Spike
Top 50 Reviewer
Member since February 22, 2017
Last visited January 21, 2023
Profile ID (TUID): apv38ctfm26u7ac3
Played Zork and half the Infocom catalog in the 80s as a teenager. Played some AGT games in the 90s and the original Adventure in the mid-2000s. Discovered the modern IF scene in 2017.
I tend to like large games with well-crafted puzzles.
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Interactive Fiction by Spike
A Beauty Cold and Austere, by Mike Spivey (2017) (55 ratings)That survey course in conceptual mathematics seemed like a good idea at the start of the term - no graded homework, no midterm exams - just an oral final at the end. But now that final is tomorrow... |
| Junior Arithmancer, by Mike Spivey (2018) (49 ratings) A one-to-many-room puzzler. |
Cragne Manor, by Ryan Veeder, Jenni Polodna et al.Show other authorsAdam 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 (23 ratings)A tribute to Anchorhead. |
| Sugarlawn, by Mike Spivey (2019) (29 ratings) With a loud "click," the door closes behind you. Finally! You are locked inside an antebellum Southern mansion, alone, wearing only a chicken costume. You've fantasized about this moment for years. |
Recommended Lists by Spike
A Year on IFDB: The games that have stayed with me - 12 items February 14, 2018
About a year ago I discovered post-AGT interactive fiction. Since then I've played a lot of great IF games. This list consists of the...
Polls by Spike
Educational IF - 44 votes for 25 games; created July 7, 2019
I Am You: Games involving possession of another character - 15 votes for 9 games; created December 14, 2018
Choice-based puzzlefests - 21 votes for 12 games; created November 22, 2018
Great games that consist of a single puzzle - 34 votes for 19 games; created June 15, 2018
Several of us are interested in using IF for education, both in the classroom as well as more broadly. The purpose of this poll is to...
I Am You: Games involving possession of another character - 15 votes for 9 games; created December 14, 2018
Three games I've played in the past couple of months have featured the PC's ability to possess other characters as a primary or secondary...
Choice-based puzzlefests - 21 votes for 12 games; created November 22, 2018
I enjoy games with lots of good puzzles, but so far nearly all the ones I've played have a parser-based interface. This poll is to help...
Great games that consist of a single puzzle - 34 votes for 19 games; created June 15, 2018
I'm looking for well-designed and challenging games that revolve around solving a single puzzle. The puzzle may have multiple parts, but...
Reviews by Spike
The Curse of the Scarab, by Nils Fagerburg December 2, 2020
"It's a bit of an odd thing, reviewing a game that explicitly says it was inspired by one of your own. So I think I'll confine myself to a..." - See the full review
Coloratura, by Lynnea Glasser September 22, 2020
"Coloratura is an excellent science fiction game. In a sense, the game gives you two stories in one. Foregrounded is the story of the..." - See the full review
Remedial Witchcraft, by dgtziea January 1, 2020
"In Remedial Witchcraft you play as an inexperienced practitioner of magic arts. Not an uncommon premise: Games from Infocom’s classic..." - See the full review
Girth Loinhammer and the Quest for the Unsee Elixir, by Damon L. Wakes December 29, 2019
"This choice-based game made me smile pretty much the whole way through. It's a short parody of fantasy role-playing gamebooks; it even..." - See the full review
The Chieftain, by LeSUTHU December 26, 2019
"I had more fun with this game than most other players seem to have had, judging by its current ratings and its placement in IFComp. I..." - See the full review
"It's a bit of an odd thing, reviewing a game that explicitly says it was inspired by one of your own. So I think I'll confine myself to a..." - See the full reviewColoratura, by Lynnea Glasser September 22, 2020
"Coloratura is an excellent science fiction game. In a sense, the game gives you two stories in one. Foregrounded is the story of the..." - See the full reviewRemedial Witchcraft, by dgtziea January 1, 2020
"In Remedial Witchcraft you play as an inexperienced practitioner of magic arts. Not an uncommon premise: Games from Infocom’s classic..." - See the full reviewGirth Loinhammer and the Quest for the Unsee Elixir, by Damon L. Wakes December 29, 2019
"This choice-based game made me smile pretty much the whole way through. It's a short parody of fantasy role-playing gamebooks; it even..." - See the full reviewThe Chieftain, by LeSUTHU December 26, 2019
"I had more fun with this game than most other players seem to have had, judging by its current ratings and its placement in IFComp. I..." - See the full reviewSee all 88 reviews by Spike
See all ratings and reviews by Spike
Spike's Play Lists
Played Games
Trouble in Sector 471, by Arthur DiBiancaThe Impossible Stairs, by Mathbrush
Fivebyfivia Delenda Est, by Andrew Schultz
Grooverland, by Mathbrush
Gruesome, by Robin Johnson
See all 322 entries in the Played List
Wish List
Shrapnel, by Adam CadreGourmet, by Aaron A. Reed and Chad Barb
Distress, by Mike Snyder
Gun Mute, by C.E.J. Pacian
Aotearoa, by Matt Wigdahl