Fun single-room games - an IFDB Poll
by Jeff Sonas
RSS FeedMy kids (9 and 12) like to play IF games on my phone during car drives so they are looking for something quick and fun that doesn't require much mapping. What single-room adventures are out there?
| Violet, by Jeremy Freese 11 votes "Homework before romance" [+]"Homework before romance" ( - Full review) --Ron Newcomb... "One of the few IF Competition games to which I've ever given a 10." [+]"One of the few IF Competition games to which I've ever given a 10.: This game made me solve puzzles even though I generally hate doing that (and I really enjoyed solving said puzzles). I got involved in the characters, even if at some point in the game I **hated every single one of them**. I have now adopted about fifty new pet names to call my husband. I have glared, frowned, smiled, laughed, screamed, and shook my fist at my laptop. Seriously. And, at least on this last note, I've watched husband go through the exact same emotional roller coaster. This is one of my all-time favorites." --Jacqueline A. Lott... "one room masterpiece" [+]"one room masterpiece" () --lagran-G-an... "Fun in one room." [+]"Fun in one room.: Best one room game I've played." () --Puddin Tame... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Emily Short... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --perching path... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Merk... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Kake... "A very fun game,..." [+]"A very fun game, the puzzles are good. Make sure you play it first, as I don't know how clean you like to keep the kids, but nothing to worry about." ( - Full review) --Ziixxxitria... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Karl Ove Hufthammer... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol...  Vote for this game | |
| Shade, by Andrew Plotkin 8 votes "Well, define "fun"." [+]"Well, define "fun"." --Ron Newcomb... "No, not fun at all..." [+]"No, not fun at all...: ...but you might find the first fifteen minutes amusing." ( ) --Mark V.... "Set in one room, but with lots of objects to explore. Substantial, but not too confusing." [+]"Set in one room, but with lots of objects to explore. Substantial, but not too confusing." --verityvirtue... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --zer... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Juhana... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --itsdnoftheworld... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --TheAncientOne... Vote for this game | |
| Suveh Nux, by David Fisher 8 votes "Very elegant... impressed me well beyond my expectations." [+]"Very elegant... impressed me well beyond my expectations.: While there were some repetitive elements that annoyed me slightly, overall this is a really wonderful game. Well designed, expertly coded, and a joy to play. Highly recommended. Saying much more would give too much away, so just go play it and hopefully you'll see what I mean." --Jacqueline A. Lott... "Wonderfully..." [+]"Wonderfully detailed and entertaining." ( - Full review) --Emily Short... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Kake... "Lots of replay..." [+]"Lots of replay value to experiment with the magic words, and encourages out-of-the-box thinking in some puzzles. Also no worries about adult content. " () --Ziixxxitria... "Very fun to play..." [+]"Very fun to play around with. Has an in-game hint system, so even the trickiest puzzles shouldn't be too much of a problem." () --Molly... "Funny premise, a..." [+]"Funny premise, a brilliant central mechanic, lots of Easter eggs. Not too hard, but does make you think. Should be perfect for children!" () --Felix Pleșoianu... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Chieu Le Heng... Vote for this game | |
| Lord Bellwater's Secret, by Sam Gordon 7 votes "Quality puzzles, but a sad backstory" [+]"Quality puzzles, but a sad backstory: Being a servant investigating his master about the loss of a loved one isn't particularly light-hearted, but its historical setting insulates us somewhat." ( - Full review) --Ron Newcomb... "A fun mystery with some challenging puzzles. " [+]"A fun mystery with some challenging puzzles. : The writing is tight and the puzzles are fun, though I had to resort to the hints." ( - Full review) --ZUrlocker... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Merk... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Jeremy Freese... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --diddlescatter... "Best game I have..." [+]"Best game I have played so far!" ( - Full review) --Deboriole... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Kenneth Hutt... Vote for this game | |
| To Hell in a Hamper, by J. J. Guest 4 votes "A room with a breeze." [+]"A room with a breeze." ( ) --Ghalev... "Quirky and highly..." [+]"Quirky and highly amusing." ( - Full review) --Emily Short... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Eric Mayer... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --perching path... Vote for this game | |
| Galatea, by Emily Short 3 votes "Possibly; depends upon the kid." [+]"Possibly; depends upon the kid." --Ron Newcomb... "A classic." [+]"A classic.: This is a classic, and stands apart from the pack due to being a pioneer in the handling of NPCs and conversation. Not your typical game, and perhaps will therefore not be to everyone's taste, but a must-play for any true IF aficionado." --Jacqueline A. Lott... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Sobol... Vote for this game | |
| Oppositely Opal, by Buster Hudson 3 votes (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Matt W... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --CMG... Vote for this game | |
| Marika the Offering, by revgiblet 2 votes "This is a great game, plain and simple." [+]"This is a great game, plain and simple.: This was a One Room Game Comp entry in 2007 and I just loved it. A very fun puzzle (and that's coming from someone who's not too keen on puzzles!). I personally rate this game as an 8 or 9 on a scale of 1-10." --Jacqueline A. Lott... "You have to keep..." [+]"You have to keep barricading your room to keep out that pesky vampire." ( - Full review) --Wade Clarke... Vote for this game | |
| Aisle, by Sam Barlow 2 votes "One room, one choice." [+]"One room, one choice.: Fits the poll but maybe not the specific circumstances behind it (probably not much fun for kids)." --Ghalev... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Karl Ove Hufthammer... Vote for this game | |
| Conan Kill Everything, by Ian Haberkorn 2 votes "Funny humor, quick, and has some pretty interesting "puzzles."" [+]"Funny humor, quick, and has some pretty interesting "puzzles.": It's a single room. Your goal is to kill everything in it that Conan hasn't killed already. Good humor. Good game. Good fun." --Da_PeeceKeepa... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( ) --Sobol... Vote for this game | |
| Möbius, by J.D. Clemens 2 votes "Single puzzle with a neat solution" [+]"Single puzzle with a neat solution: Puzzle takes multiple playthroughs to solve - but each playthrough would only last about 10 turns." ( ) --glassmice... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Merk... Vote for this game | |
| Asylum, by cpuguy89 1 vote "Short, simple, fun" [+]"Short, simple, fun" --cpuguy... Vote for this game | |
| It's Easter, Peeps!, by Sara Brookside 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Kake... Vote for this game | |
| Dinner Bell, by Jenni Polodna 1 vote "One-room,..." [+]"One-room, extremely funny, and not too difficult." ( ) --Christina Nordlander... Vote for this game | |
| Crafty's Escape Room, by dkmGames 1 vote "This is a custom..." [+]"This is a custom parser game about being playfully locked into a room with the task of solving some brain teaser puzzles. Fun and creative." ( - Full review) --Kinetic Mouse Car... Vote for this game | |
| The Interview, by Mark Walsh 1 vote "It is about a job..." [+]"It is about a job interview for being one of Santa's workers." ( ) --Kinetic Mouse Car... Vote for this game | |
| Paint!!!, by David Whyld 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) --Richard Otter... Vote for this game | |
| Enlightenment, by Taro Ogawa 1 vote "Clever with a crisp execution." [+]"Clever with a crisp execution.: Funny and complex without the strain of repetition. Large game for such a small map. Great for cave-crawl lovers and haters alike." ( ) --Audiart... Vote for this game | |
| Cabin Fever, by Dr. Froth 1 vote "An novel game of horror." [+]"An novel game of horror.: This was one of my favorites in the 2007 One Room Game competition. It has some implementation issues which I'd love to see cleared up, probably because it's written in Quest, but I enjoyed the game and recommend it despite those glitches. It *does* require the ability to get Quest running, not an easy feat, but it's nevertheless recommended." --Jacqueline A. Lott... Vote for this game | |
| At the Bottom of the Garden, by Adam Biltcliffe 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Kake... Vote for this game | |
| The Weapon, by Sean Barrett 1 vote "The cheesy sci-fi..." [+]"The cheesy sci-fi premise may just work for kids, though the game appears to take itself seriously. I found the puzzles very difficult, too, which may or may not be a problem." ( ) --Felix Pleșoianu... Vote for this game | |