A cold wind is blowing and the temperature is barely creeping through single digits, in my neck of the woods. It isn’t sub-zero though, and I guess in a way, spring is in fact approaching. By which I mean that this year’s Spring Thing Festival of Interactive Fiction. What’s it all about? I am so glad you asked: interactive tales of textual entertainment!
Textual. As in, entirely text-based games played using a parser. Which likely means you won’t find any use for that fancy gamepad or super-expensive new mouse you just got, as these are – far as I can tell – all affairs that only move things along whenever the player performs an action, whether it be a dialogue selection or otherwise. Basically… interactive fiction. Right. Anyway, it’s time to play no less than thirty-eight submissions. Once that’s done with, well, you’re all set for nominating one or more – soon as that part of Spring Thing Festival of Interactive Fiction 2021 opens up, anyway – either for a Best In Show ribbon, or the ‘custom’ (as in, ‘make up your own ribbon and give them to games’) Audience Awards.
Best In Show
- An Amical Bet, by Eve Cabanié – Quest
- Baggage, by Katherine Farmar – Inform/Glulx
- A Blank Page, by Edu Sánchez – Twine
- Copper Canyon, by Tony Pisculli – Ink
- Eleanor, by Rob – Windows
- Excalibur, by J. J. Guest, G. C. Baccaris and Duncan Bowsman – Twine
- Fish & Dagger, by grave snail games – Twine
- Hand of God, by Dana Freitas – Twine
- Heroes!, by Bellamy Briks – Quest
- Journey to Ultimate Fightdown!, by Havilah “mwahahavilah” McGinnis – Ink
- Lady Thalia and the Seraskier Sapphires, by E. Joyce and N. Cormier – Twine
- Mean Mother Trucker, by Bitter Karella – Inform/Glulx
- Medicum Veloctic, by Lawrence M Marable – Twine
- Miss No-Name, by Bellamy Briks – Twine
- Misty Hills, by Giuliano Roverato Martins Pereira – Twine
- Ned Nelson Really Needs a Job, by Eric Crepeau – Twine
- Perihelion, by Tim White – Twine
- Picton Murder Whodunnit, by Sia See – Strand
- Project Arcmör, by Donald Conrad and Peter M.J. Gross (as Bitterly Indifferent Studios) – Twine
- [PYG]MALION*, by C.J. – Twine
- Queenlash, by Kaemi Velatet – Twine
- The Secret of Nara, by Ralfe Rich – Twine
- Some Space, by rittermi – Twine
- Sovereign Citizens, by Laura Paul and Max Woodring – Twine
- A strange dream, by Anaïs Tn – Quest
- Sunny’s Summer Vacation, by Lucas C. Wheeler – Twine
- Take the Dog Out, by Ell – Inform/Z
- Those Days, by George Larkwright – Twine
- The Weight of a Soul, by Chin Kee Yong – Inform/Glulx
- Wintervale, by Ethan Erh – Twine
Back Garden
- Blue November, by Lawrence Furnival – Twine
- Budacanta, by Alianora La Canta – Ren’Py
- Cycles (Excerpt), by Mike Marttila – Ink
- Eyewear Cleaner 2077: Demo, by Naomi Norbez – Twine
- Manikin Demo, by Rose Behar – Twine
- So I Was Short Of Cash And Took On A Quest, by Anssi Raisanen – Inform/Glulx
- Space Diner, by Marta and Alexej – Python
- Theatre of Spud, by D E Haynes – Python
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