Games to be Replayed

Recommendations by Raksab (Seattle, Washington)

These games should be played through more than once, for full effect.

1. Rematch, by Andrew D. Pontious (2000)
Average member rating: (89 ratings)
Raksab says:

The ultimate replay game. The format of this one is deceptively simple: you get one move, and if it's not the right move, you die. You will need to die over and over, possibly hundreds of times, before you figure out the winning move. (It varies from session to session, so no one-sentence walkthrough exists!) A tip: read the text carefully each time, even if it seems like a repeat, and take notes. The game will gradually drop hints as you accumulate more deaths, so don't give up. Once you've solved the puzzle, though, there's nothing more to see here.

2. Möbius
by J.D. Clemens
(2006)
Average member rating: (34 ratings)

Raksab says:

There is only one puzzle in this game, but it's likely to take you many tries to solve it. The title says it all: you get trapped in an unusual situation (what's unusual about it will dawn on science fiction fans very quickly), and you can't escape until you fix the problem. The central multi-step puzzle is fairly flexible, with more than one solution to several of its parts. There's a handy status bar and a couple of extra commands that streamline the repetition.

3. Aisle
by Sam Barlow
(1999)
Average member rating: (321 ratings)

Raksab says:

Another one-move game. There isn't any winning or losing here, only different ways to end the story. Have fun experimenting.

4. Pick Up the Phone Booth and Aisle, by David Dyte, Steve Bernard, Dan Shiovitz, Iain Merrick, Liza Daly, John Cater, Ola Sverre Bauge, J. Robinson Wheeler, Jon Blask, Dan Schmidt, Stephen Granade, Rob Noyes, and Emily Short (2001)
Average member rating: (107 ratings)
Raksab says:

A parody crossover between "Aisle" and "Pick Up The Phone Booth And Die!" It imitates the one-move, multiple-ending concept of Aisle, and involves the humdrum New England town and phone booth from PUtPHaD. (You might notice the original "Phone Booth" is not included on this list of games. Trust me, you're not missing much.)

5. Spider and Web
by Andrew Plotkin
(1998)
Average member rating: (306 ratings)

Raksab says:

Part of this game is the "timed puzzle" sort, where you will have to play over and over just to find the right combination of moves for survival. But some of the game almost seems to replay itself ... except, of course, there's more going on than that. I'll say no more.

6. Slouching Towards Bedlam
by Star Foster and Daniel Ravipinto
(2003)
Average member rating: (210 ratings)

Raksab says:

This game has multiple endings, which is normally invitation enough to replay ... but the story itself has further reasons for going back and doing things again. Unusually, the endings are so morally ambiguous that there are no clear "winning" ones. You'll want to try them all, and your favorite probably won't be the same as mine. Each ending includes a different Appendix which you can view after the game is over.

7. De Baron
by Victor Gijsbers
(2006)
Average member rating: (159 ratings)

Raksab says:

The dark horror that is the center of this game will dawn on you slowly, and some things that happen early in the story will make more sense when you've fully realized what is going on. Also, the ending is such that you will probably want to play it again, to see what you can change. Warning: this is not the most terrifying IF game I've ever played, but it is definitely the most disturbing. Not for children. In fact, you may want to take a shower after you've played it.

8. All Roads
by Jon Ingold
(2001)
Average member rating: (152 ratings)

Raksab says:

Not much will change in this game on replays, but the story is so fragmented that you'll probably need to go through it multiple times to figure out what happened.

View this member's profile
See all lists by this member

Create your own Recommended List