Getting back into IF, best re-introductions to the genre - an IFDB Poll

by Sorrel
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I haven't played any IF for roughly the past 6 years and am excited to get back into it. So, what have I missed? What have been some of your favorite games released since 2010? Alternatively, what games do you think would serve as a good reintroduction to the genre? I remember most of the IF conventions, but am definitely a little rusty on typical IF logic/puzzles.

Back in the day I particularly enjoyed conversation-based and one-room puzzle games, so I'd especially love to get some of those recommendations.

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Counterfeit Monkey, by Emily Short
6 votes
"Big, conversation-heavy game with tutorials" [+]"Big, conversation-heavy game with tutorials: Emily Short's largest game ever was released while you were gone. You play a spy in a world where you can change an object by changing its spelling. It has several tutorial features to help new players or returning players." ( - Full review) --MathBrush... "One of the new..." [+]"One of the new classics, very fun, with jaw-dropping implementation. Med-large game." --Danielle... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --E.K.... (No comment) [+](No comment) --LisariaUS... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --prevtenet... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --IFforL2...

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Toby's Nose, by Chandler Groover
4 votes
"One room, one-verb puzzler" [+]"One room, one-verb puzzler: In this game, you are Sherlock Holmes' dog. By smelling people and memories, you uncover a big mystery. One-room game friendly to newcomers and returners." ( - Full review) --MathBrush... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --E.K.... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --TheAncientOne... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --IFforL2...

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Hadean Lands, by Andrew Plotkin
3 votes
"Universally acclaimed masterpiece" [+]"Universally acclaimed masterpiece: No less than Emily Short called it "one of the most extraordinary pieces of parser IF ever written." Not easy, but logical and fair." () --prevtenet... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --MathBrush... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Billy Mays...

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Hunger Daemon, by Sean M. Shore
2 votes
"Parser game with..." [+]"Parser game with tremendous personality, pokes a lot of fun at Lovecraftian conventions. I haven't finished it yet, but just thinking about the parts I have played makes me grin. " --Danielle... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --E.K....

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Lime Ergot, by Caleb Wilson (as Rust Blight)
2 votes
"Creepily atmospheric, surreal one-verb horror game" [+]"Creepily atmospheric, surreal one-verb horror game" () --Hannah Powell-Smith... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --CMG...

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Castle of the Red Prince, by C.E.J. Pacian
2 votes
"Mildly creepy..." [+]"Mildly creepy gothic/fantasy quest with unique mechanic" ( - Full review) --Christina Nordlander... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --IFforL2...

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Hana Feels, by Gavin Inglis
2 votes
"Conversation-based." [+]"Conversation-based." () --Sobol... "If you're coming..." [+]"If you're coming back you've probably seen more Choose Your Own Adventure and "Twine" type stories. This is one of the best of them, very thoughtful, with illustrations, even! " () --Danielle...

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the uncle who works for nintendo, by michael lutz
2 votes
"Probably the first Twine game I genuinely loved" [+]"Probably the first Twine game I genuinely loved: good for getting a feel for the possibilities of the format if you've not been around to see its growth." () --E.K.... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --IFforL2...

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Brain Guzzlers from Beyond!, by Steph Cherrywell
2 votes
"50s sci-fi adventure" [+]"50s sci-fi adventure: Steph Cherrywell seems to have only appeared in the last couple of years and has a really fresh voice - if you like puzzly (but not too hard) adventure romps with well-drawn characters then her stuff is for you." () --E.K.... "Fun spoof of 50's..." [+]"Fun spoof of 50's sci-fi. Some NPCs/conversation." () --prevtenet...

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Horse Master, by Tom McHenry
2 votes
"1) It's fun to..." [+]"1) It's fun to say the full title of this game out loud in a WWF announcer's voice (HORSE MASTER!, THE GAME OF HORSE MASTERY!) 2) See Twine get pushed to the limits. 3) Surreal, memorable." ( - Full review) --Danielle... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Space Cowboy...

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With Those We Love Alive, by Porpentine and Brenda Neotenomie
1 vote
"I think..." [+]"I think Porpentine will be new to you. New distinctive voice in the community, best known for "Howling Dogs." Typically does surreal Twine work punctuated by occasional body horror...but man, I love the atmosphere in nearly all her work. I think this one stuck with me due to a more-obvious (to me, anyway) storyline." () --Danielle...

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Dinner Bell, by Jenni Polodna
1 vote
"SO Hungry! " [+]"SO Hungry! : This is a very interesting one room puzzle game. Not heavy on dialogue, but I think that you might like it regardless. I know that I did." () --Matt Bates...

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Andromeda Awakening - The Final Cut, by Marco Innocenti
1 vote
"First IF story I fully immersed myself into in nearly a decade" [+]"First IF story I fully immersed myself into in nearly a decade: I've been out of the loop for years myself. When I came back, I was afraid to try anything new, and now most of the stories were "blorbed," so I had to get new interpreters. I was hearing so much about the Andromeda series, that I had to take a look for myself. I'm glad I did." ( - Full review) --mjhayes...

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♥Magical Makeover♥, by S. Woodson
1 vote
(No comment) [+](No comment) () --Danielle...

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Fingertips: What's That Blue Thing Doing Here?, by Ruth Alfasso
1 vote
"There are lots of..." [+]"There are lots of good games from the Apollo 18 Tribute Album collection (a very strong thirty-eight game compilation, many of which are one-move/one-room games). This one is essentially "amusing responses for all the regular IF actions", which may be a good refresher." ( - Full review) --Teaspoon...

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Ollie Ollie Oxen Free, by Carolyn VanEseltine
1 vote
"Classic parser game" [+]"Classic parser game: you're a teacher trying to save their students after an attack on the school. Also recommend checking out Carolyn VanEseltine's other work." () --E.K....

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Weird City Interloper, by C.E.J. Pacian
1 vote
"Pure conversation game, damn good" [+]"Pure conversation game, damn good" () --jakomo...

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