The great puzzlefests - an IFDB Poll
by Victor Gijsbers
RSS FeedPlaying Curses!, I started wondering which games belong to the canon of great puzzlefests. With this term I mean puzzle based games that are long, difficult and punishing; but also fair, engaging and truly rewarding to work through. The best works of Infocom probably belong here, as do Curses!, Anchorhead, Savoir-Faire and Varicella. But my knowledge of this corpus is hazy. Titles like Christminster, Mulldoon Legacy and Not Just an Ordinary Ballerina strike a bell, but I've never played them. Among more recent works, Counterfeit Monkey and Hadean Lands might be good examples. (The Dreamhold is perhaps not quite what I have in mind, being on the shorter side.) But I'm probably unaware of many other gems, both old and more recent. So help me by voting in the poll!
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| Counterfeit Monkey, by Emily Short 10 votes "Large puzzle game based on wordplay" [+]"Large puzzle game based on wordplay" --Victor Gijsbers... "Large great gama based in twisting words on english words" [+]"Large great gama based in twisting words on english words" ( ) --Jade68... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --CMG... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Spike... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lucifalle... "Portal for..." [+]"Portal for English -- an obvious choice" --Chin Kee Yong... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --cgasquid... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Jubal... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Lance Cirone...  Vote for this game | |
| A Beauty Cold and Austere, by Mike Spivey 7 votes "Math Puzzlefest" [+]"Math Puzzlefest" ( ) --Denk... "Impressive visualisation of abstract math-problems." [+]"Impressive visualisation of abstract math-problems." ( - Full review) --Rovarsson... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Karl Ove Hufthammer... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Emily Short... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Lance Campbell... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --cgasquid... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Kinetic Mouse Car... Vote for this game | |
| The Wand, by Arthur DiBianca 6 votes "This game is pure puzzles - many of them, and clever" [+]"This game is pure puzzles - many of them, and clever" ( ) --Spike... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Denk... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --CMG... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Karl Ove Hufthammer... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Lance Campbell... Vote for this game | |
| Curses, by Graham Nelson 6 votes "The great puzzlefest that showcased the strengths of Inform" [+]"The great puzzlefest that showcased the strengths of Inform" --Victor Gijsbers... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Spike... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Nomad... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --shornet... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Ghalev... (No comment) [+](No comment) --SRD625... Vote for this game | |
| 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 Rosenløv, 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 5 votes "The biggest puzzlefest" [+]"The biggest puzzlefest" ( - Full review) --MathBrush... "Literally dozens..." [+]"Literally dozens of authors give it their all in this puzzle filled tribute to Anchorhead. Each author designs their own room." () --Kinetic Mouse Car... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Denk... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Max Fog... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Zape... Vote for this game | |
| Anchorhead, by Michael Gentry 5 votes "Adds creepiness and suspense to a genre that often felt laid-back and purely cerebral" [+]"Adds creepiness and suspense to a genre that often felt laid-back and purely cerebral" --Victor Gijsbers... "A long game with well integrayed puzzles in the plot" [+]"A long game with well integrayed puzzles in the plot" ( ) --Jade68... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Denk... "The game that got..." [+]"The game that got me in to modern IF. " () --calindreams... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Lucifalle... Vote for this game | |
| Hadean Lands, by Andrew Plotkin 5 votes "Alchemical puzzlefest in which repetition is avoided by powerful automatic puzzle solving" [+]"Alchemical puzzlefest in which repetition is avoided by powerful automatic puzzle solving" --Victor Gijsbers... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Sobol... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --CMG... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Chin Kee Yong... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --bkirwi... Vote for this game | |
| Savoir-Faire, by Emily Short 4 votes "Brilliant game gets a distinctive feel because of the magic-based puzzles" [+]"Brilliant game gets a distinctive feel because of the magic-based puzzles" ( - Full review) --Victor Gijsbers... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... (No comment) [+](No comment) --cgasquid... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --bkirwi... Vote for this game | |
| First Things First, by J. Robinson Wheeler 4 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Sobol... "Quite hard but..." [+]"Quite hard but fair time travel puzzle with all kinds of puzzles. " --calindreams... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --deathbytroggles... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Denk... Vote for this game | |
| Finding Martin, by G.K. Wennstrom 4 votes "Wait, what? I was trying to find someone? Puzzles galore." [+]"Wait, what? I was trying to find someone? Puzzles galore." ( - Full review) --Rovarsson... "Exactly what Rovarrson said. I literally forgot." [+]"Exactly what Rovarrson said. I literally forgot." () --Max Fog... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Nomad... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Blake... Vote for this game | |
| Lydia's Heart, by Jim Aikin 3 votes "Creepy puzzlefest" [+]"Creepy puzzlefest" ( ) --Denk... "Long, difficult and rewarding. Both puzzles and story are top-notch." [+]"Long, difficult and rewarding. Both puzzles and story are top-notch." ( - Full review) --Rovarsson... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Canalboy... Vote for this game | |
| The Axe of Kolt [8-bit versions], by Larry Horsfield 3 votes "A huge fantasy puzzlefest. Very oldschool." [+]"A huge fantasy puzzlefest. Very oldschool." ( ) --Targor... "Straight non-ironic Fantasy-quest. " [+]"Straight non-ironic Fantasy-quest. " --Rovarsson... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Canalboy... Vote for this game | |
| The Mulldoon Legacy, by Jon Ingold 3 votes "Great puzzle-fest game" [+]"Great puzzle-fest game" ( ) --zer... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --cgasquid... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Canalboy... Vote for this game | |
| How Prince Quisborne the Feckless Shook His Title, by John Ziegler 3 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) --Johnnywz00... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Zape... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --MathBrush... Vote for this game | |
| Varicella, by Adam Cadre 3 votes "You must defeat your enemies rather than pass locked doors, but still a puzzlefest" [+]"You must defeat your enemies rather than pass locked doors, but still a puzzlefest" --Victor Gijsbers... "Fight tooth and nail (not literally) to get what you want. Lots of puzzles." [+]"Fight tooth and nail (not literally) to get what you want. Lots of puzzles." ( ) --Kinetic Mouse Car... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Chin Kee Yong... Vote for this game | |
| The Incredibly Mild Misadventures of Tom Trundle, by B F Lindsay 2 votes "This game has..." [+]"This game has intricate puzzles for seemingly EVERYTHING, but the story makes the lengthy gameplay worth it. A life-or-death scavenger hunt in a closed high school." ( ) --Kinetic Mouse Car... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Canalboy... Vote for this game | |
| Never Gives Up Her Dead, by Mathbrush 2 votes "Extremely big but fair puzzlefest without any guess the verb." [+]"Extremely big but fair puzzlefest without any guess the verb." ( ) --Targor... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Zape... Vote for this game | |
| The King of Shreds and Patches, by Jimmy Maher 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Sobol... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Lucifalle... Vote for this game | |
| Not Just an Ordinary Ballerina, by Jim Aikin 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) --cgasquid... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Canalboy... Vote for this game | |
| Augmented Fourth, by Brian Uri! 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Sobol... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Canalboy... Vote for this game | |
| Frustration, by Jim MacBrayne 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Canalboy... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Denk... Vote for this game | |
| Blue Lacuna, by Aaron A. Reed 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Denk... "When played in..." [+]"When played in the "puzzle mode."" () --Sobol... Vote for this game | |
| Illuminismo Iniziato, by Michael J. Coyne 2 votes "The laughing makes the puzzles even harder." [+]"The laughing makes the puzzles even harder." ( - Full review) --Rovarsson... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Denk... Vote for this game | |
| The Chinese Room, by Harry Josephine Giles and Joey Jones 2 votes "Philosophical conundrums brought to life." [+]"Philosophical conundrums brought to life." ( - Full review) --Rovarsson... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... Vote for this game | |
| The Dark Tower, by Jack Lockerby 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Canalboy... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Denk... Vote for this game | |
| Worldsmith, by Ade McT 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Sobol... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Denk... Vote for this game | |
| The Temple of Shorgil, by Arthur DiBianca 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Karl Ove Hufthammer... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Denk... Vote for this game | |
| Adventurer's Consumer Guide, by Øyvind Thorsby 2 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Sobol... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Emily Short... Vote for this game | |
| Risorgimento Represso, by Michael J. Coyne 2 votes "Brain-breakingly funny." [+]"Brain-breakingly funny." ( - Full review) --Rovarsson... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Denk... Vote for this game | |
| Suspended, by Michael Berlyn 2 votes "Special but big puzzlefest" [+]"Special but big puzzlefest: 10/10 really good puzzlefest" ( - Full review) --Denk... "Not so many puzzles, but cleverly designed definitely " [+]"Not so many puzzles, but cleverly designed definitely " () --Max Fog... Vote for this game | |
| Zork I, by Marc Blank and Dave Lebling 1 vote "I guess all the official Zork games fit the bill so I just add the first" [+]"I guess all the official Zork games fit the bill so I just add the first: Great game" ( ) --Denk... Vote for this game | |
| Zork Zero, by Steve Meretzky 1 vote "Ahem? The big, big puzzlefest Infocom game." [+]"Ahem? The big, big puzzlefest Infocom game." ( - Full review) --Max Fog... Vote for this game | |
| Castle Blackstar, by Mark Sheppard, Andrew Cummins, Geoff Richardson 1 vote "Large Intricate Treasure Hunt With Added Quest" [+]"Large Intricate Treasure Hunt With Added Quest: Similar in size to Mainframe Zork and full of clever puzzles. Difficult but not unfairly so in my opinion." ( ) --Canalboy... Vote for this game | |
| Gorm, by Chris Allen 1 vote "Extremely large time travel game - over 300 locations and plenty of NPCs." [+]"Extremely large time travel game - over 300 locations and plenty of NPCs." ( - Full review) --Canalboy... Vote for this game | |
| Mirror of Khoronz, by Derek Haslam 1 vote "Recently Extended Sequel To Gateway To Karos" [+]"Recently Extended Sequel To Gateway To Karos: Derek Haslam has rewritten this old school puzzler for the Archimedes. I helped to beta test it and thoroughly recommend playing. Over 300 locations, evocative writing, excellent puzzles and a good back story to boot." ( - Full review) --Canalboy... Vote for this game | |
| Castle Ralf, by Doug Clutter and Steve Vance 1 vote "Large and clever..." [+]"Large and clever puzzle fest.Escape from a large castle full of machines and traps." ( - Full review) --Canalboy... Vote for this game | |
| Mentula Macanus: Apocolocyntosis, by One of the Bruces and Drunken Bastard 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Sobol... Vote for this game | |
| Gateway to Karos, by Derek Haslam 1 vote "Very large ex commercial game from Acornsoft - find the talisman of Khoronz" [+]"Very large ex commercial game from Acornsoft - find the talisman of Khoronz: A 300 location game with very realistic geography and plenty of NPCs to interact with. Oddly compass points work outside the towns and left, right, back and forward in towns. " ( - Full review) --Canalboy... Vote for this game | |
| Hezarin, by Alex Shipp and Steve Tinney 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Canalboy... Vote for this game | |
| Birmingham IV, by Peter Emery 1 vote "Time travel puzzlefest with a moral dilemma denouement" [+]"Time travel puzzlefest with a moral dilemma denouement: Travel back to medieval Birmingham and embark on a treasure hunt cum philosophical odyssey. Great forking ending." ( - Full review) --Canalboy... Vote for this game | |
| Talisman: Challenging the Sands of Time, by Bruce Hoffman, Raimund Redlich, and Brian Poff 1 vote "With graphics" [+]"With graphics" --Denk... Vote for this game | |
| Philosopher's Quest, by Peter D. Killworth and Jonathan Mestel 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Canalboy... Vote for this game | |
| The Dark World, by Terrence Bull 1 vote "It is a very challenging game with lots of twists and turns, but is also very funny." [+]"It is a very challenging game with lots of twists and turns, but is also very funny.: This game is an old style text adventure game where the map is a maze and to win one must complete a complex series of challenges that are all intertwined. I wrote a 'cheat sheet' for a publishing company and, a shortened version, covered more than a page - and left everyone in stitches." --Terrence... Vote for this game | |
| The Dungeons of Dunjin, by Magnus Olsson 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) --Canalboy... Vote for this game | |
| Ferret, by FerretAuthors@jugglingsoot.com 1 vote "Post Apocalyptic Epic - The Pilgrim's Progress Meets Survivors" [+]"Post Apocalyptic Epic - The Pilgrim's Progress Meets Survivors: A forty-years-in-the-making epic. Awakening from a cryogenic state you must set out to find out what has happened to the World around you. A sublime melding of puzzlefest and narrative. " ( - Full review) --Canalboy... Vote for this game | |
| Windmere Estate, by Dennis N. Strong 1 vote "Traditional treasure hunt in an old mansion and its grounds" [+]"Traditional treasure hunt in an old mansion and its grounds" ( - Full review) --Canalboy... Vote for this game | |
| The Lost Kingdom of Zkul, by Jon Malone and Allan Black 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Canalboy... Vote for this game | |
| Once and Future, by G. Kevin Wilson 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Canalboy... Vote for this game | |
| Warp, by Rob Lucke and Bill Frolik 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Canalboy... Vote for this game | |
| Scapeghost, by Pete Austin 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Denk... Vote for this game | |