Games with unique hint systems - an IFDB Poll

by delano
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I'm looking for games that offer hints in any way, except for printing them in sequence on the screen.

For example: characters that offer hints; objects that, when examined or used in a certain way, suggest actions to the player; etc.

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Robin & Orchid, by Ryan Veeder and Emily Boegheim
4 votes
"Not only unique, but also pretty darn useful." [+]"Not only unique, but also pretty darn useful." () --Katrisa... "Except the cat lives in the boiler room - he's not leading you there!" [+]"Except the cat lives in the boiler room - he's not leading you there!" --Hanon Ondricek... "Incredibly helpful and even more hilarious." [+]"Incredibly helpful and even more hilarious." () --Kinetic Mouse Car... "the cat, and the..." [+]"the cat, and the big book." () --Anya Johanna DeNiro...

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Threediopolis, by Andrew Schultz
3 votes
"A few hints are..." [+]"A few hints are available by travelling to certain locations and looking through a scope." () --E.K.... "Since it's voted..." [+]"Since it's voted for, I'll note the adrift-a-tron and avaliableometer in release 2. 4thwallish but there." --Andrew Schultz... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Lance Cirone...

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Broken Legs, by Sarah Morayati
3 votes
"You can call your..." [+]"You can call your mom for advice." --Juhana... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Kinetic Mouse Car... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone...

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The Wizard Sniffer, by Buster Hudson
3 votes
"You carry around..." [+]"You carry around two fleas-- one that gives you a hint that will help you, and another that gives you bad advice." () --Cryptic Puffin... (No comment) [+](No comment) --OverThinking... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone...

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Slouching Towards Bedlam, by Star Foster and Daniel Ravipinto
2 votes
"In addition to a..." [+]"In addition to a traditional hint system, the game also features a robotic companion that will analyze objects you point at and display cryptic clues -- all in the same delightful steampunk style as everything else." () --Felix Pleșoianu... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone...

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Jigsaw, by Graham Nelson
2 votes
"Includes a device..." [+]"Includes a device that will tell you whether you've found everything in a particular area." () --Emily Short... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone...

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Cragne Manor, by Ryan Veeder, Jenni Polodna, Adam Whybray, Adri, Andrew Plotkin, Andy Holloway, Austin Auclair, Baldur Brückner, Ben Collins-Sussman, Bill Maya, Brian Rushton, Buster Hudson, Caleb Wilson, Carl Muckenhoupt, Chandler Groover, Chris Jones, Christopher Conley, Damon L. Wakes, Daniel Ravipinto, Daniel Stelzer, David Jose, David Petrocco, David Sturgis, Drew Mochak, Edward B, Emily Short, Erica Newman, Feneric, Finn Rosenlřv, Gary Butterfield, Gavin Inglis, Greg Frost, Hanon Ondricek, Harkness Munt, Harrison Gerard, Ian Holmes, Ivan Roth, Jack Welch, Jacqueline Ashwell, James Eagle, Jason Dyer, Jason Lautzenheiser, Jason Love, Jeremy Freese, Joey Jones, Joshua Porch, Justin de Vesine, Justin Melvin, Katherine Morayati, Kenneth Pedersen, Lane Puetz, Llew Mason, Lucian Smith, Marco Innocenti, Marius Müller, Mark Britton, Mark Sample, Marshal Tenner Winter, Matt Schneider, Matt Weiner, Matthew Korson, Michael Fessler, Michael Gentry, Michael Hilborn, Michael Lin, Mike Spivey, Molly Ying, Monique Padelis, Naomi Hinchen, Nate Edwards, Petter Sjölund, Q Pheevr, Rachel Spitler, Reed Lockwood, Reina Adair, Riff Conner, Roberto Colnaghi, Rowan Lipkovits, Sam Kabo Ashwell, Scott Hammack, Sean M. Shore, Shin, Wade Clarke, Zach Hodgens, Zack Johnson
2 votes
"The coffee cup" [+]"The coffee cup" ( - Full review) --MathBrush... "Coffee cup" [+]"Coffee cup: Tells you if you've done everything in the room, or whether you can solve the puzzles with what you have." ( - Full review) --Lance Cirone...

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Crafty's Escape Room, by dkmGames
2 votes
"If you are stuck,..." [+]"If you are stuck, you can call Crafty (the guy who stuck you in the basement) for help with an iPhone that you discover in a drawer. The game makes it look like you are actually texting him. Clever and helpful." ( - Full review) --Kinetic Mouse Car... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone...

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AˇLˇIˇEˇN: La aventura - Edición Especial, by Alpha Aventuras (Ricardo Pérez, Manuel Millán, Francisco J. Roldán, Manuel I. Monge, Antonio Matiola, Francisco Picazo)
2 votes
"three-tiered system (Castilian Spanish game)" [+]"three-tiered system (Castilian Spanish game): One broken robot begins dropping garbled hints if you look stuck. You can ask Mother, the ship's AI, for help if it happens to know anything. Finally, you can type "pistas" for the explicit hint menu." () --IFforL2... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone...

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Shuffling Around, by Andrew Schultz (as Ned Yompus)
2 votes
"The more..." [+]"The more traditional hints are delivered via Hint Fairy, but the wordplay hints are delivered either via a gadget which tells you which letters can be switched or a slider that tells you the first and last letters of the word (you can choose only one of these)." () --E.K.... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone...

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Grimnoir, by ProP
2 votes
"Call Solene for help on your cell phone (or visit her in her office)" [+]"Call Solene for help on your cell phone (or visit her in her office)" () --Kinetic Mouse Car... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone...

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Aunts and Butlers, by Robin Johnson
2 votes
"The mysterious butler gives you hints when summoned by the bell." [+]"The mysterious butler gives you hints when summoned by the bell." () --Cryptic Puffin... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone...

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Calm, by Joey Jones and Melvin Rangasamy
2 votes
"There's the..." [+]"There's the option to turn on easy mode, which will then highlight words in the description as well as automatically provide hints." --Cryptic Puffin... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone...

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Mindshadow, by Brian Fargo
2 votes
"There's a Condor who offers clues" [+]"There's a Condor who offers clues: Entering the command "condor help me" in certain rooms displays a screen with a condor who provides a clue revelant to that part of the story." ( - Full review) --mjhayes... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone...

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First Things First, by J. Robinson Wheeler
2 votes
"Includes a "red..." [+]"Includes a "red herring detector" that will tell you if given objects can be ignored." --Emily Short... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone...

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Curses, by Graham Nelson
2 votes
"An angel and a..." [+]"An angel and a devil character provide clues." () --Emily Short... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Felix Pleșoianu...

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Missive, by Joey Fu
2 votes
"Clues in the text..." [+]"Clues in the text are highlighted when hint mode is on." () --Edward Lacey... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lance Cirone...

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Oppositely Opal, by Buster Hudson
2 votes
"Killjoy the hint cat." [+]"Killjoy the hint cat." () --CMG... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Cygnus...

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A Roiling Original, by Andrew Schultz
1 vote
"Redness is a..." [+]"Redness is a hint, and the Settler's mechanics are its own puzzle." --Andrew Schultz...

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CosmoServe: an Adventure Game for the BBS-Enslaved, by Judith Pintar
1 vote
"There is a hint..." [+]"There is a hint "office" in the virtual reality world where you can get hints for puzzles and objectives. " --Kinetic Mouse Car...

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Bronze, by Emily Short
1 vote
"Elegant "think of"..." [+]"Elegant "think of" hint system." ( - Full review) --Amphiareion...

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Sequitur, by Nigel Jayne (as Tin Foil Jenny)
1 vote
"The writer of the program is in the room giving hints when you request them." [+]"The writer of the program is in the room giving hints when you request them." --NJ...

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Very Vile Fairy File, by Andrew Schultz (as Billy Boling)
1 vote
"Leet Learner" [+]"Leet Learner: A tool can tell you whether you can manipulate items in the area, and another hints if you have to add or remove letters." ( - Full review) --Lance Cirone...

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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams and Steve Meretzky
1 vote
"The Guide itself" [+]"The Guide itself" () --Robin Johnson...

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Escapade!, by Juhana Leinonen
1 vote
"Hints are given..." [+]"Hints are given by the main NPC." --Juhana...

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PataNoir, by Simon Christiansen
1 vote
"Trusty servant Wesson" [+]"Trusty servant Wesson: You can ask your servant Wesson for help, and he tells you if there's any more puzzles to solve in the room." ( - Full review) --Lance Cirone...

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Lazy Wizard's Guide, by Lenard Gunda
1 vote
"Hint genie" [+]"Hint genie: There's a genie you can magically summon who gives you clues on what to do next." ( - Full review) --Lance Cirone...

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Toby's Nose, by Chandler Groover
1 vote
"The nose" [+]"The nose: Toby's nose in the second version has different smelling levels that highlight key objects and memories in the various rooms" () --penguincascadia...

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