https://ifcomp.org/comp/2024 Toggle navigation IFComp * Results * Rules * Participate + Schedule + + Author's Handbook + Register or manage your entries + + View or donate prizes + + Frequently Asked Questions * About + About IFComp + Guidelines for authors + Guidelines for judges + View or donate prizes + About IF + History of the IFComp + Past IFComp Results + Contact / Credits / Legal * News + Blog + Twitter + Mastodon * [ ] Dark Mode Sign in / Register Winners of the 2024 IFComp * - 2023 results Switch to compact list view Browse / download 2024 game files 1st place The Bat Cover art for The Bat Chandler Groover chandler.m.groover@gmail.com Master Bryce is throwing a party. As his most faithful servant, that means it's your job to make the party run smoothly. But you only have two hands--and far too many duties. You'll have to manage requests from the guests, the master's eccentric demands, and your own composure. All the other staff have quit, unwilling to entertain the master's "moods," but you've served Wyatt Manor for decades; what's one more evening? 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! Superhero * Two hours * Parser-based This work also won 2nd place in the 2024 Miss Congeniality Awards. Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 8.51 Votes Cast 89 Standard Deviation 1.17 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd place The Den Cover art for The Den Ben Jackson ben@radiosity.co.uk Cover art by: Ben Jackson Vee and Aiden have spent their entire lives in a place they call 'the den'. Father looks after them and protects them from the outside world. They have never thought about leaving - until something happens that makes them question everything they thought they knew. * 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. Adventure, Mystery, Puzzle * Two hours * Choice-based This work also won 1st place in the 2024 Miss Congeniality Awards. Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 8.21 Votes Cast 53 Standard Deviation 1.41 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd place Forsaken Denizen Cover art for Forsaken Denizen C.E.J. Pacian cejpacian@gmail.com Cover art by: nsjndd1 THIS GAME CONTAINS SCENES OF IMPLICIT VIOLENCE AND GORE. * * * (A text-only survival horror.) Longer than two hours * Parser-based This work also won 3rd place in the 2024 Miss Congeniality Awards. Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 8.14 Votes Cast 50 Standard Deviation 1.36 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 4th place Under the Cognomen of Edgar Allan Poe A tale of literary ambition Cover art for Under the Cognomen of Edgar Allan Poe Jim Nelson @_jimnelson_ "There are some secrets that do not permit themselves to be told." 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... Mystery * Longer than two hours * Parser-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 7.88 Votes Cast 51 Standard Deviation 1.55 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th place Eikas a community kitchen Cover art for Eikas Lauren O'Donoghue @LHODonoghue lhodonoghue@gmail.com Cover art by: Lauren Reisfeld You've just arrived at the Canteen, ready to take up the role of Community Chef. It's your job to host regular feasts for the people in the village--and to impress your new employers before your month's probation is up. 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. Community Kitchen Simulator/RPG * Two hours * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 7.84 Votes Cast 49 Standard Deviation 1.72 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6th place Miss Gosling's Last Case Cover art for Miss Gosling's Last Case Daniel M. Stelzer dsdraco7@gmail.com "We are saddened to report that Miss Winifred Gosling of Marswich Green met her untimely demise this morning in a heartbreaking canine mishap. Miss Gosling, 76, was well-known for her long and illustrious history of crime-solving, and her loss will be keenly felt..." 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. Mystery * Two hours Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 7.65 Votes Cast 52 Standard Deviation 1.56 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th place Hildy Cover art for Hildy J. Michael frotzing@gmail.com You are Hildy, a twenty-year-old apprentice enchantress who is seriously considering a change of vocation. And who can blame you? The Guild Masters don't understand you, the other apprentices think you're a kripping weirdo and to top it off, you're currently covered in exploded cave troll. 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. Zorkian Fantasy * Longer than two hours * Parser-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 7.54 Votes Cast 46 Standard Deviation 1.08 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th place An Account of Your Visit to the Enchanted House & What You Found There Cover art for An Account of Your Visit to the Enchanted House & What You Found There Mandy Benanav @mandybtweeting mandybwriting@gmail.com Cover art by: Trivia Fox You have accepted a mysterious invitation for a weekend away at a stranger's home. You arrive to find a small, dark Victorian house in the middle of the forest. Your host is nowhere in sight. 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??? Fantasy, Humor, Games for Spooky B*tches * Two hours * Choice-based This work also earned its author the Rising Star award. Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 7.47 Votes Cast 57 Standard Deviation 1.31 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9th place A Dream Of Silence: Act 3 Cover art for A Dream Of Silence: Act 3 Abigail Corfman beautiful.lightness@gmail.com Cover art by: @cymk8 There's a monster made of dreams. It has its teeth in your companions. It builds nightmares out of their worst memories and drinks their pain. 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. Fantasy Fan Fiction * One hour * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 7.34 Votes Cast 41 Standard Deviation 1.72 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10th place Winter-Over Cover art for Winter-Over Emery Joyce Co-written by: N. Cormier Cover art by: Photo by Stephan Richter Pickering Station, Antarctica: A place of science, knowledge, and deep isolation. When the last plane leaves for the winter, you and your colleagues may as well be on Mars. At least this winter-over has gone well so far -- or as well as can be expected with a dozen or so eccentrics locked up together. 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? Mystery/Thriller * One hour * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 7.21 Votes Cast 61 Standard Deviation 1.47 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 11th place LATEX, LEATHER, LIPSTICK, LOVE, LUST SEXTUPLE L Cover art for LATEX, LEATHER, LIPSTICK, LOVE, LUST THE BODY & THE BLOOD TRANS*GRESSIVE MATURE "COMEDY" TWO ENDINGS QUICKER LOADING/OFFLINE BUILD: https://lithobreakers.itch.io/ latex-leather-lipstick-love-lust Two hours * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 7.08 Votes Cast 52 Standard Deviation 2.59 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 12th place The Killings in Wasacona Cover art for The Killings in Wasacona Steve Kollmansberger steve@kolls.net Cover art by: Bing Image Creator (DALL-E 3) There's a killer on the loose! As a fresh graduate of the FBI Academy, you have been called to a small town struck by a series of suspicious deaths. Can you solve the mystery before the clock runs out? Featuring elements of chance, multiple paths, and multiple endings. Crime Detective Mystery * One hour * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 6.91 Votes Cast 43 Standard Deviation 1.24 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13th place Imprimatura Cover art for Imprimatura Elizabeth Ballou Cover art by: Alina Constantin Imprimatura (It.): the first layer of paint on a canvas. 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. Meditative, slice-of-life artgame (literally!) * Half an hour * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 6.87 Votes Cast 60 Standard Deviation 1.96 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14th place Verses Cover art for Verses Kit Riemer slugzuki@gmail.com Cover art by: Danielle Chenette Then the externality comes apart like something wet. Then the truth reveals itself to be a nutrient or a poison. Then the sun goes away and the rain comes, and you and I freeze in it, the translucent bluishness of our skin. Science fiction * One hour * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 6.85 Votes Cast 48 Standard Deviation 2.13 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 15th place You Can't Save Her Cover art for You Can't Save Her Sarah Mak @sarahmakestwts contact@sarahmakmq.com Cover art by: Aisha You have three seconds to kill your former friend. 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. Science fantasy * 15 minutes or less * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 6.82 Votes Cast 118 Standard Deviation 1.78 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 16th place Quest for the Teacup of Minor Sentimental Value Cover art for Quest for the Teacup of Minor Sentimental Value Damon L. Wakes damon.l.wakes@gmail.com A shadow grows in the frozen north, and dark forces assemble in the wilds and on the roads. Fortunately, you run a small tearoom in a quant forest village and so it is not your job to deal with any of that. Unfortunately, your favourite teacup has suddenly and mysteriously gone missing. It shouldn't be too hard to track it down, though...right? Thanks to Brad Buchanan, G. Deyke, and Joey Jones for playtesting. Comedy, Fantasy * Half an hour * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 6.79 Votes Cast 70 Standard Deviation 1.91 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 17th place The Saltcast Adventure Cover art for The Saltcast Adventure Beth Carpenter diemcarpenter364@gmail.com Deep in Kingthrall caves, monsters dwell. The crown has offered a large reward to anyone who can destroy them. You are probably not the quester anyone had in mind, but you're desperate, and that has made you determined. Enter the caves. Argue with the creatures from your nightmares. Discover a war nobody on the surface knew about. Hear the dead God speak. Bring down the Hydra King, or fall in the attempt... Fantasy, about 70k words, choice-based. Fantasy * Longer than two hours * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 6.73 Votes Cast 30 Standard Deviation 1.84 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th place Bureau of Strange Happenings Cover art for Bureau of Strange Happenings Phil Riley @rileypb rileypb@gmail.com Cover art by: karuzone What secrets are concealed in the depths of a crumbling strip mall in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.? How is one supposed to open a desk drawer when the key is locked inside? Are there really such things as lizard people? And what is the mysterious message on the thumb drive found in an ancient root cellar in upstate New York? Join Agent Larch Faraji as they unearth the answers to these questions and more! 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. Comedy investigation * Longer than two hours * Parser-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 6.69 Votes Cast 48 Standard Deviation 1.62 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 19th place A Very Strong Gland Cover art for A Very Strong Gland Arthur DiBianca a_dibianca@yahoo.com - Be abducted by space aliens who want to give you some challenging tests! - 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.) Sci-fi * Parser-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 6.57 Votes Cast 53 Standard Deviation 1.95 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th place The Maze Gallery Cover art for The Maze Gallery Cryptic Conservatory, including: Paxton, Rachel Aubertin, Chrys Pine, Ed Lu, Toni Owen-Blue, Christi Kerr, Sean Song, Joshua Campbell, Dawn Sueoka, Randy Hayes, Allyson Gray, Shana E. Hadi, IFcoltransG, Dominique Nelson, Orane Defiolle, An Artist's Ode, Sisi Peng, Kazu Lupo, divineshadow777, Robin Scott, Sarah Barker, TavernKeep, Alex Parker, Mia Parker, J Isaac Gadient, Charm Cochran and Ghost Clown curator@crypticconservatory.com Co-written by: Charm Cochran, Sisi Peng, Shana E. Hadi, IFcoltransG, Aleshani, and Pine The Maze Gallery was created over the course of 6 months by 34 contributors, 27 of them authors. It is a choice-based interactive fiction game about a surreal art museum that is intent on keeping its patrons forever. "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." Literary nonsense * Longer than two hours * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 6.45 Votes Cast 40 Standard Deviation 2.09 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st place Focal Shift Cover art for Focal Shift Fred Snyder fred@gamefic.com All you were supposed to do is sneak into a fintech company and steal some data. You didn't expect the client to use the comm chip jacked into your cybernetic implant as a cattle prod. And you definitely didn't expect a murder to be part of the plan. Good luck hacking your way out of this jam, grid jockey. Cyberpunk * One hour * Parser-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 6.43 Votes Cast 51 Standard Deviation 1.52 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd place The Dragon of Silverton Mine Cover art for The Dragon of Silverton Mine Vukasin Davic vukassin@gmail.com Cover art by: Mina Davic You are a novice mage drafted into service by the nearby mine. There was an fire and a cave-in, and the crew will take time to clear the entrance. Armed with just your wits and training spells, you are teleported inside. Help the survivors, figure out what happened, and deal with it. "fantasy" "adventure" * One hour * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 6.35 Votes Cast 60 Standard Deviation 1.22 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 23rd place Miss Duckworthy's School for Magic-Infested Young People Cover art for Miss Duckworthy's School for Magic-Infested Young People Felicity_Banks @FBanksBooks fbanksbooks@gmail.com The thing about being seventeen years old and newly infested with magic is that you are no longer a child to be protected, but a problem to be solved. 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. Fantasy * An hour and a half * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 6.31 Votes Cast 48 Standard Deviation 1.56 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 24th place You Cover art for You Carter X Gwertzman Cover art by: Anik Panja Lost in a strange wood, and your YOU isn't YOURS. Solve puzzles, meet strange creatures, and undergo transformations as YOU search for YOUR missing self. Weird fantasy * Half an hour * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 6.28 Votes Cast 68 Standard Deviation 1.74 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 25th place Dust Cover art for Dust IkeC dust@ikeserver.de squeeeak ... squeeeak ... squeeeeeak ... You wake up slowly. Your head is rumbling and your blood pulsates painfully through your temples. Western * An hour and a half * Parser-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 6.26 Votes Cast 39 Standard Deviation 1.55 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 26th place String Theory Cover art for String Theory W Pzinski welcotar@gmail.com Cover art by: Matemateca (IME/USP)/Rodrigo Tetsuo Argenton Some things in life you can choose, and some things, you're just stuck with... 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. Romance, humor, drama * One hour * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 6.20 Votes Cast 45 Standard Deviation 1.48 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 27th place A Death in Hyperspace Cover art for A Death in Hyperspace Stewart C Baker, Phoebe Barton, James Beamon, Kate Heartfield, Isabel J. Kim, Sara S. Messenger, Nacarat, Natalia Theodoridou, M. Darusha Wehm, and Merc Fenn Wolfmoor stewart.c.baker@gmail.com Cover art by: Merc Fenn Wolfmoor As an embodied ship Intelligence and fugitive former warship, you've faced many challenges. 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) Science fiction, murder mystery * One hour * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 6.15 Votes Cast 47 Standard Deviation 1.47 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 28th place Metallic Red Cover art for Metallic Red Riaz Moola theongoingrealityshow@gmail.com Cover art by: Dain Kaplan @Dainkaplan on instagram Wake from uneasy dreams. Float within the mist created by the low flow shower head in the bathroom of your inter system capable Personal Space Vehicle. Tend to the Japanese greens in the hydroponics array. You have everything you need to sustain you. Look into the mirror and tell me who you see. An atmosphere focused science fiction journey with elements of esotericism. No wrong choices, no way to fail. One hour * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 6.12 Votes Cast 51 Standard Deviation 1.57 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 29th place Birding in Pope Lick Park Cover art for Birding in Pope Lick Park Eric Lathrop eric@ericlathrop.com You woke up at 7:30am. It's Saturday. You were hoping to sleep in more, but you peek out your window to see it's sunny and nice outside. You feel fairly energetic, so you decide to go to your usual park for some birding. Half an hour * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 6.11 Votes Cast 62 Standard Deviation 1.74 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 30th place Redjackets Cover art for Redjackets Anna C. Webster Cover art by: Photograph by Gorup de Besanez, Edited by Anna Webster, licensed under CC Rosco Jeppson has to die. 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. Supernatural, thriller, true crime * Two hours * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 6.05 Votes Cast 40 Standard Deviation 1.61 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 31st place (tie) Bad Beer Cover art for Bad Beer Vivienne Dunstan viv.dunstan@gmail.com Cover art by: Vivienne Dunstan A tale of dodgy drinks, things that go bump in the night, and stuff from the past that just ain't right Mystery * One hour * Parser-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 6.00 Votes Cast 77 Standard Deviation 1.23 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 31st place (tie) Deliquescence Cover art for Deliquescence Not-Only But-Also Riley Your close friend is melting. She doesn't have much time left. How will you be there for her final moments? Very short. Five possible endings. Experimental * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 6.00 Votes Cast 71 Standard Deviation 1.91 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 33rd place Why Pout? Cover art for Why Pout? Andrew Schultz @anandrewschultz blurglecruncheon@gmail.com Silence! We GAVE you ice cream. 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! An hour and a half Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 5.98 Votes Cast 49 Standard Deviation 2.05 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 34th place Welcome to the Universe Cover art for Welcome to the Universe Colton Olds @1997Oldsmobile colton.olds@yahoo.com SimpleChef is helping parents out with a new back-to-school offer. Also, you're going to die. Half an hour * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 5.91 Votes Cast 55 Standard Deviation 1.98 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 35th place (tie) Sidekick Cover art for Sidekick Charles Moore chasfmoorejr@gmail.com It's the Old West and Buck Swagger is the man of the hour and his feats of derring-do are known all across the western territories. You, however, are Buck's long-suffering sidekick and know all too well that those feats are actually your feats and that Buck is, in reality, a vain dimwit with great teeth and good press. 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. Western * Two hours Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 5.88 Votes Cast 24 Standard Deviation 1.76 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 35th place (tie) 198BREW The Age of Orpheus Cover art for 198BREW DWaM @DWaM22 Cover art by: DoubleKO (@DoubleKOoOo1 on X) 198X. 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. Sci-fi, mystery, experimental, world-building * An hour and a half * Parser-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 5.88 Votes Cast 48 Standard Deviation 1.81 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 37th place The Apothecary's Assistant Cover art for The Apothecary's Assistant Allyson Gray allyson_gray@hotmail.com OPENING HOURS 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. Half an hour * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 5.83 Votes Cast 65 Standard Deviation 1.84 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 38th place When the Millennium Made Marvelous Moves Cover art for When the Millennium Made Marvelous Moves Michael Baltes mail@michaelbaltes.com Cover art by: Lea Baltes Finley is living in a small flat with Johanna, awaiting the wonders of the fabulous Millennium's Eve. Their expectations are all but high, so they're planning at least to go for a drink after work, apart from all the big celebration parties. But life has other plans for them. They both have something to learn this evening and somehow Fortune was willing to give them more than one chance to find their luck. Slice of life, Crime, Time Travel * An hour and a half * Parser-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 5.81 Votes Cast 31 Standard Deviation 1.47 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 39th place A Warm Reception Cover art for A Warm Reception Joshua Hetzel Cover art by: William Beilby You're a reporter assigned to cover the wedding of the princess of the land. When you get there, you find an empty castle and are pulled into the mystery of what happened. 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). Lighthearted fantasy, humor * Parser-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 5.77 Votes Cast 62 Standard Deviation 1.40 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 40th place Civil Service Cover art for Civil Service Helen L Liston helenlliston@gmail.com Cover art by: Helen Liston Some offices attract bad energy - this one has so much that you can see it. But now you've joined the team things could be different! Just maybe there's a way to improve things, to make a difference. If you succeed you'll get the ultimate reward - a place in the sweetest realm of all! Relief from the painful limbo you've been trapped in! But do you have the right attitude for your new role? Will you save your team from the darkness and win the ultimate promotion? Will your romantic heart get in the way? And what really happened on Team Building Day? Mystery, experimental, contemporary, dynamic fic * Half an hour * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 5.70 Votes Cast 44 Standard Deviation 1.74 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 41st place Yancy At The End Of The World! Not an ordinary zombie apocalypse. Cover art for Yancy At The End Of The World! Naomi Norbez (call me Bez, e/he) @NaomiNorbez bezthezebro@gmail.com Cover art by: https://www.instagram.com/deadnotsleep1ng/ Yancy is an aroace person who thinks they don't have a creative bone in their body. But then the zombie apocalypse begins, and they realize they never pursued their dream of becoming a photographer. So they pick up a camera as the world starts crumbling around them. 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.) Queerplatonic End-Of-The-World Experience * An hour and a half * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 5.64 Votes Cast 28 Standard Deviation 2.22 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 42nd place Forbidden Lore Alex Crossley alex-crossley@ntlworld.com You have recently inherited a large collection of books and artifacts from your late grandfather, who implored you to continue his researches. It was his dying wish that you make some discovery that long eluded him. Of its nature, you know little, except that the old man was preoccupied with the Illuvian Empire and a ruby-adorned princess. Parser-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 5.58 Votes Cast 40 Standard Deviation 1.53 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 43rd place KING OF XANADU And what a lovely place. Cover art for KING OF XANADU MACHINES UNDERNEATH givemeshrubs@gmail.com CAPTURE SUNBEAMS. KILL SPARROWS. BURY THE MOON. 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'. Fantasy * 15 minutes or less Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 5.50 Votes Cast 84 Standard Deviation 1.82 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 44th place A few hours later in the day of The Egocentric Cover art for A few hours later in the day of The Egocentric Ola Hansson ola@athleticdesign.se Cover art by: Daniel Ahlgren Walk around a comic strip starring an egocentric truck driver. But you are not him. You are a jaded cop with a case to solve. Your story unfolds in the captions below as you try to outwit the young trucker and his frighteningly tough uncle. 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 Comedic satire with puzzles * 15 minutes or less * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 5.44 Votes Cast 87 Standard Deviation 1.92 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 45th place The Garbage of the Future Cover art for The Garbage of the Future AM Ruf Cover art by: AM Ruf On a dark and ominous night, two workers drive to the lake to do a job. It's a dirty and difficult job, but somebody has to do it. It's probably best not to think too much about it, or about the strange feeling that something horrible is lurking in the shadows... A short horror story/game about a tanker truck operator, and the small possibility that he might live to see another day. Horror * Half an hour Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 5.30 Votes Cast 61 Standard Deviation 1.69 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 46th place (tie) ROD MCSCHLONG GETS PUNCHED IN THE DONG Cover art for ROD MCSCHLONG GETS PUNCHED IN THE DONG Damon L. Wakes (writing as "Hubert Janus") Once again, it's exactly what it sounds like. Humour * 15 minutes or less Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 5.22 Votes Cast 102 Standard Deviation 2.11 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 46th place (tie) Turn Right Cover art for Turn Right Dee Cooke @dee_cooke dee.e.cooke@gmail.com Long day done, groceries bought and you're so nearly home! 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... Slice-of-life * 15 minutes or less * Parser-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 5.22 Votes Cast 110 Standard Deviation 1.78 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 48th place The Shyler Project Meet the latest advancement in AI technology! Cover art for The Shyler Project Naomi Norbez (call me Bez, e/he) @NaomiNorbez bezthezebro@gmail.com Cover art by: Bez In times of trouble, Jaiden turns to Shyler, a new mental health AI chatbot, for reassurance and help. Watch their relationship develop through the course of this brief trilogy. Is this sci-fi or is this real life by now? * Half an hour * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 5.20 Votes Cast 46 Standard Deviation 2.02 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 49th place Where Nothing Is Ever Named Cover art for Where Nothing Is Ever Named Viktor Sobol viktor_sobol@mail.ru A brief escape puzzle inspired by Chapter 3 of "Through the Looking-Glass" by Lewis Carroll. Experimental * 15 minutes or less * Parser-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 5.19 Votes Cast 121 Standard Deviation 1.74 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 50th place House of Wolves Cover art for House of Wolves Shruti Deo Cover art by: MangoAzalea Wake up. Work. Eat. Dream. Bear it all again, over and over. How can a human live in the House of Wolves? Psychological horror * 15 minutes or less * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 5.12 Votes Cast 86 Standard Deviation 1.98 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 51st place The Triskelion Affair Cover art for The Triskelion Affair Al Cline acline1007@icloud.com (writing as "Clyde Falsoon") Cover art by: Ian Yarham, Geograph (2024-08-18) A medieval detective explores a desolate chapel in search of a powerful magical item. You guide this naive adventurer through the story, but who, unless you explore diligently, gets deeper and deeper into trouble until--well, some things are worse than death! Inspired by the classic dungeon-crawl adventures of yore. 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. Sword & sorcery * Two hours * Parser-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 5.06 Votes Cast 32 Standard Deviation 1.89 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 52nd place The Deserter MemoryCanyon You are a soldier, fleeing a war that you once believed was just. Will you escape? Will you find redemption? Adventure - War * Half an hour * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 5.03 Votes Cast 39 Standard Deviation 1.58 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 53rd place Traffic An adventure at five miles an hour Cover art for Traffic D. S. Yu dsyu@yahoo.com Cover art by: anaterate A somewhat "old-school" style text adventure set in modern day. Contains mild puzzles, most of which have multiple solutions (a basic walkthrough will also be provided). This game is unlikely to change your life in any meaningful way, but I hope you enjoy it. One hour * Parser-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 4.91 Votes Cast 56 Standard Deviation 1.48 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 54th place Unreal People Indulge in your voyeuristic desires Cover art for Unreal People Viwoo bamesjond707@gmail.com Cover art by: Computer Generated Image Set in an imagining of early mediaeval India, you play as a voyeuristic entity with the ability to enter people's minds and be privy to their sordid inner thoughts. Tasked with rooting out all the secrets of the little kingdom, becoming deeply intimate with its many inhabitants, you may find it hard to separate between yourself and the "NPCs" (whatever that term means). It's not your fault though, when you're pressed up against the glass, it's hard not to fog up the window. Experimental * Half an hour * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 4.90 Votes Cast 41 Standard Deviation 1.68 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 55th place Final Call Cover art for Final Call doq, Emily S, emistew14@yahoo.com Co-written by: doq (writing as doq) Cover art by: Emily M. Stewart A thriller-like choose-your-own-adventure twine game where you are a crafty con man whose luck has just run out and one of your schemes has gone too far catching the wrong attention. Your choices hold the key to your escape, choose wisely to right your wrongs or continue down the path of corruption. by Emily Stewart and Zoe Danieli Thriller, experimental, horror * 15 minutes or less * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 4.84 Votes Cast 49 Standard Deviation 1.94 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 56th place Awakened Deeply Cover art for Awakened Deeply R.A. Cooper Cover art by: R.A. Cooper You are Captain Pitker aboard the S.S. Crusade. You awaken from a deep sleep in your cryo tube. All of the crew has been decimated or vanished mysteriously. The onboard computer instructs you to investigate what happened aboard your ship and to find out who caused this mayhem. 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! Action-Adventure Sci-Fi * One hour * Parser-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 4.76 Votes Cast 55 Standard Deviation 1.61 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 57th place Doctor Who and the Dalek Super-Brain Cover art for Doctor Who and the Dalek Super-Brain jkj yuio Prepare to hide behind the sofa! 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? Sci-fi retro * Half an hour * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 4.49 Votes Cast 45 Standard Deviation 1.78 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 58th place The Master's Lair a kind of escape game Cover art for The Master's Lair Stefan Hoffmann "The Master's Lair" is a kind of escape game - you have broken into the Master's domicile to steal the mysterious magic claw. But the bigger problem is: how do you get out of this place? Control your hero with text commands, multiple choice or voice input through the mysterious master's domicile to find the hidden exit. You can expect lots of magical things, deep conversations with stuffed animals and secrets from your master that you would rather not have known about. - 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. Fantasy * Two hours Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 4.44 Votes Cast 16 Standard Deviation 1.84 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 59th place The Curse Cronoboy's adventures Cover art for The Curse Rob roberto61.marcarini@gmail.com Cover art by: Maddy (freaky.girl92@hotmail.it) Once upon a time. The Curse is an 80's style text adventure ,deeply updated (insertion of images, sounds, etc.) In fact, its very first (italian) version dates back to the mid-80s. In those years the games were characterized by a minimal narrative level plot mainly oriented towards puzzles. The Curse is no exception. It features several puzzles, many of which are timed. To avoid player frustration and consequent abandonment of the game, I have included a hint system that can be called up at any time and in any location with the HELP command. At the first call the system will only provide a suggestion while at the subsequent calls will provide the complete spoiler. Ps: For reasons i don't know ,some antiviruses block the download by reporting malware. Obviously this is a false alarm. The file is absolutely safe. It's necessary to temporarily disable the antivirus real-time protection. Surreal. Comic(?) * One hour * Parser-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 4.40 Votes Cast 25 Standard Deviation 2.56 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 60th place Big Fish Cover art for Big Fish Binggang Zhuo zhuobinggang@gmail.com (writing as "Binggang Zhuo") Cover art by: deepai The stage is set in a lakeside town from the end of the last century, where the protagonist begins to investigate a murder that occurred a year ago for some reason. Crime, detective * Half an hour * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 4.31 Votes Cast 61 Standard Deviation 1.67 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 61st place Campfire Enjoy some time away in nature Cover art for Campfire loreKin Cover art by: Amber Oliver A short camping experience for the 2024 IF COMP. 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. Slice of Life * Half an hour * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 4.23 Votes Cast 47 Standard Deviation 1.79 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 62nd place Hebe Cover art for Hebe Marina Diagourta marina.diagourta@gmail.com Cover art by: @kyeterna on instagram Your anniversary celebration takes a dark turn when the Titan Kronos strikes Mount Olympus, threatening the very existence of the Olympian gods! Embark on a journey through ancient Greece, where you'll solve puzzles, rescue your divine family, and confront the mighty Titan. Can you restore balance and seal the Titans back in Tartaros once and for all? The fate of Olympus rests in your hands! Puzzle, Adventure, Fantasy * An hour and a half * Parser-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 4.03 Votes Cast 35 Standard Deviation 2.31 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 63rd place Return to Claymorgue's Castle Cover art for Return to Claymorgue's Castle Claudio Daffra daffra.claudio@gmail.com Cover art by: Claudio Daffra Dive into the mystery of Claymorgue's Castle, a place suspended in time and permeated with unfathomable secrets. United by an insatiable thirst for discovery, our team of investigators ventures into this forgotten place. Guided by Jack's bravery, Lisa's technological genius, Tom's strength, and the sharp pen of our narrator. But beware, this is no ordinary place. It's a location where even silence seems to tell ancient stories. Are you prepared to delve into its mysteries? But don't forget, the adventure doesn't end here. An event will happen in the years to come, an event that you will be able to see in a few years. But it's up to you to discover it. Claymorgue Castle awaits you, ready to reveal its secrets hidden in time. The images were created in pixel art. Mystery * An hour and a half Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 3.83 Votes Cast 36 Standard Deviation 2.37 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 64th place Breakfast in the Dolomites A play just for fun comedy Cover art for Breakfast in the Dolomites Roberto Ceccarelli - <> strawberryfield@altervista.org Cover art by: Story text snippet processed by Bing Image Creator It is the mid-1990s. On a Friday evening in the summer, a guy and his girlfriend leave work for a short holiday in the Dolomites. 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! Screwball comedy * An hour and a half * Parser-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 3.72 Votes Cast 46 Standard Deviation 1.88 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 65th place The Lost Artist: Prologue Cover art for The Lost Artist: Prologue Alejandro Ruiz del Sol @GuguTheGadget alejandro.ruizdelsol@gmail.com Co-written by: Martina Oyhenard (writing as Martina Oyhenard) All artists deserve to be free. Don't you agree? 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? Detective Fiction * Half an hour * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 3.69 Votes Cast 48 Standard Deviation 1.73 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 66th place First Contact dott. Piergiorgio Railei, Pennsaran Arcanorum, Year 10.146, First day of the fifth month. A young (47 years..) elf named Etuye Alasne is to enter the hall where the inaugural lesson of her Class, where a fateful meeting is to happen... A meeting with a Daemon and an Angel. Romance * One hour * Choice-based Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 3.36 Votes Cast 33 Standard Deviation 1.72 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 67th place Uninteractive Fiction Cover art for Uninteractive Fiction Damon L. Wakes (writing as "Leah Thargic") The only winning move is not to play. 15 minutes or less Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB Score 2.47 Votes Cast 136 Standard Deviation 2.27 --------------------------------------------------------------------- The organizer of the 2024 Annual Interactive Fiction Competition was Jacqueline Ashwell. * 1995 * 1996 * 1997 * 1998 * 1999 * 2000 * 2001 * 2002 * 2003 * 2004 * 2005 * 2006 * 2007 * 2008 * 2009 * 2010 * 2011 * 2012 * 2013 * 2014 * 2015 * 2016 * 2017 * 2018 * 2019 * 2020 * 2021 * 2022 * 2023 * 2024 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Interactive Fiction Technology Foundation The Interactive Fiction Competition is a public service of the Interactive Fiction Technology Foundation, and funded by IF supporters like you. Except where otherwise noted, content of this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, attributable to Interactive Fiction Technology Foundation (www.iftechfoundation.org).