Winners of the 2024 IFComp

A comedy of errors, mild frustrations, and major workplace-safety violations. With limited actions and a limited inventory, juggle hors d'oeuvres, flaming curtains, and radioactive elements—and keep the drinks coming!

• A light-hearted adventure with a darker mystery.

​• Play as both characters to uncover the secrets of the den.​

• Hack computers, solve puzzles, and help them work together as a team.

* * *

(A text-only survival horror.)

In 1849, Edgar Allan Poe disappeared among the back alleys of Baltimore. A week later, he was found delirious and in disarray. The mystery of his death has remained unsolved for 175 years.

Now it's your chance to decipher the macabre enigma enshrouding the final days of Edgar Allan Poe—a tale of Faustian bargains, artistic ambition, and immortality…

A community kitchen simulator set in a small corner of a strange world. Discover new recipes and ingredients. Go foraging. Plan delicious menus. Help out your neighbours. Plant a garden. Find a place for yourself. Make new friends. Break an ancient curse. Get cooking.

What utter drivel! It wasn’t “a heartbreaking canine mishap”, it was arsenious oxide poisoning, and a basic Marsh test would have demonstrated that beyond a shadow of a doubt. But alas. Once again, it seems, you must take it upon yourself to do the constables’ job for them, armed only with your wits and your loyal collie—and solve the case of your own murder.

It’s been a rough semester.

But just as you’re about to call it quits, a chance encounter with a spectral canine leads you to a harrowing adventure in what was once the most popular attraction in The Great Underground Empire.

So take a bath, grab your whip and swing into a new adventure in the fabulous world of Zork, where you’ll encounter mysterious machines, creepy ghouls, green slime, garlic pizza, and more. And who knows? You just might rid the world of a horrifying, megalomaniacal evil while you’re at it.

Something about the house feels odd. There is clearly magic at work here.

Well what are you waiting for? There is much to explore. The House awaits.

PLAY THIS GAME if you want to befriend talking animals, a ghost, and perhaps stranger creatures still???

One of your companions has a very bad worst memory. Solitary confinement. Locked in a tomb for a year. Vampires can't starve to death. A biological advantage with horrible consequences.

You just spent a month in his nightmare. Telling stories in the dark and keeping him from dying of despair. This game starts on the day you break out.

But then someone turns up dead...

You have ten days until the next plane arrives and law enforcement takes over the investigation, and by then the perpetrator will have covered their tracks. Can you bring them to justice first? And can you keep your sanity in the process?

TWO ENDINGS

QUICKER LOADING/OFFLINE BUILD: https://lithobreakers.itch.io/latex-leather-lipstick-love-lust

Featuring elements of chance, multiple paths, and multiple endings.

Imagine that you are an artist. Imagine that you are in mourning. A painter – your relative, and your former mentor – has died. In their will, they have left you seven paintings of your choosing from their collection. But which seven? What matters to you as both an artist and an inheritor of your mentor’s legacy? And what memories will these paintings stir up?

Imprimatura is a nonlinear work of interactive fiction that makes light use of procedural generation and heavy use of a multilayered painting that changes based on your choices.

Credits: Writing/design/scripting by Elizabeth Ballou, visual design and art by Alina Constantin, art by Anna Link, music/SFX by Rachel Wang.

The nuns and sacred algorithms have willed it.

And no matter how much you want to save her, you can’t.

***

A 12-minute interactive story, featuring music by Falling Islands.

It shouldn't be too hard to track it down, though...right?

Thanks to Brad Buchanan, G. Deyke, and Joey Jones for playtesting.

BOSH includes:

* A fun help feature for beginners

* Extensive contextual hints

* A Zarfian Forgiveness rating of “merciful”

* Only one use of the word “reification”, which most players won’t even see, we swear.

- Make use of highly advanced quorz technology!

- Enjoy the labor-saving convenience of single-keystroke commands!

How strong is your gland?

(For the duration of the competition, hints may be obtained by emailing the author. Just click the little envelope at the top of the entry. Don't be shy, hint requests are welcome.)

"You have been transported to a bizarre museum whose strangeness only grows the longer you remain, and you grow strange with it. Find your way out of the twisting halls, past the impossible paintings, and try to retain some sense of self for when you return to the real world."

There’s a solid chance you’ll get shot or stabbed or magically disintegrated, but you definitely won’t get in trouble for hanging with a bad crowd. You are the bad crowd, now and forever, no matter what you do next.

Sure, a lot of people want you exterminated, but that’s true of most teenagers anyway. And like all toxins, you have your uses to the right kinds of people.

If you survive.

squeeeak ...

squeeeeeak ...

You wake up slowly.

Your head is rumbling and your blood pulsates painfully through your temples.

String Theory is an interactive short story about family and finding the courage to love. You play as Jay, a college student trying to survive Thanksgiving with his Uncle Jimmy while dealing with stress about finals and his new same-sex relationship.

Learn about Jay's past as you help him decide what to do with his future.

But when your captain dies suspiciously halfway through a hyperspace transit, you know you're in trouble. Not because you need a captain — you can pilot yourself just fine — but because, as an aficionado of mysteries and detective stories, you know there’s only one explanation: murder most foul.

Investigate your rooms.

Interrogate your crew and passengers.

Solve the mystery.

Will you find your way back to reality — or be stuck in hyperspace forever?

(Game released under a CC-BY-NC-ND license)

An atmosphere focused science fiction journey with elements of esotericism.

No wrong choices, no way to fail.

But a man like that: a fine art dealer at the head of a massive organized crime ring (and a vampire at that) won't go down easy. But the Redjackets aren't your typical vampire hunting firm, either: they have both humans AND vampires in their employ. They're usually much more concerned with solving underworld disputes nonviolently through mediation and so-called restorative justice... but Jeppson has left them with no other options.

Play as decorated, human vampire hunter Declan, experienced vampire Redjacket Lynette, or freshly-turned informant Fiia as they strive to bring Jeppson down. Choices made in one protagonist's path will be remembered if you play through another's story, later.

Only one thing is certain: Rosco Jeppson has to die.

But the rest?

That's up to you.

Very short. Five possible endings.

Content advisory: there's a small profanity-themed area with no penalty whatsoever for skipping it. It is clearly signposted. Just so you're forewarned!

Also, you’re going to die.

Now, Buck's been summoned to Mercury Springs, a small town under the heel of a ruthless gang of villains. His assignment? To rid the town of evil. Your assignment? To complete Buck's assignment for him and to keep him from getting himself killed in the process. If successful, you'll receive none of the accolades. But such is the life of the sidekick.

Long after Adin's discovery. After the Night of the Comets. Sometime after she went away. Three days after you buried the cat.

You stand in your kitchen. And you find yourself out of coffee.

Step into the blizzard. Go through this strange world of talking animals, immortals, fanatics, robots -- and find that shot of caffeine.

Monday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Tuesday: 5 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Wednesday: CLOSED

Thursday: 2 a.m. – 10:10 a.m.

Friday: 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.

Saturday: 12:30 p.m. – 3:21 p.m.

Sunday: 12 a.m. – 11:59 p.m.

______________________

This game is meant to be played over a minimum of six sessions of approximately 5 minutes each, across a period of multiple days or weeks.

NOTE (added Sep 28): The shop is shutting down temporarily in about two weeks! While it should be possible to start playing at any time before the end of IFComp, it's recommended to complete a first session as soon as possible for an optimal experience. A post-comp version is also planned for release later this year, at which time the store will reopen for business permanently.

Explore a vast castle. Solve baffling puzzles. An old school style text adventure without the old school cruelty. Excellent for new players and veterans of the genre (has in game instructions and a limited list of verbs to reduce confusion).

Go around Yancy's neighborhood for photo ops, chat with friends at night, and try to hold it together as everything changes. Who knows? It might not turn out the way you think.

P.S. After the competition, I plan to launch a Kickstarter to help fund more voice acting for the game and give people the opportunity to get a physical copy with feelies--if you're interested, please feel free to reach out to me!

(I strongly recommend downloading this game, due to the large amount of audio files involved. I'm aware there are issues with the audio in different browsers and am working on a big fix, but for now, the audio seems to work just fine in FIrefox.)

You are the king of Xanadu. The role comes with certain responsibilities. It is your prerogative and duty to manage the palace estate, ensure the respectability of the legion, and, above all, bless the yearly harvest. It is said that the kings of Xanadu go on to rule in heaven after their death. After your rule is over, how will it be remembered?

You can play this game either by downloading and unzipping the file, or online through this link: https://machines-underneath.itch.io/king-of-xanadu The password is 'XANADU'.

Not everything is as it seems, however. Arm yourself with a sharp sense of satire to uncover the truth about your adversaries. Beware, you might just end up exposing the real story behind your own badge in the process.

Very short play-through time, but success will require some replaying.

If the rightmost panel is cut off, please use your browser's zoom-out function to view the entire game.

Click the question mark on the game's title screen for a walkthrough or use this link: athleticarcade.com/interactivefiction/egocentric2/hints.html

A short horror story/game about a tanker truck operator, and the small possibility that he might live to see another day.

Unfortunately it's rush hour, and getting out of this supermarket car park is a difficult job at the best of times.

Will you ever get out of this place? It can't take forever, can it?

All you need to do is turn right...

How can a human live in the House of Wolves?

JUDGES: The game will ask for your name. You can enter whatever you want, but if you enter "Inform Judge", randomizations will be turned off, such as zombie battles.

PLAYERS: This game has two parts. Part 1 is for a bit of training: more linear plot and easier puzzles. Part 2 is less linear and the puzzles are harder. Both parts should be able to be completed within two hours.

Search the many depths of the ship to uncover the truth, plot, and potential betrayal behind the massacre and destruction of this once great vessel of exploration.

A parser styled adventure game awaits you!

You are Doctor Who in this interactive graphic adventure. The Doctor faces his arch-enemies, the Daleks, in a battle of wits and choices. Choose wisely and you may just prevail, choose badly and you'll be swiftly exterminated!

But it's worse! The Daleks have constructed a giant computer "Super-Brain" with a single goal: universal domination. Can you and your assistant, Bex, outwit this formidable foe? Who knows?

- An interactive story (interactive fiction) in German and English - Dozens of puzzles and numerous magical spells - Numerous stuffed animals and other peculiar conversation partners - Controls can be switched between text input, multiple choice or voice input at any time - Game screen configurable in terms of colors, fonts, etc. - Completely free of charge: Free download and no in-app offers, - Important: No personal data is collected.

Versions for Windows and Android. A Mac version will hopefully follow in time.

Enjoy a relaxing night in nature. Participate in a few camping activities. Head home. Nothing fancy just a short camping story.

Thank you very much for reading.

Cover Image (CC0): Summer Campfire by Amber Oliver

NOTES: Edit: This should be resolved now. I've run into an issue when in menus containing large amounts of items where the game will not let you scroll. I can't seem to figure out why this happens but I have been able to fix it by adjusting the zoom level of my browser.

You play as Francesco, about 30 years old, blond hair. Francesco works as a software engineer, he like photography and hiking in the mountains. Monica is his beautiful girlfriend: tall, slim, with lots of slightly reddish frizzy hair and sparkling green eyes: could he not fall in love with her? She loves strolling around looking in shop windows; a peppy girl, she won't forgive him for anything he does that she doesn't like, but deep down her heart beats for him. What a strange thing love is...

There are no treasures to be found, there are no mysteries to be solved; remember, you are on holiday: have fun!

This is a narrative driven game made to simulate the experience of being a successful detective on the cusp of a strange case.

Simply the prologue. What would you do with a whole story?