Games like They Will Not Return

A post-apocalyptic tale of lonely robots. They Will Not Return scored 22nd out of 77 entries in the 2018 IFComp.

The Plot Oh no! You've been waylaid returning almost-overdue books to the library. You've always had a slightly irrational fear of book fines, even if they're just a dime, and often that works great to get books read. But your latest misstep you enter into a world full of much odder fears... Well, okay, not a HUGE world. There are only five rooms and six points to score, based on commands to der…

*** NOVEMBER 2023 LEADLIGHT GAMMA NEWS I'm simplifying the delivery methods for the game. There's no longer a standalone Windows installer and there are no longer separate packages for different platforms. The  updated Read Me now lists and links to all interactive fiction interpreter options suitable for the game. For full details of the above, read my devlog post *** PLATFORMS You can play Lead…

A crew of three. A lost city, far in the north. A thousand miles of toxic ice.  Plot your course, manage supplies, study apocalypse biota, and don't lose your mind. You'll find out why the world was ruined, or die trying. Saltwrack is a post-post-apocalyptic hypertext horror novel. It was awarded fourth place in IFComp 2025, along with #2 Miss Congeniality and the Rising Star Award for highest-r…

MY ADVENTURON DEBUT Quirky Test (QT) was an entry to the 2025 TALJ/Text Adventure Literacy Jam. It is my first game written in Adventuron. I usually write in Inform 7, but here, Adventuron offered some things Inform didn't quite, including colored text and graphics. QT offers a tutorial (optional) to start, in tune with the jam's requirement. But ... WAIT! WHERE'S THE TIME TRAVEL? QT doesn't f…

Rage Quest: Disciple of Peace is an interactive fantasy novella in the style of 1980s gamebooks. When Valtash the War God created orcs he gave them an inner rage that constantly urged them towards violence. A few orcs learned to use meditation to control this rage, and founded a remote monastery where they could live free of the War God's influence. But when the monastery is destroyed by human ra…

A narrative exploration game where you play as a robot mail carrier in a post-apocalyptic town. You are a mail robot, unexpectedly reactivated in the ruins of Virla’s post office, long after the sudden Snowstorm. Before you lies a pile of dusty, forgotten letters — no senders, no clear destinations. Still, you set out to complete your task. By tracing the path of each letter, you quietly sof…

Welcome to Project Wither, a text-based survival adventure set in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by the Wither virus. Play as Alex, a lone survivor navigating the ruins of society, where every choice can mean life or death. This is not a story for the faint-hearted—Project Wither explores the raw and brutal realities of survival. While the narrative is text-based, its vivid descriptions and i…

Almost 20 ly away from Sol, Stargazer, a crew member of the ship Kanzi ru Miso, has to return home. They're not alone, both Kanzi and Miso are there with them! _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Ship's map [TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES - DON'T ASK MISO] _________________________________________________________________________ Story Based…

"The Horizon" is a sequel to "The Tower" and "The House of God," and was featured in Game Curator's GOTY 2019 list for its atmosphere. The game, created using Bitsy, features a protagonist dealing with problems symbolized by long shadows. Content warnings include flashing lights, harsh language, medical procedures, blurring of reality and fiction, abduction, and partial nudity. The game thanks Adam for Bitsy, Sean for hacks and help, Max for image 2 bitsy, Ash for the bitsy randomizer, Voec for Witchery, and the British Library for assets.