| CARVIEW |
Winners of the 2015 IFComp
1st place
Brain Guzzlers from Beyond!
Explore beautiful Canyonville, New Mexico, at the height of the 1959 Pine Nut Days festival, interact with a full cast of NPCs, perform beat poetry, tamper with baked goods, use hideously powerful space weapons to win cheap carnival trinkets, and try to avoid getting a Reputation!
(Downloading recommended for best experience.)
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 8.05 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 95 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.71 |
2nd place
Map
A Deconstructural Fiction
Time enough, maybe, to make some changes.
[Note - this story contains mature themes and scenes that some might find difficult or distressing.]
[Download recommended for best experience]
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 7.65 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 66 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.89 |
3rd place
Midnight. Swordfight.
Violence. Sex. Profanity. Sausage.
This work also won 1st place in the 2015 Miss Congeniality Awards.
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 7.58 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 90 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.61 |
4th place
Birdland
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 7.54 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 115 |
| Standard Deviation | 2.01 |
5th place
Cape
An interactive origin
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 7.25 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 101 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.77 |
6th place
Sub Rosa
The Seven Deceits of Confessor Destine
This work also won 2nd place in the 2015 Miss Congeniality Awards.
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 7.21 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 56 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.63 |
7th place
Scarlet Sails
A rollicking pirate adventure with plenty of swordfights, magic, rum, betrayal, and maybe even true love.
Or will you be the pirate who does it all... and lives to tell the tale?
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 6.66 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 83 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.28 |
8th place
Untold Riches
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 6.61 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 74 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.58 |
9th place
Final Exam
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 6.42 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 73 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.68 |
10th place
Ether
A game about a flying cephalopod and its airy world. This short adventure recreates the feel of exploring a world in a graphical game, and uses a 9x9x9 cubical grid. Navigate the world in 26 directions as you collect items and use the properties of your environment to unlock their power. An in-game walkthrough is included, and is recommended for those new to parser interactive fiction, where you type in commands. There is also a list of basic parser commands.
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 6.39 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 77 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.56 |
11th place
Arcane Intern (Unpaid)
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 6.35 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 128 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.81 |
12th place
Darkiss - Chapter 1: the Awakening
[This is not a demo but a full-length game; Chapter 2 already exists, though only in Italian, and might be translated someday too.]
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 6.34 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 65 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.38 |
13th place
Life On Mars?
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 6.28 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 72 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.86 |
14th place
Nowhere Near Single
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 6.15 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 82 |
| Standard Deviation | 2.09 |
15th place
Koustrea's Contentment
Note: This game was designed for the HTML TADS Player Kit (https://www.tads.org/tads3.htm). Another interpreter that appears to support the game is QTads (https://qtads.sourceforge.net/downloads.shtml). Some universal interpreters, including Zoom, Spatterlight, and Gargoyle, do not support this game.
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 6.00 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 42 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.79 |
16th place
Onaar
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 5.98 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 43 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.70 |
17th place
The Sueño
An Oneirological Mystery
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 5.97 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 66 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.62 |
18th place
Summit
Headphones recommended. Please play online.
This work also won 3rd place in the 2015 Miss Congeniality Awards.
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 5.81 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 73 |
| Standard Deviation | 2.59 |
19th place
The Baker of Shireton
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 5.78 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 76 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.97 |
20th place
Gotomomi
Arno von Borries
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 5.73 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 60 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.66 |
21st place (tie)
TOMBs of Reschette
A Videogame About Fighting Monsters
--Earn XP, Dubloons, and Gems, like any good adventurer!
--Solve the mysteries in the Crypt of Mysteries!
--Learn the tragic story of Vanity's Dowager!
--Slay various monsters...and eat them!
--Kick back in the library with a good book!
Be careful, young adventurer! The TOMBs are a dangerous place and you have no idea what kind of horrible deaths could lie in store for you!
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 5.68 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 72 |
| Standard Deviation | 2.07 |
21st place (tie)
Grandma Bethlinda's Variety Box
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 5.68 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 95 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.90 |
23rd place
Kane County
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 5.65 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 72 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.53 |
24th place
The Problems Compound
An incredibly backward text adventure.
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 5.64 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 59 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.74 |
25th place
Switcheroo
Episode 3 of Mrs. Wobbles & The Tangerine House
Switcheroo is the 3rd installment of "Mrs. Wobbles and the Tangerine House," a series of choice-based stories about a magical foster care home run by the mysterious Mrs. Wobbles and narrated by a living book. Due to its subject matter, this installment, which is meant to stand on its own, is aimed at a slightly older demographic than the others (10+ yrs old). I've composed this story with my two children, and our goal is to help increase awareness about foster care and adoption while creating storygames for kids and adults to enjoy together. (Illustrated by Brian Gallagher, feat. poem by Ryka Aoki) [Optimized for Chrome, Safari, and Firefox, not IE]
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 5.55 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 58 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.82 |
26th place (tie)
Duel
No one who was worthy would hesitate.
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 5.53 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 80 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.95 |
26th place (tie)
Crossroads
A short psychological game about self-knowledge and its price. Content warning: blood, self-harm, suicidal ideation, violence, death.
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 5.53 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 94 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.76 |
28th place
Unbeknown
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| Score | 5.45 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 77 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.79 |
29th place
SPY INTRIGUE
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| Score | 5.36 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 61 |
| Standard Deviation | 2.75 |
30th place
Laid Off from the Synesthesia Factory
A story generator
In your email client, this is saved as a draft. There's some more text at the bottom. You don't remember typing it: "become hypersaturated."
[Download recommended but not required.]
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 5.22 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 67 |
| Standard Deviation | 2.06 |
31st place
I Think The Waves Are Watching Me
This game contains random stories, random people, random outcomes, and "achievements" that make it highly replayable and rewards you with multiple endings.
Note: Stand-alone Microsoft Windows executable. No need to install. Users may be told to update to ".NET 3.5" in order to play.
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 5.17 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 35 |
| Standard Deviation | 2.13 |
32nd place
5 Minutes to Burn Something!
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 5.13 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 119 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.61 |
33rd place
To Burn in Memory
Note: Please only play the version found online, not the version in the competition zip. https://toburninmemory.com/, is the only place you should be playing this!
Release Note for the November 14th version: To Burn in Memory now has a free roam mode. Just click the little scroll on the left bar to enter the credits and select it from there. You can do this from anywhere at any time. Music should work on all platforms now, too.
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 5.06 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 49 |
| Standard Deviation | 2.12 |
34th place
Forever Meow
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 4.97 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 93 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.94 |
35th place
Capsule II - The 11th Sandman
But there, in the darkness, among the twelve cryotubes...one tube blinks.
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 4.95 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 87 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.89 |
36th place
Second Story
Parser-based IF. Online play recommended but not required.
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 4.94 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 49 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.65 |
37th place
The Insect Massacre
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| Score | 4.89 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 63 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.61 |
38th place
In The Friend Zone
And what if you became stuck in there with the Nice Guys™?
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 4.74 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 74 |
| Standard Deviation | 2.16 |
39th place
Seeking Ataraxia
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 4.73 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 73 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.72 |
40th place
GROWBOTICS
A short exploration of invention, expectation, learning and context.
Minimal use of sound. Internet Explorer and mobile browsers are not fully supported.
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 4.71 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 90 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.80 |
41st place
A Figure Met in a Shaded Wood
A game about fortune telling and choices.
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 4.70 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 108 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.70 |
42nd place
The King and the Crown
The story of a King and the crown on his head.
But first, you'll need your crown and your scepter! Your crown is in the sturdy locked cabinet behind the throne. Your scepter... well, you must have left it somewhere in the throne room. Probably.
Everything you do and don't do, and when you do or don't do them, will affect how the ending plays out. The future is there for those who seek it out.
For the rest of us, there's a very short game I'd love for you to play.
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 4.55 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 86 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.74 |
43rd place (tie)
The Speaker
The words are from his mouth. But they are typed by my hand.
Walking in Riviera's shoes, the player's job is simple: Arthur tells you what advice to answer with, and you write it as he says.
Or do you?
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 4.36 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 64 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.54 |
43rd place (tie)
Pilgrimage
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| Score | 4.36 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 66 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.58 |
45th place
Pit of the Condemned
Yours is scheduled for noon.
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 4.35 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 60 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.66 |
46th place
Taghairm
Cruelty. Violence. Sounds.
Headphones recommended.
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 4.24 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 78 |
| Standard Deviation | 2.23 |
47th place
Cat Scratch
An Entertainment Technology Center Project
Cat Scratch (writing as “Allyn (Yilling) Chen, Hannah Turner, Laura Weber, Shirley Park, Will Hagen, Chris Klug, and Scott Stevens”)
It is an Android app, designed to be run an newer tablets. Specifically, it was tested for the Kindle Fire, though should work on tablets or phone with similar specs. This app does use sound, though while not strictly required to play, greatly enhances the experience. It can run offline perfectly fine. It has not been tested in an emulator, so if you wish to try it on that, let us know if a specific emulator seems to work and we will gladly update this page to mention that emulator.
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 3.95 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 20 |
| Standard Deviation | 2.44 |
48th place (tie)
Much Love, BJP
Examining Gender and War through Interactive Fiction
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| Score | 3.73 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 70 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.67 |
48th place (tie)
Questor's Quest
The Ivory Tower
Questor’s Quest is a light hearted, old-school fantasy adventure that challenges some of the conventions of Interactive Fiction. It also introduces an idea or two that may be new to IF, or perhaps just uncommon. Questor’s Quest is a great game for beginners, and should also prove to be a fun, quick challenge for more experienced players as well.
Cover Art by Jason Cushman [email protected]
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 3.73 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 40 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.48 |
50th place
Grimm's Godfather
The choice is yours
Gaby (writing as “WaffleShuai”)
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 3.55 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 40 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.75 |
51st place
Recorded
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| Score | 3.39 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 54 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.27 |
52nd place
The Man Who Killed Time
Or will kill Time.
Or is killing Time, this very moment (the ordering is always the trickiest bit).
Notes: - English is not my first language. - While I was writing it, I realised its nature is more of a narrative with an important choice, but I wanted to have an entry at IFComp and I could use the feedback anyway, so here it is. - Thanks to Nick Turner for many corrections!
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 3.34 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 58 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.77 |
53rd place
The War of the Willows
Violence.
Requires a Python interpreter. Written and tested with Python 2.7, but should work in 3.x.
Play, download, or learn more about this game on the IFDB
| Score | 3.13 |
|---|---|
| Votes Cast | 30 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.31 |
The organizer of the 2015 Annual Interactive Fiction Competition was Jason McIntosh.