Here are a few games to get you started in your IF journey–as approved by the members of the People’s Republic. These games are considered classics of the genre, old and new, complex and simple, funny and dramatic. You can play them right in your web browser.
Photopia
Adam Cadre (1998)
A short story told in interactive form. Understated and moving.
The Dreamhold
Andrew Plotkin (2004)
The Dreamhold is a tutorial game. It’s designed for people who have never played IF before. It introduces the common commands and mindset of text adventures, one step at a time. There’s an extensive help system describing standard IF commands, as well as dynamic hints which pop up whenever you seem to be stuck.
Of course, you can turn off the hints and the tutorials, and play The Dreamhold as a real game. The puzzles are not extremely difficult, but they should offer some challenge to both experienced players and newcomers.
Lost Pig
Admiral Jota (2007)
Grunk is an orc. Grunk has lost a pig. Grunk is in serious trouble if he can’t get it back.
A thoroughly delightful outing whose orcish narrative voice conceals a deft sense of humor.
Shade
Andrew Plotkin (2000)
A one-room game set in your apartment.
Shade is an experiment in surrealism and psychological fear. It begins as a classic “room escape” scenario; but that’s not how it ends.
Galatea
Emily Short (2000)
A conversation with a work of art. “47. Galatea. White Thasos marble. Non-commissioned work by the late Pygmalion of Cyprus. (The artist has since committed suicide.) Originally not an animate. The waking of this piece from its natural state remains unexplained.”
An experiment in pure dialogue. Your conversation with Galatea can take many paths, revealing many different potential histories and situations.
Violet
Jeremy Freese (2008)
Calm down. All you have to do is write a thousand words and everything will be fine. And you have all day, except it’s already noon.
A short, charming game about your worst nightmare: writing your dissertation. Try to resist the myriad distractions of a grad student’s office, accompanied only by the affectionate-or-sarcastic voice of your girlfriend — who isn’t really there.
Anchorhead
Michael Gentry (1998)
A rich work of gothic horror, in the style of H. P. Lovecraft. Explore the New England town of Anchorhead and discover its murky secrets. This is a lengthy and challenging game, but well worth your time.
Adventure (Colossal Cave)
Will Crowther and Don Woods (1976)
The beginning of it all. Adventure circulated on mainframes in the 1970s, passed from hacker to hacker, played late at night in poorly-lit terminal rooms. It’s charming, frustrating, whimsical, inconsistent, challenging, and exasperating by turns. All adventure games are named after this one. Can you find all the treasures and leave the cavern alive?