81

20th place

Unit 322 (Disambiguation)

Cover art for Unit 322 (Disambiguation)

Jonny Muir @JonnyMuir jonathan.muir@hotmail.com

A mystery told entirely through the pages of an online encyclopedia.

Half an hour

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Score 6.33
Votes Cast 87
Standard Deviation 1.75

21st place (tie)

Swigian

Cover art for Swigian

Rainbus North rainbus.north@gmail.com

I don't like talking. Let's build a fire.

Swigian is a minimalist game. It is long, but quickly finished, with few words and few complications.

Half an hour

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Score 6.30
Votes Cast 71
Standard Deviation 1.60

21st place (tie)

Harbinger

Cover art for Harbinger

Kenna May @PagesofKenna kennam.write@gmail.com

A week ago a horrible thing emerged and killed the wizard of the tower. You were there; you saw it happen. You are the only one who knows what's coming, and on your own you have no means to stop it. That's not going to stop you from trying.

An hour and a half

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Score 6.30
Votes Cast 60
Standard Deviation 1.73

23rd place

10pm

Cover art for 10pm

litrouke @litrouke litrouke@gmail.com

10pm, and dinner is still sitting in the oven.

The TV is droning. The front door is closed.

You look at the clock.

You look at the door.

You wait.

Half an hour

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 6.27
Votes Cast 97
Standard Deviation 1.96

24th place

Just Get the Treasure v0.9.1

Cover art for Just Get the Treasure v0.9.1

Ray B.

The Chalice of Destiny shines before you. Claim it and you will liberate your people from "the evil" wizard Malvox. It's really a pretty straightforward affair. You can jump in, save the world, and get on with your other business pretty quick. Oh, wait! The goblin! I almost forgot to mention the goblin. He guards the Chalice of Destiny. You are going to have to decide how deal with him. That might slow things down a bit depending on how you decisive you are. Aaaaand, I should probably add that there are over 60 possible outcomes. Most of them are not very pleasant. I'm rooting for you, though!

One hour

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Score 6.16
Votes Cast 51
Standard Deviation 2.15

25th place

The Traveller

Cover art for The Traveller

Kaelan Doyle Myerscough @kaelandm kaelandm@mit.edu

Earth has fallen; the remains of humanity float adrift in space. To them, you are the savior of humanity... but on a routine scouting mission, you are lost, presumed dead. Alone in the vast expanse of space, you are a traveller with no home - and a mother who may never see her daughter again.

Explore five unique planets across time; encounter alien societies and make difficult moral choices; experience radically different themes, narrative trajectories and outcomes with every playthrough.

Played in-browser. Chrome recommended; also compatible with Firefox. Headphones recommended for best experience.

Two hours

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Score 6.12
Votes Cast 49
Standard Deviation 2.26

26th place (tie)

Transient Skies

Cover art for Transient Skies

dgtziea

You are heading back to your ship, your navvisor blinking hard data at you as you look around planetside -- mineral deposits, heat signatures, distant planets -- when you decide, for a moment, to turn it all off, and pause to look up instead at the glittering expanse of starry sky above.

It's disconcerting, all of this: the surface, the stars, and the vast spaces between. But out there, a speck in the sky, is your objective: the center of the galaxy.

(A Twine game about space exploration. Estimated playtime around 50 minutes.)

One hour

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 6.07
Votes Cast 55
Standard Deviation 1.62

26th place (tie)

VR Gambler

Cover art for VR Gambler

Robert DeFord

You start at the entrance to the Gold Coast Casino's new Virtual Reality Gaming Room. There is a neon sign over the doorway that says: GO ON A VR ADVENTURE! WIN BIG!

This parser-based game features puzzles, turn-based combat, leveling up, treasure, loot, weapons, armor, and classic adventuring. There is an integral non-spoiler hint system, and an in-game, contextual walkthrough for each puzzle and location. The player kit contains a map, a Windows interpreter, and instructions for setting up a Mac to run the game.

An hour and a half

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Score 6.07
Votes Cast 29
Standard Deviation 1.74

26th place (tie)

Deshaun Steven's Ship Log

Marie L. Vibbert @mareasie

Deshaun has spent his adult years - all five of them - working on a space cruise ship, setting light and sound cues for untalented Lido deck performers. Waking up hung-over on New Year's Day, he vows that this year his life will change. He doesn't know how correct he will be.

15 minutes or less

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Score 6.07
Votes Cast 73
Standard Deviation 2.09

29th place

AND WHEN I SQUINT IT LOOKS LIKE CHRISTMAS
An all-ages Twine adventure game!

Cover art for AND WHEN I SQUINT IT LOOKS LIKE CHRISTMAS

Naomi Norbez (call me Bez, he/they) @NaomiNorbez mninorbez@gmail.com (writing as “Norbez”)

Oh no! Young Polly has been transported to a strange, magical land by an evil wizard. Help her get back home in this Twine adventure by exploring, meeting mysterious new creatures, and . . . squinting? This game was designed as a young player's first introduction to hypertext interactive fiction, and has a story that will charm readers of all ages. It's around 40,000 words, is split up into nice-sized chapters, and has a save feature to mark your place when you need to stop reading. Enjoy!

Two hours

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Score 6.04
Votes Cast 51
Standard Deviation 2.13

30th place

Salt

Cover art for Salt

Gareth Damian Martin @jumpovertheage gareth@jumpovertheage.com

The beach is a strip of heat.

You stand knee deep in the water, facing out to sea.

Familiar voices shimmer behind your head.

You take a breath, and then begin.

-

A game about swimming, thinking and the distant possibility of escape.

Salt is best experienced with headphones and a keyboard.

Music by Paws Menu.

15 minutes or less

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 5.87
Votes Cast 70
Standard Deviation 1.93

31st place

Fake News

Cover art for Fake News

Mike Sousa mike67@gmail.com

I had enough fake news clouding my head even before remembering the words of Zobra the Seer, that today I would encounter great peril, end up in the news, and discover the fate of my great-grandparents. Get out, Zobra. I just want to head to the Algarve for some R&R.

----------------

Please Note: Online play has been enabled and tested on multiple browsers. If you choose to play locally, this story requires the HTML TADS interpreter (http://www.tads.org/tads3.htm) or the QTads interpreter (http://qtads.sourceforge.net/downloads.shtml). Universal interpreters such as Zoom, Spatterlight and Gargoyle do not support HTML TADS. You can find the stand-alone version in the zip file.

An hour and a half

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Score 5.76
Votes Cast 38
Standard Deviation 1.90

32nd place

Off the Rails

Cover art for Off the Rails

Katie Benson katie.benson11@gmail.com

You're on your way to your parents for a very ordinary weekend. But you wish it wouldn't be so ordinary. What secrets are hidden in a mundane magazine? Where will the night take you? How far will you go to reuinite your splintered family?

Your journey starts here.

An hour and a half

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Score 5.73
Votes Cast 45
Standard Deviation 1.82

33rd place (tie)

Redstone

Cover art for Redstone

Fred Snyder

A VIP's been murdered at the reservation casino. As the deputy on call, it's up to you to find the killer. You have until morning before the FBI turns up the heat.

Redstone is a parser/choice hybrid designed for desktop and mobile browsers.

Playtesters: George Haley, Javri, Brian Rushton, and JKJ Yuio

One hour

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Score 5.72
Votes Cast 50
Standard Deviation 1.46

33rd place (tie)

Black Marker

Cover art for Black Marker

Michael Kielstra

Hidden in the shadows, the Agency works for the safety of the citizens. If your goals or beliefs do not appear to align with those of the Agency, you are liable to find yourself in trouble. There are those who believe that it is a menace and must be shut down. There are also those who find it far too useful to destroy. After all, it's good to know what terrorists are planning before they carry it out. You have worked with the Agency for years. What will you think?

15 minutes or less

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Score 5.72
Votes Cast 99
Standard Deviation 1.67

35th place

A Castle of Thread

Cover art for A Castle of Thread

Marshal Tenner Winter marshaltennerwinter@gmail.com

Your family is known to be expert language keepers in your village . Your specialty is an ancient, dead language called Ixteesh. You never thought it would be useful for much of anything, but then you are summoned to the city many days away. Something has been found and someone who knows Ixteesh is needed.

Now, you have been sent on this errand and you'll soon learn there is danger in this task.

Two hours

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 5.60
Votes Cast 47
Standard Deviation 1.79

36th place

Bookmoss

Cover art for Bookmoss

Devon Guinn @dguinntweets devguinn@gmail.com

While researching for a novel, a bookworm dad brings his teenage daughter to Houghton Library, Harvard College’s primary repository of rare books and manuscripts. When they meet a strange set of twin librarians, the two quickly realize that Houghton is full of otherworldly secrets.

Created with support of the Houghton Library 75th Anniversary Fellowship.

One hour

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Score 5.56
Votes Cast 62
Standard Deviation 1.80

37th place (tie)

Day of the Djinn

Cover art for Day of the Djinn

paperyowl namimoro@gmail.com

As you're forced out of the comfort of your home by an ancient curse, you'll discover new things about old places, and perhaps even yourself. Meet a smattering of figures with more to them than meets the eye, learn about your homeland's dubious past, and open new doors. Defy your fate.

Day of the Djinn is a medium-length game with a few puzzles that should take 1-2 hours. Seven endings- but what matters is the journey and the path you choose to walk.

One hour

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Score 5.50
Votes Cast 50
Standard Deviation 1.77

37th place (tie)

Rainbow Bridge

Cover art for Rainbow Bridge

Brian Kwak (writing as “John Demeter”)

15 minutes or less

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 5.50
Votes Cast 76
Standard Deviation 1.98

39th place

The Cube in the Cavern

Cover art for The Cube in the Cavern

Andrew Schultz @anandrewschultz blurglecruncheon@gmail.com

A round world is scientifically ridiculous, of course, but a cube floating in air? You just might find a great scientific secret. Don't be too square to give it a regular, solid try!

An hour and a half

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Score 5.41
Votes Cast 46
Standard Deviation 1.76

40th place (tie)

The Very Old Witch and the Turnip Girl

Cover art for The Very Old Witch and the Turnip Girl

Megan Stevens msmwkc@gmail.com

The witch on the hill outside of town is retired. She threw in the towel long ago, when it became obvious that the humans don't need her help blighting and smiting each other. But the world isn't quite done with the very old witch. She has yet to face her three biggest obstacles: fear, apathy.... and motherhood.

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 5.37
Votes Cast 68
Standard Deviation 1.92

40th place (tie)

The skinny one.

Cover art for The skinny one.

Annie Z. theskinnyoneofficial@gmail.com

You take up too much room. You are so heavy and solid and real, and you don't want to be. You wish you could be like a child's balloon at a fair, drifting, attached only be a thin string. And you wish the child would let you slip from their hands, and you'd float off into the atmosphere.

Even if everyone would shout below for you to come back, you want to let go. And be free.

Half an hour

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Score 5.37
Votes Cast 52
Standard Deviation 1.68

42nd place

Goodbye Cruel Squirrel
Really, They're Just Cute Rats

Cover art for Goodbye Cruel Squirrel

George K. George george.algire@gmail.com (writing as “Extra Mayonnaise”)

You are a gray squirrel in a suburban neighborhood. Your mission is to save your tribe from starvation. Enjoy the characters you meet, and be creative in solving puzzles.

An hour and a half

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Score 5.35
Votes Cast 54
Standard Deviation 1.68

43rd place

Measureless to Man

Cover art for Measureless to Man

Ivan R. @slimeineden

You're on your way home from Cairo, with nothing but a rumpled suit and an apple for lunch. But the plane passes through dark air, over a fathomless sea. Past the heavens, under the deep, there are secrets hidden in the crevices of the world. Something is in you, longing to seek them out. And why not?

Either way, you're doomed.

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 5.33
Votes Cast 42
Standard Deviation 1.49

44th place

NIGHTBOUND

Cover art for NIGHTBOUND

ProP redlycosidae@gmail.com

You've just arrived in a new land. You've left your past where it belongs--hundreds of leagues across the sea--and you hope to start fresh. But all is not well in this new country, and you soon find yourself in the thick of it. Will you end the growing threat here?

Given the opportunity to start over, what kind of person will you become?

NIGHTBOUND is a text-based RPG. It includes an inventory system, turn-based combat, and class and leveling systems. A full guide/walkthrough is included.

Two hours

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Score 5.31
Votes Cast 35
Standard Deviation 1.86

45th place

Hexteria Skaxis Qiameth

Cover art for Hexteria Skaxis Qiameth

Gabriel Floriano

A dinner with your friend. Strange words. Stranger books.

15 minutes or less

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Score 5.23
Votes Cast 93
Standard Deviation 1.73

46th place

Behind the Door

Cover art for Behind the Door

Tatiana Statsenko @eejitlikeme ne_znau_dingo@mail.ru (writing as “eejitlikeme”)

It all started around a month ago, when you received the first postcard with imprinted exotic flowers and beautiful butterflies. The postcards continued to arrive in your mailbox - without any text apart from the address, which was not so far from your house. Finally, you decided to come over and find out about the sender...

{Credits for testing: Andreas Bayr, Anna Bulina, Klemens Jahrmann}

Half an hour

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Score 5.00
Votes Cast 64
Standard Deviation 1.70

47th place

Ultimate Escape Room: IF City

Cover art for Ultimate Escape Room: IF City

Mark Stahl mark.stahl@hotmail.com

You and your friends have fallen into the escape room craze that has swept the country in recent years. You love the feeling of living out a real life adventure game. You've made plans with your friends to try out a local escape room that has recently opened, but your friends have all stood you up. You've decided to attempt to escape the room on your own.

Prepare yourself for a somewhat surreal "escape the room" type experience. Do you have the wits necessary to find your way to the end of "The Wizard's Rainbow"? You have two hours to make your escape...

One hour

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Score 4.95
Votes Cast 60
Standard Deviation 1.77

48th place

Nyna Lives

Cover art for Nyna Lives

Sarah Rhiannon Nowack duckrhiannon@gmail.com

The life of a witch's cat is no stroll in the park. It's more like a stroll through monster-infested woods, over temperamental streams, and across festering swamps. But you can handle it, right?

Hurry home, your mistress awaits...

15 minutes or less

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.93
Votes Cast 84
Standard Deviation 1.49

49th place

The Dream Self

Cover art for The Dream Self

Florencia Minuzzi @teapoweredteam flo@teapoweredgames.co.uk

'I want to get to know you'.

It's just another year of your normal London life – work, eat, sleep. However, in your dreams you keep meeting a translucent stranger, a person cloaked in clouds. Who are they, and how do they know so much about you? The way you approach your everyday life will change how your dreams unfold.

The Dream Self was made with Unity and Ink. The file below contains the Windows build, as well as an HTML file linking to the Mac build.

One hour

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Score 4.88
Votes Cast 34
Standard Deviation 2.12

50th place

What Once Was

Cover art for What Once Was

Luke A. Jones luke.jones@gmail.com

You are in the final year of your PhD, your research topic is theoretical temporal mechanics (Time-Travel to the layman), your thesis conclusion is that it is possible in theory but impossible in practice.

You are in your office when you receive an urgent email from your supervisor Professor Weck asking for you to meet him in the laboratory.

Travel through time, navigate the perils of academia and solve the mystery of your missing supervisor.

Two hours

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.83
Votes Cast 30
Standard Deviation 1.39

51st place

Into The Dark
A dark fantasy adventure in medieval times, following the monster hunter Jacobi Kozlov.

Cover art for Into The Dark

Byron Kiernan byron_kiernan@hotmail.com

Play as Jacobi Kozlov, a renowned Monster Hunter and war veteran, in a dark fantasy medieval world as you try to seek out a peaceful future. Faced with the dark intentions of man and beast, prepare to see what a man will truly do to protect what he loves.

One hour

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Score 4.74
Votes Cast 34
Standard Deviation 2.06

52nd place (tie)

The Castle of Vourtram

Cover art for The Castle of Vourtram

Alexandre Torres vourtram@gmail.com

The Kingdom of Gwalinad is in its last days of existence. The evil wizard Vourtram, aided by an army of demoniac creatures, razed most of the old cities, spreading terror everywhere. When the capital Linwynne fell, the loyal forces of the old King fled to the hidden city of Chuma Huppic, an old stronghold defended by a magical maze that prevents enemy forces from entering. However, Princess Grardobeth was captured, and many died in the hands of the evil wizard. The princess is kept as a hostage in the high tower of the Castle of Vourtram. Vourtram demands a marriage with the princess followed by the King's abdication, thus making him the new King over Gwalinad.

You are the hero, an orphan born under the sign of the Phoenix who, according to the prophecies, is destined to defeat Vourtram and his evil forces. Pick your class between warrior, wizard, and thief, each with an exclusive path to solve the puzzles. The warrior has easier puzzles, but requires some luck; wizards and thieves only require brains. It is up to you to first develop your skills as a hero, and afterwards depart in the quest to rescue the princess and destroy the evil of ... The Castle of Vourtram.

Longer than two hours

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.73
Votes Cast 30
Standard Deviation 1.53

52nd place (tie)

Something

Cover art for Something

Linus Lekander @LinLek

A washing dilemma.

15 minutes or less

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.73
Votes Cast 80
Standard Deviation 1.56

54th place

Grue.
It is pitch black. You are a grue.

Cover art for Grue.

Charles Mangin @option8 option8@option8.com

It is pitch black. You are a grue.

Can you catch your next meal, or will you succumb to starvation and worse?

Half an hour

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Score 4.56
Votes Cast 78
Standard Deviation 1.55

55th place

The Richard Mines

Cover art for The Richard Mines

Evan Wright evancwright@yahoo.com

Czechoslovakia, 1949. Though World War Two has been over for several years, rumors of underground German factories still persist. No one has found one yet, until now...

Half an hour

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Score 4.47
Votes Cast 51
Standard Deviation 1.33

56th place

One way out

Cover art for One way out

Story by Steffen Görzig, Cover by Oliver Lindau steffen.goerzig@web.de

On the left side, a man with his heart full of tears.

On the right side, a woman with her head full of fears.

On both sides, desperate beings seek to break out of spheres.

An hour and a half

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.41
Votes Cast 27
Standard Deviation 1.99

57th place

TextCraft: Alpha Island

Cover art for TextCraft: Alpha Island

Fabrizio Polo textcraft@fabriziopolo.com

You talked big. Now prove it. Survive for a week on Alpha Island with no equipment save a pair of khaki shorts and a cell phone. Bear witness to escalating physical surreality as you come to understand your altered course. Brave dehydration, hunger, and intense weather in a daily struggle to make use of your environment. Build and customize Alpha Island into your home in this real-time, crafting-based, sci-fi adventure game.

To play you may need to right click and select "open" or "open with Java". You also might need to install/update Java. Visit the wiki: www.fabriziopolo.com/textcraft/wiki (contains separate spoiler-free and spoiler sections)

Longer than two hours

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.40
Votes Cast 25
Standard Deviation 1.85

58th place (tie)

Land of the Mountain King

Cover art for Land of the Mountain King

Kenneth Pedersen

You, the mighty Viking warrior Kral, are walking in the woods looking for prey, when you are suddenly shrouded in a cloud of white smoke. The smoke is too dense to see through, but eventually the smoke clears and you find yourself on a barren plain.

As you turn around, you see an old witch stand before you. "Listen carefully, Kral!" the witch whispers with a hoarse voice.

"I have summoned you here to help me clear this land from the evil mountain king, who lives in his castle up north. The mountain king terrorizes this land, and must die so that peace can be restored around here. If you succeed you will be significantly rewarded.

"You will meet various of his evil guardians on your quest, so take care. Unfortunately I could not bring you here with your weapons, so you will have to make do with what you find around here.

"Good luck!"

With those words, the witch disappears in a puff of white smoke.

Contains random combat and puzzle elements. NOTE: To play, you either need to download ADRIFT 5 from www.adrift.co/downloads or you can run the windows executable game included in the download below.

Half an hour

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Score 4.29
Votes Cast 21
Standard Deviation 1.52

58th place (tie)

A common enemy

Cover art for A common enemy

David de Torres Huerta @histandroides

A forgotten spacial project will cause millions of victims and there is nothing that anyone can do, but you are the only one that can save the rest of the world from the first nuclear world in history. Will you be able to create a plan that will save the humanity from the nuclear armaggedon?

One hour

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Score 4.29
Votes Cast 41
Standard Deviation 2.24

60th place (tie)

a partial list of things for which i am grateful

Cover art for a partial list of things for which i am grateful

Devon Guinn @dguinntweets devguinn@gmail.com

i hope that this list will never be finished

15 minutes or less

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Score 4.22
Votes Cast 99
Standard Deviation 2.11

60th place (tie)

Inevitable
A tiny one-room escape-your-fate adventure

Matthew Pfeiffer spferical@gmail.com

It's hard being an unsuccessful mad scientist. You're spending valuable time making ends meet when you should be bossing around henchmen.

Now that your latest invention, the TIME SCRYER, is complete, nothing can stop your rise to glory.

Inevitable is a tiny one-room escape-your-fate adventure.

15 minutes or less

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.22
Votes Cast 54
Standard Deviation 1.41

62nd place

Antiquest

Cover art for Antiquest

Anton Lastochkin alastochkin.heroku@gmail.com

Are you tired of fighting an annoying parser and unraveling strange puzzles? Come along, and you and the parser will fight together against logic and common sense! You won't be bored with this game's cheerful atmosphere and freedom of action. The goal of the game is to collect all possible endings. Don't be discouraged if you suddenly get stuck, because there is a built-in mini-game that can give you a hint on how to find the remaining endings. To enable it, you just need to find old endings again and hope for luck.

Note: This game was designed for the HTML TADS Player Kit (http://www.tads.org/tads3.htm). Another interpreter that appears to support the game is QTads (http://qtads.sourceforge.net/downloads.shtml). You can use universal interpreters, including Zoom, Spatterlight, and Gargoyle, but no you'll see no graphics and get no music.

One hour

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 4.07
Votes Cast 43
Standard Deviation 1.93

63rd place

Moon Base

Andrew Brown andythebrown@tiscali.co.uk

This is a sci fi/horror game... I hope you enjoy/are scared by it!!! You'll need to run this using FIREFOX

One hour

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Score 4.00
Votes Cast 30
Standard Deviation 1.34

64th place

The Living Puppet

Cover art for The Living Puppet

Liu Zian valettachou@gmail.com

This cover image remains property of its original owner. Please download this game for the best experience.

Those puppets made with precious materials are of good quality.But the best ones are born to be puppets rather than selected.

One hour

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Score 3.97
Votes Cast 39
Standard Deviation 1.75

65th place

The Dragon Will Tell You Your Future Now

Cover art for The Dragon Will Tell You Your Future Now

Newsreparter @newsreparter

The things they say about dragons can't really be true right? Maybe it was a bad idea to come here, maybe the only future the dragon holds is the one that ends with you in it's jaws tonight! Ridiculous, speciest thoughts; dragons have been part of our society for years. The dragon is a renowned fortunist running an entirely legitimate business. It's perfectly reasonable that you were only allowed to come here alone, in the dead of night. It's just nerves, you're excited to see the dragon. This will be fun. It's going to be fun.

15 minutes or less

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Score 3.82
Votes Cast 83
Standard Deviation 1.65

66th place

8 Shoes on the Shelves

Cover art for 8 Shoes on the Shelves

Marc Duane cc.group.email@gmail.com

An account of one soldier's unfortunate attempt to locate a secret buried beneath the war-torn Flemish countryside.

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 3.80
Votes Cast 55
Standard Deviation 1.52

67th place

Mikayla's Phone

Cover art for Mikayla's Phone

Angie Cornelson (writing as “Mikayla Colorlik”)

Half an hour

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Score 3.74
Votes Cast 54
Standard Deviation 1.66

68th place

A Walk In The Park
Fresh Air / Green Hair

Cover art for A Walk In The Park

George K. George george.algire@gmail.com (writing as “Extra Mayonnaise”)

You're a punk in the park and you've no place to go. Meet some interesting people. Enjoy a bird's company. Don't get lost. And avoid authority.

One hour

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Score 3.64
Votes Cast 53
Standard Deviation 1.53

69th place

The Adventure of Esmeralda and Ruby on the Magical Island

Cover art for The Adventure of Esmeralda and Ruby on the Magical Island

Marco "Erik108" Anastasio erikcviii@gmail.com

A short story made up for children about two siblings looking for their missing friend, set in a special place. Who or what will they find on their adventure?

15 minutes or less

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Score 3.62
Votes Cast 68
Standard Deviation 1.67

70th place

Queer In Public: A Brief Essay
A hypertext essay about the Christian & LGBT community

Cover art for Queer In Public: A Brief Essay

Naomi Norbez (call me Bez, he/they) @NaomiNorbez mninorbez@gmail.com (writing as “Norbez”)

A discussion on how the Christian community talks about LGBTQ+ issues and people, and how things can improve in the future.

Half an hour

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 3.35
Votes Cast 49
Standard Deviation 2.60

71st place

The Fifth Sunday

Cover art for The Fifth Sunday

Tom Broccoli

This cover image remains property of its original owner. Please download this game for the best experience.

It's the fifth Sunday on calendar. A murder happened in a villa. You have to find out the criminal to prove yourself innocent.

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 3.32
Votes Cast 37
Standard Deviation 1.54

72nd place

Temperamentum

Cover art for Temperamentum

Matthew Sawchuk matthewifcomp@gmail.com

It's been a rough year for Dolores Worth. She doesn't like to talk about it. But lately her dreams have been getting more and more intense. They keep her up at night. If she doesn't conquer the trauma of her past, her marriage, her life, even her very sanity could be in danger. She must find balance. She must find peace. She must. Keep. Going.

This game is made with ADRIFT and contains optional music.

An hour and a half

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 3.29
Votes Cast 21
Standard Deviation 1.55

73rd place

My night

Cover art for My night

Ivsaez ivsaez@gmail.com

You pick up a coach and you go with your best friends and the guy you like to your town house. You buy food, alcohol and tobacco. You are planning to have a party alone all weekend. Can there be a better plan for an 18-year-old girl? What can go wrong ...? Well, everything. "My night" is a story that delves into the worst fears of a teenager from Spain in the 90's. Carla will have to confront her problems with her friends, her past, her childhood fears and worst of all, see how a perfect plan is coming down without she can do anything to avoid it.

Half an hour

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 3.25
Votes Cast 36
Standard Deviation 2.28

74th place

The Silver Gauntlets
Reclaim what is yours

Jean-Paul Peschard jeanpaulpeschard43@gmail.com

Ambrosine has lost her arms while saving her father from attempted murder. All is not without hope as there is legend of a far away kingdom where a magical fruit resides that may yet restore her missing limbs. Travel the lands while avoiding deadly traps and battling nightmarish creatures. You may just discover who you are meant to become.

Longer than two hours

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 3.05
Votes Cast 20
Standard Deviation 2.36

75th place

Escape from Terra
An Apocalyptic Sci-Fi Adventure

Cover art for Escape from Terra

Mike Gerwat mike.gerwat@gmail.com

This is the story of the 2 men who want to escape the turmoil of earth. After hearing about disasters occuring worldwide.

Two hours

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 2.61
Votes Cast 38
Standard Deviation 1.35

76th place

Étude Circulár

Cover art for Étude Circulár

Adam Black @fakeAdamBlack adam.j.b.black@gmail.com

@fakeAdamBlack

Half an hour

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Score 2.51
Votes Cast 55
Standard Deviation 1.65

77th place

The Murder in the Fog

Cover art for The Murder in the Fog

Xiao Ru valettachou@gmail.com

This cover image remains property of its original owner. Please download this game for the best experience.

On a freezing night,the classroom was surrounded by fog.A girl sent you a wired picture ,saying that she's in danger and ask for your help. She was the one you had affection with. What would you do ?

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 2.47
Votes Cast 36
Standard Deviation 1.34

78th place

Haunted P
A very spooky story about science.....

Cover art for Haunted P

Chet Rocketfrak chetrocketfrak@gmail.com (writing as “Chad Rocketman”)

Discover fascinating minature worlds.... interact with an intricately modeled NPC.... discover the secret of the magical substance, P, and how it became to be haunted....

Half an hour

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Score 1.68
Votes Cast 71
Standard Deviation 1.16

79th place

Run of the place
a political gauntlet of exactly two hours

WD\x{1F479}K whatdoesknow@myself.com

*** CONTENT WARNING *** Game output may contain vile racist language and who knows what else.

Note that you may need to download a Floo interpreter for your system.

side Beta, "Hot to Trot" edition

Two hours

Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB

Score 1.33
Votes Cast 24
Standard Deviation 0.85

The organizer of the 2017 Annual Interactive Fiction Competition was Jason McIntosh.