2020 Alternative Top 100

(Created 24-Jul-2020)

The purpose of this list is not to compete with the IFDB Top 100 but to provide an alternative view, which makes sense for some games.

Philosophy:
1. If a game only has 5-star ratings, it is because the game hasn't received enough ratings.
2. Games with few ratings can still be among the best.
3. Sometimes the average score is the best metric.

In the time of writing, no game with 5 or more ratings has only 5-star ratings. Therefore the threshold is 5 ratings. Thus, the 2020 Alternative Top 100 was found as This search - but the search algorithm has been modified in 2021 so I cannot apply my philosophy without writing a program or something like that.

EDIT(26Jul2020): The game "Rogue Star Rescue" has been removed from the list as it is a commercial arcade game, which has been artificially upvoted.

View comments (8) - Add a comment

1. Counterfeit Monkey
by Emily Short
(2012)
Average member rating: (233 ratings)

2. Cragne Manor
by Ryan Veeder, Jenni Polodna et al.

Average member rating: (23 ratings)

3. We Know the Devil
by Aevee Bee and Mia Schwartz
(2015)
Average member rating: (17 ratings)

4. Hadean Lands
by Andrew Plotkin
(2014)
Average member rating: (63 ratings)

5. Worldsmith
by Ade McT
(2016)
Average member rating: (30 ratings)

6. 80 DAYS
by inkle, Meg Jayanth
(2014)
Average member rating: (87 ratings)

7. Sunless Sea
by Failbetter Games
(2015)
Average member rating: (19 ratings)

8. Superluminal Vagrant Twin
by C.E.J. Pacian
(2016)
Average member rating: (115 ratings)

9. Choices: And The Sun Went Out
by Tin Man Games: KG Tan, Alyce Potter, and Felicity Banks
(2015)
Average member rating: (7 ratings)

10. A Study in Steampunk: Choice by Gaslight
by Heather Albano
(2015)
Average member rating: (20 ratings)

11. Anchorhead
by Michael Gentry
(1998)
Average member rating: (383 ratings)

12. Sorcery! 2
by Steve Jackson and inkle
(2013)
Average member rating: (20 ratings)

13. SLAMMED!
by Paolo Chikiamco
(2013)
Average member rating: (10 ratings)

14. Hansel et Gretel - La Revanche
by Corax
(2018)
Average member rating: (6 ratings)

15. A Midsummer Night's Choice
by Kreg Segall
(2016)
Average member rating: (9 ratings)

16. Sohoek Ekalmoe
by Caleb Wilson
(2020)
Average member rating: (11 ratings)

17. Sorcery! 4
by Steve Jackson and inkle
(2016)
Average member rating: (6 ratings)

18. Cannonfire Concerto
by Caleb Wilson
(2016)
Average member rating: (10 ratings)

19. The Missing Ring
by Felicity Drake
(2019)
Average member rating: (19 ratings)

20. Worlds Apart
by Suzanne Britton
(1999)
Average member rating: (88 ratings)

21. Turandot
by Victor Gijsbers
(2019)
Average member rating: (45 ratings)

22. The Wizard Sniffer
by Buster Hudson
(2017)
Average member rating: (127 ratings)

23. Eat Me
by Chandler Groover
(2017)
Average member rating: (94 ratings)

24. Junior Arithmancer
by Mike Spivey
(2018)
Average member rating: (49 ratings)

25. Open Sorcery
by Abigail Corfman
(2016)
Average member rating: (64 ratings)

26. Toby's Nose
by Chandler Groover
(2015)
Average member rating: (107 ratings)

27. Fingertips: Fingertips, by Michael D. Hilborn (2012)
Average member rating: (9 ratings)

28. Frankenstein
by Dave Morris and inkle
(2012)
Average member rating: (6 ratings)

29. The Mulldoon Legacy, by Jon Ingold (1999)
Average member rating: (42 ratings)

30. Sorcery! 3
by Steve Jackson and inkle
(2015)
Average member rating: (9 ratings)

31. Trinity
by Brian Moriarty
(1986)
Average member rating: (99 ratings)

32. Zozzled
by Steph Cherrywell
(2019)
Average member rating: (45 ratings)

33. Endless, Nameless
by Adam Cadre
(2012)
Average member rating: (52 ratings)

34. Lost Pig
by Admiral Jota
(2007)
Average member rating: (485 ratings)

35. Eric the Unready
by Bob Bates
(1993)
Average member rating: (40 ratings)

36. Savoir-Faire
by Emily Short
(2002)
Average member rating: (128 ratings)

37. Blue Lacuna
by Aaron A. Reed
(2008)
Average member rating: (106 ratings)

38. Planetfall
by Steve Meretzky
(1983)
Average member rating: (118 ratings)

39. Choice of Robots
by Kevin Gold
(2014)
Average member rating: (41 ratings)

40. Human Errors
by Katherine Morayati
(2018)
Average member rating: (16 ratings)

41. Treasures of a Slaver's Kingdom
by S. John Ross
(2007)
Average member rating: (48 ratings)

42. Cryptozookeeper
by Robb Sherwin
(2011)
Average member rating: (21 ratings)

43. Absence of Law
by mathbrush
(2017)
Average member rating: (44 ratings)

44. Choices: And Their Souls Were Eaten
by Tin Man Games, Felicity Banks
(2016)
Average member rating: (9 ratings)

45. First Things First
by J. Robinson Wheeler
(2001)
Average member rating: (23 ratings)

46. Will Not Let Me Go
by Stephen Granade
(2017)
Average member rating: (56 ratings)

47. Klub Karisma
by Christian Bluemke
(2008)
Average member rating: (7 ratings)

48. The Lurking Horror II: The Lurkening, by Ryan Veeder (2018)
Average member rating: (24 ratings)

49. Violet
by Jeremy Freese
(2008)
Average member rating: (382 ratings)

50. Weird City Interloper
by C.E.J. Pacian
(2014)
Average member rating: (54 ratings)

51. The Gostak
by Carl Muckenhoupt
(2001)
Average member rating: (88 ratings)

52. 18 Cadence, by Aaron A. Reed (2013)
Average member rating: (15 ratings)

53. All Hail The King!
by Luke Skytrekker
(2017)
Average member rating: (7 ratings)

54. Analogue: A Hate Story
by Christine Love
(2012)
Average member rating: (11 ratings)

55. Cannery Vale
by Hanon Ondricek (as Keanhid Connor)
(2018)
Average member rating: (27 ratings)

56. Digital: A Love Story
by Christine Love
(2010)
Average member rating: (22 ratings)

57. Heretic's Hope
by G. C. Baccaris
(2019)
Average member rating: (20 ratings)

58. Price of Freedom: Innocence Lost (expanded 2019 version)
by Briar Rose
(2019)
Average member rating: (16 ratings)

59. Scents & Semiosis
by Sam Kabo Ashwell, Cat Manning, Caleb Wilson, Yoon Ha Lee
(2020)
Average member rating: (8 ratings)

60. Coloratura
by Lynnea Glasser
(2013)
Average member rating: (109 ratings)

61. Make It Good
by Jon Ingold
(2009)
Average member rating: (82 ratings)

62. Beneath Floes
by Bravemule; Pinnguaq
(2015)
Average member rating: (13 ratings)

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

64. Alias 'The Magpie'
by J. J. Guest
(2018)
Average member rating: (63 ratings)

65. City of Secrets
by Emily Short
(2003)
Average member rating: (102 ratings)

66. Skybreak!
by William Dooling
(2019)
Average member rating: (15 ratings)

67. The Guild of Thieves
by Rob Steggles
(1987)
Average member rating: (23 ratings)

68. Perdition's Flames
by Michael J. Roberts
(1993)
Average member rating: (21 ratings)

69. Sub Rosa
by Joey Jones, Melvin Rangasamy
(2015)
Average member rating: (41 ratings)

70. A Beauty Cold and Austere
by Mike Spivey
(2017)
Average member rating: (55 ratings)

71. The Shadow in the Cathedral
by Ian Finley and Jon Ingold
(2009)
Average member rating: (30 ratings)

72. Known Unknowns
by Brendan Patrick Hennessy
(2016)
Average member rating: (59 ratings)

73. Chlorophyll
by Steph Cherrywell
(2015)
Average member rating: (57 ratings)

74. The Axolotl Project
by Samantha Vick
(2013)
Average member rating: (42 ratings)

75. Darkiss! Il bacio del vampiro - Capitolo 1: il risveglio
by Marco Vallarino
(2011)
Average member rating: (6 ratings)

76. Der Angstbaum, by Jens Bojaryn (2002)
Average member rating: (9 ratings)

77. Filaments
by FibreTigre
(2003)
Average member rating: (6 ratings)

78. Hate Plus
by Christine Love
(2013)
Average member rating: (8 ratings)

79. Mentula Macanus: Apocolocyntosis
by One of the Bruces and Drunken Bastard
(2011)
Average member rating: (30 ratings)

80. Spellcasting 301: Spring Break
by Steve Meretzky
(1992)
Average member rating: (6 ratings)

81. Enchanter
by Marc Blank, Dave Lebling
(1983)
Average member rating: (107 ratings)

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

83. Midnight. Swordfight.
by Chandler Groover
(2015)
Average member rating: (77 ratings)

84. Sugarlawn
by Mike Spivey
(2019)
Average member rating: (29 ratings)

85. Lists and Lists, by Andrew Plotkin (1996)
Average member rating: (25 ratings)

86. Bronze
by Emily Short
(2006)
Average member rating: (286 ratings)

87. Photopia
by Adam Cadre
(1998)
Average member rating: (553 ratings)

88. Ollie Ollie Oxen Free, by Carolyn VanEseltine (2013)
Average member rating: (28 ratings)

89. American Election
by Greg Buchanan
(2019)
Average member rating: (16 ratings)

90. Hibernated 1 - This place is death
by Stefan Vogt
(2018)
Average member rating: (9 ratings)

91. Lost in time
by Gerardo Adesso
(2017)
Average member rating: (8 ratings)

92. Spellbreaker
by Dave Lebling
(1985)
Average member rating: (54 ratings)

93. Birdland
by Brendan Patrick Hennessy
(2015)
Average member rating: (154 ratings)

94. Fallacy of Dawn
by Robb Sherwin
(2001)
Average member rating: (18 ratings)

95. Oppositely Opal
by Buster Hudson
(2015)
Average member rating: (64 ratings)

96. A Mind Forever Voyaging
by Steve Meretzky
(1985)
Average member rating: (111 ratings)

97. Fallen London
by Failbetter Games
(2009)
Average member rating: (54 ratings)

98. Suveh Nux
by David Fisher
(2007)
Average member rating: (225 ratings)

99. Grimnoir
by ProP
(2018)
Average member rating: (24 ratings)

Denk says:

100. Illuminismo Iniziato
by Michael J. Coyne
(2018)
Average member rating: (24 ratings)

Denk says:

101. Whitefield Academy of Witchcraft
by Steph Cherrywell
(2014)
Average member rating: (19 ratings)

Denk says:

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

Create your own Recommended List