Winners of the 2023 IFComp

Research demonology! Read legal documents! Face off against the world’s least effective torch and pitchfork-wielding mob! All this and more!

LAKE Adventure!

By Eddie Hughes

Copywrong 1993

* * *

Revisited by Ed Hughes

March 2020

═════════════════════════════

There is peril to humans and animals on Friday but your choices will definitely not get anyone or anything killed.

Play online: https://dashingdon.com/play/Felicity_Banks/bali-bb-for-if-comp-2023/mygame/

Uncover the clues, unlock the chains and solve the mystery!

Features:

Specially created art including items, locations and notes that help bring this Victorian-era story to life.

Unique visual puzzles that will challenge your detective skills. Also includes a helpful hint system.

Well, you still have to do that... but thanks to the limerick-loving prince's romantic attachment to a princess with an unwilling father, now it sounds like the agenda includes investigating old legends that speak of a haunted fastness in the North—legends that might lead you all the way to the Overworld.

So much the better! This new twist should provide plenty of challenge and adventure for you to ply the pampered prince with along the way; and fortunately, you have an ample amount of time to accomplish your objectives and try to shape the prince into something more—as he would say—*feckful*…

(Author highly recommends playing with QTads interpreter; otherwise, content/features are missing and formatting may be unsightly.

Parser-fearing judges note! There is a readthrough mode provided, in which the game will play itself while allowing you to try things out at your leisure, and which you may turn off at any point that you feel you've gained your confidence.

2-hour estimated play time applies to standalone intro/warmup game... full game is much larger.)

And you're almost finished — there's one box left.

ASSEMBLY is a story of magic and adventure. Can you assemble a small table? Can you save the world from the vengeance of ancient gods?

For SUPER players: Take the NO UNDO challenge! If you play the game without undoing earlier moves, you may discover brand new gameplay and content!

To Sea in a Sieve is a prequel to the author's 2003 game To Hell in a Hamper. Set 160 years earlier, To Sea in a Sieve will eventually form the first part of a trilogy. No knowledge of To Hell in a Hamper is needed to enjoy To Sea in a Sieve.

And will that bring any solace at all?

Learn spells, hang with the brothers, compete for the title of Paintball Wizard.

You're trapped in a text-adventure game called "The Incredible Erotic Adventures of Stiffy Makane". Maybe this is your purgatory. Maybe you deserve this.

Official Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7tbJ0Tm3tjIHlmNbKPtojU

Dive into this intimate tale spanning IF platforms (Twine and TADS 3), all within your browser.

You hear your blood sing in your ears, and you crave vengeance. Vengeance upon the dark sorcerer who sent this creature that killed your priestess, Lydia, into the very heart of your kingdom. It is time to take the fight to him. You are the Barbarian. You are the King. You are...

ONE KING TO LOOT THEM ALL.

Includes a story mode and hints!

This game uses custom commands. Consult the Player Primer available through the Walkthrough button below.

No goats were harmed in the creation of this High Adventure.

The song "Star Ocean" by Rainer Torres Kessler is included in the game - courtesy of the artist.

It’s Sunday afternoon and your mother is calling you on Swoon, the video conferencing app specifically for moms. She’s having a tech emergency and you’re the only one who can help! Will you be the golden child and fix her out-of-pocket printer? Make fun of her and watch her fume? What kind of adult child do you want to be? Remember, it's not just a printer. It's an emotional journey.

Your boss, Ember, has recently received a backup and assistance request from agent Onyx. So they need *you* now, operative Sinus, to be urgently redirected to Aurelia to assist and evaluate the situation.

NOTE: This game uses intentionally retro-style, small resolution images and limited color palette. The idea is to release a web-based (HTML) version of the game for this competition. But it has been developed in Adventuron 8-bit compatibility mode, so it would be possible to translate and release it also to the ZX Spectrum Next computer at some point later. I developed the very first version of the game back in the year 1987. but it never got released, in any form, because it became much too demanding for the ZX Spectrum 48K memory.

This story is not about him.

For these crimes, the very worst of crimes, America has a special team. Two individuals, both alike in dignity, in fair DC, where we lay our scene. Their names: Antony and Cleopatra.

He's the Vice President.

She's the Queen of Egypt.

Together, they fight crime!

Note that this is a fully synchronous two-player game and requires two people and internet access to work. You cannot download this game and play it offline, no matter what the button says.

A story about a corpse, a complicated sibling relationship, and the things we forget.

Or: the year is 1938 and you have arrived at your local soviet sponsored theatre, ready for a play lauded by the agents of the Department of Agitation and Propaganda as "the first truly socialist play", in which the audience, the people, decide the course of events.

Or: The Whisperers is a script for an interactive play, loosely adapted into a piece of written interactive fiction (while also featuring an annotated version for the ease of use of prospective directors and actors).

But now the man who hired you on—the only one on the crew who spoke your language—is dead, and they think your brother did it. If you don't find some way to prove him innocent before the ship lands, he's going to spend the rest of his life rotting in a Kishadu prison.

All you have to do is escape from your cabin, figure out what really happened on this ship, and prove it to the crew…who can't understand a word you say. You have no idea how you're going to manage it. But you're Kiang's last hope. You have to try.

You find yourself in an inexplicable time loop, reliving the same day over and over again. Can you find a way to stop your lover from leaving you?

This game is a museum, so treat it as such. Peruse slowly. Stop and listen to the music. Linger on an exhibit that you like. Exit whenever you feel ready to.

And do leave your name in the guestbook, won't you? https://forms.gle/yK4orr4J3g7so5mE7

(P.S. I strongly recommend you download this game. The browser is not always the nicest to it in terms of loading pages & images, which are essential to the player experience.)

Question the gods! Interrogate the Egyptian pantheon, to piece together the details of your death.

Search ancient streets for clues! From Waset to Sepermeru, travel through primordial cities to find evidence.

Basic puzzles! As you hunt down your killer to make them face judgement, you'll be free to complete your investigation in any order, unlocking new conversation options with characters as you go. Use your observational skills and complete a couple of light riddles will help you catch the killer and reach the story's thrilling conclusion.

From the bank of the River Nile, to the heavens above, DETECTIVE OSIRIS is an explorable re-imagining of Ancient Egyptian mythology, with a light noir twist. Featuring art by Kama Mielczarek, and music by Mycelium Music. Playtested by Ben Joy and Taya Beleanina.

It’s the middle of the night and you’re trying to pack your things. But can you really bring yourself to walk through the door? And how did it come to this? If only you had three mysterious poets to help you figure things out…

The Gift of What You Notice More is a surreal escape-room-esque puzzle-based Twine game about memories and choices.

This story is delivered via Plotopolis - at this point, a proof-of-concept interactive fiction journal that publishes to chat platforms - which was written in concert with this story.

~ ~ ~

It's the Great Godstone Fry-Off, and Tira Misu has gathered chefs and celebrities from all the Twelve Mostly Civilized Realms for a no-holds-barred cooking challenge at the base of Mount Boom.

Face off against the likes of Marcher, Argyle the Chefromancer, Sour Ron, Friar Fryest, and a surprisingly skilled loaf of bread. Choose between four playable characters, with tactics including confusion, violence, sabotage, bribery, and even (to everybody's lasting shock) actual cooking!

No matter what approach you take, you'll face stiff competition as tensions rise and fall around you like overmixed pancake batter. Will you craft the perfect Ring of Onion and usher in a new age of peace, prosperity, and delicious crispiness—or fall to the black eyeliner and fiery theatrics of Másgoth, the mostly-vanquished ancient godking bent on sending all the Realms hurtling back to the Worst Age?

~ ~ ~

(The first playthrough takes roughly 30-45 minutes, depending on your reading speed. Playing through a couple of times is recommended for the full Fry-Off experience!)

Sixth in my Prime Pro-Rhyme Row series, though it is fully independent of the others.

Option to skip one room with an off-color name and bonus puzzle.

But unfortunately for the mayor, Bubble Gumshoe comes too late. And Unfortunately for Bubble Gumshoe, the killer is there when she arrives. Locked in the abandoned building - with a demolition charge set for 9am the next day - she must use all her cunning to sniff out the building's secrets so she can once again taste freedom, all while chewing over...

...who iced Mayor McFreeze?

Thanks to Brett Witty, felix, Dave Diamond and Matt Campbell for playtesting.

Richard Hawthorne, millionaire art magnate, was retaining your services to investigate a murder. One that had not yet happened. His own. Included was a huge check and a set of security codes to access both the gates of his private community and the back door of his residence, 34 Hush Lane, in the event of his death.

Your assignment: if anything were to happen to him, investigate immediately and determine for certain whether it was due to natural or nefarious causes.

Paranoid or not, the man came to the right place. Your cluttered office and perpetually disheveled look belie a razor sharp analytical mind and expert interrogation skills. Underestimation by others is your secret weapon and allows you to fade into the woodwork, catching clues that others miss. This has made you one of the most successful P.I.s around. You had accepted the job immediately, not expecting to have to follow through so soon.

Download includes a .D64 disk image to run on a Commodore 64 emulator such as VICE or real hardware.

Just ignore the sounds in your living room. Just ignore that shadow scuttling across the floor. Just ignore the lies of the 'friend' whose known you for years. He's lying. She's lying. That stranger on the street is lying. And the voices whispering in your mind are definitely lying. Even this blurb is lying.

But that's fine...

Y̸̷̶̷̸̷̷̷̥͑̅̌̔̉ͯo̼̩̖̓ͪ̽͢ǔ̢͢͏̫͕͋'͎̬́͐ͥ᷇͢r̉͏͍̾᷉̓̓e͓͕ͦ̿᷅͆͠ l̜̻̈̅̃͢͞y̡̬͙̪̦̦ͧi̘᷅̓͒̐̍͑n̰͈᷅ͯͥͨ͜g̯᷾̒̑᷄̕͟ t̶̙͍̏͊᷈͠o̙̟ͦ̏̄ͭ͂ő̶͎̘̝̂

Embark on a journey through a meticulously crafted universe teeming with enthralling characters and a richly developed world. Prepare to unravel a unique mystery with intricate puzzles, lifelike personalities, each with a different story to tell, and a tapestry of interconnected events. Will you manage to piece together the greater picture? Are you prepared for what or who you’ll find at the end of the line? Or for what comes after?

Estimated playtime: 2.5 - 3.5 h

Make the calls both big and small that will impact the soldier's life forever. Wind estimates, sight adjustments, moral judgements and luck all have their part to play in shaping the outcome of his final mission.

With three experiences of varying difficulty and a variety of outcomes based on your actions, The Long Kill charges you with setting the trajectory of Mister's life.

Oh, right. Your home was destroyed ages ago. I guess there's only one way to go then.

As the game begins, you find yourself on the ramp leading from the hatchway down to the surface of the legendary lost planet of Magrathea. Soon, you will find yourself exploring dead planets, escaping white mice, navigating the fjords of Norway, and of course - at Milliways, the Restaurant at the End of the Universe!

Zarfian Cruelty Rating: Cruel. But don't fret; built-in hints are available!

This year, it seems like the producers are shaking up the format to something a little more exciting and a little more...high-stakes, we shall say.

A short-form, multi-ending, high-octane race against a ticking clock in the heart of New York City circa 2006.

Can you tread water and work your magic? Or will you sink and drown?

Get to click and play through different scenarios as a coffee barista to see if anyone you had came across could be the true culprit behind it. Figure out the mystery to who might have decided to frame Jackie or, if Jackie is as innocent as she seems.

This is a parser-based sandbox horror adventure with multiple endings. It takes place in the setting of Ascension of Limbs, but it's intended to be a stand-alone story that doesn't require any foreknowledge. Contains scenes some may find disturbing.

(The game contains topics such as grief and death)

This lurid but stylish Italian thriller is set in Venice during the filming of an eponymous exploitation film, with the lead actress credited as "playing herself". In the day it was critically panned by highbrow critics as "yet another entertainment for those who relish scantily clad ladies being murdered in grisly ways, trippy camerawork and nonsensical plot twists" and relegated to the relative obscurity of other "video nasties".

In the ensuing decades, this giallo has attained cult status, fondly remembered for its bold photography, ambiguous subtext, and of course the tragic circumstances that surrounded the production. Rumours abound about alternative endings that were cut from the theatre version, either by the Italian censors or the American distributor, with bootleg Betamax copies commanding high prices online.

Synopsis: Your glasses are missing, and it reeks of a cruel prank to your dependence on them. You have your suspects. Now it’s only a matter of time before you unmask them. Will you find your glasses, and see what’s hidden in their heart?

Character Art by Artkblo.

'Have Orb, Will Travel' is a text-only interactive fiction fantasy game, very much in the 'old-school' style. It was written from the ground up for the PC using qBasic64, and has a comprehensive and powerful parser. Included in the game are detailed HELP instructions, and it also has comprehensive hints, both implicit and explicit, which can be accessed using the command HINT.

It is written for Windows on the PC, but can also be run on MacOS using Cross Over or on Linux using WINE.

Inspector Knapp is asking for your help. Will you use your powers of deduction to find out what happened to the victim?

You, the reader, are a young Neanderthal woman named Haizea. You have escaped the massacre and are on the run with your son, Eneko, and your Cro Magnon partner, Esti. Esti's best friend, Oihana,is coming with you. Your goal is to reach Shanidar, your ancestral homeland. Follow the story and meet the characters from the Deep Past by choosing links at the end of each story passage as the group of early humans makes their way from what is now southern France to Iraqi Kurdistan.

Their parents would go far to protect society. Too far, according to their children.

"Out of Scope" is about which forms of love and violence our society condones, and which it condemns. It follows the downfall of the Carnation family, and your effort to put it into perspective.

The herald also told you, most unusually, that Kelson & Alaric will be coming to see YOU instead of you having to go to the king's audience chamber and that the visit will be informal, so no bowing will be required. You wonder what tales they will have to tell you?

"Fancy that," you think to yourself. "The king coming to see me!"....

*************************************

* Use FRANKENDRIFT to play the game if you are playing on a MacOS or Linux computer. Download FrankenDrift from https://github.com/awlck/frankendrift/releases/tag/v0.6.2

Until one night when I dreamed for the first time… I met someone who promised to help me escape.

This is the story of a test subject, their encounter with a spirit, and their escape from a mysterious lab.

Middle-aged Gloria knows she’s made it: finally she has it all—kids at a posh school, a house in a posh town, and her confidence, shaky for so long, in a place that befits her new upper-middle-class lifestyle. Unfortunately, the universe has other ideas than letting her settle. When she’s out walking her beautiful Border Collie pup Clio along the equally-beautiful canal, she stumbles on an incident that tests her new-found composure and sends her on a self-righteous path of utterly ludicrous foundations. (“Someone has been caught doing what now on the canal !?”). She’s quick to blame the easy targets, and equally as slow to scrutinise her own family.

You’ve seen and read superhero origin stories.

This is an off-beat origin story of a shameful MP.

But now, Solaris faces a crisis. A mysterious power loss threatens to destabilise its orbit hurling the station into the planet below, jeopardising thousands of lives.

Agent Elara Grey, a master trouble shooter, is sent on a perilous mission to Solaris. As she delves into the heart of the station's secrets, she'll grapple with the consequences of obsession, the balance between knowledge and humanity, and the ultimate choice between saving lives and unlocking the cosmos.

In the small town of Luroz is the eve of the Harvesting Festival, a young (that is, 80 years old) fey has just ended the preparation for a dinner with friends, and all remains to do is cooking, but the snafu is always lying in ambush...

A short teaser trailer, sequel of an unreleased WIP, presenting a first look into the interesting world of Railei. It's also the second IFComp entry written with Magx, released with its source code, perhaps the lone actual worked Magx source.

Friendly warning: there's a WC ;)

- Explore the depths of philosophical thought in this immersive game where you must debate with your professor on the nature of merit.

- Engage in a battle of wits and see if you have what it takes to come out on top.

- Will you be able to convince them of your ideas?

Combining old school text adventures with RPG elements, opening up a deeper world of discovery options and choices for the player. Hawkstone has traditional puzzles to solve with new twists, comedy, and an underlying fantasy story with secrets to discover.