"You’re about to say that you’re not in Yuel, before you realize that’s not true anymore.
It feels like from one day to the next, the mountains were absorbed into their ever expanding empire. It only took a show of force that could not be matched, and a treaty written in a language no Arantian could understand. You miss the days when your little town flew beneath their radar.
But who are you to argue when you work for them, the Yuelians and the man they put in charge."
You're the Interpreter for Lord Aulos. Half Arantian, half Yuelian, there's no one more suited for the job. You're back in Arantes for the first time in years, following its Yuelian occupation.
You're not much more than a scribe, bound on paper to the new Lord of the Manor. But language is a powerful tool, one you wield expertly.
The fate of Arantes is in your hands. Will you push back against Yuelian occupation? Protect your home and heritage from outside influences? Or will you further your own agenda? Make Arantes the new jewel of the empire?
Maybe you'll delve into something deeper. The Manor holds many secrets if you're willing to uncover them.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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What's New In IF? Halloween edition! Issue 27 (2024)
By Brij, Dion, Bex and Jen
Now Available!
Itch.io - Keep Reading below
If you read the zine, consider liking the post: it helps us see how many people see it! And sharing is caring! <3
~ EDITORIAL ~
One Issue just wasn’t enough!
Halloween might be over, but not at WNIF! So here it is, u a second Halloween edition Issue! Next to the regular WNIF stuff we included a recommendation section full of the best games to play in this time of the year, so be sure to check it out.
We want some feedback!
As we’re starting to get a hand of things, we would love some feedback from you guys! What you enjoy, want more or less off, how we could improve... Anything goes! We even have a nifty form!
Still looking for members!
Due to the severe changes in the Zine team, we are once again looking for free hands with a couple of hours to kill, and minds, looking to make a little difference in the community!
If you too would like to help us out in a more official capacity, please shoot us a message! You can check out the available positions here, but if you’d like to help in any other way, feel free to contact us as well! (We added a new position, so check it out!)
No Small Talk for some time!
We hope you have have a fa-boo-lous time reading this issue!
BRIJ, DION, BEX AND JEN
~ BE A PART OF THE ZINE ~
THIS ZINE ONLY HAPPENS WITH YOU!
Want to write 1-2 pages about a neat topic, or deep-dive into a game and review it in details? Share personal experiences or get all academic?
WRITE FOR THE COLUMN!
Prefer to be more low-key but still have something to share? Send us a Zine Letter or share a game title for Highlight on…!
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Came across something interesting? Know a release or an update announced? Saw an event happening? Whether it's a game, an article, a podcast… Add any IF-related content to our mini-database!
EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS!
Contact us through Tumblr asks, Forum DMs, or even by email! And thank you for your help!!
~ EVENT SPOTLIGHT : BITSY JAM ~
Fuu, already #85?
Bitsy is a little engine for little games, worlds, and stories created by Adam Le Doux that makes game making look easier than ever! I mean really! You can use it to make a game in your browser just by drawing it! Thanks to the simple pixelated graphics and limited colour palette you can make basically anything from simple short stories to complicated masterpieces.
The first jam (with a yummy theme: Breakfast) took place on April 8th 2017. Now it’s a monthly occurrence, each time with a new challenging theme that the creators themselves (or even possibly you) get to vote on.
Petrichor, temporary, intentionally bad, tomatoes, no dialogue, long distances, secret place, bitsy fest jam, lost media and waiting are just the ten most recent ones. This month’s theme is game manual - the theme can be the core of the game, or just a small reference. Anything really. The main point of this jam is to have fun and make something! (Just make sure that your game is made in one of these: bitsy, mosi or bipsi.)
So why not give it a shot?
~ ENDED ~
The 6th Spooktober Annual Visual Novel Jam is over, the winners have been announced and you can check out the results!
The Revival Jam 2024 is also over and the results are out!
Strip IF to it’s bare bones and all it become beautiful text. That’s what The Bare-Bones Jam is about. You can now check out all 14 submissions!
Phantasia Jam is a three month-long game jam to create a fantasy narrative game, with the theme of “Hidden Magic”. There’s 17 submissions to check out.
~ ONGOING (VOTING) ~
The voting for ECTOCOMP 2024 has officially started! To vote and participate as a jury, you must do so by giving between 1 to 5 stars on each entry page of the jam. The voting period ends on November 30.
All entries for the Halloween Jam have been submitted and you can now vote for your favourites!
~ ONGOING (SUBMITTING) ~
Disabled Rep VN Jam has a very simple premise but a very important message.
Once upon a time, a game jam was held to create stories around the theme of fairy tales… and that game jam is the Once Upon A Time VN Jam. It’s running from October 1st to January 31st.
Concours de Fiction Interactive Francophone 2025 is for all French-speaking enthusiasts. Submissions are accepted until March 3rd 2025.
Are you perhaps a fan of more somber, melancholic themes? Then check out the Dying Year - Visual Novel Jam! You have until the end of the year to participate.
The Black Visual Novel Jam is all about working with creative professional developers who work in visual novels to bring more Black stories to life. The goal is to create a space where Black creators can show their unique storytelling through visual novels.
Bare your teeth and sharpen your claws because the Monstrous Desires 2024 Visual Novel Jam is here! Dedicated to the love of entities, horrors, and monstrosities, this jam will be full of romantic Visual Novels (VN) that heavily focus on a monster may it be original or from classics, folklore, modern media, etc.
The October Bitsy Jam is here! The theme is game manual and you have until November 11th to submit your projects.
~ OTHER ~
Jams are a great way to find new games! Don’t be afraid to check out submissions from previous years as well. There might be some gems hiding between them!
~ NEW RELEASE ~
Trick-or-Treat (Twine) is all about virtual trick-or-treating, grab your costume and have fun! @softest-punk
The Traded Groom (Unity) is a romance story where you marry a man you’ve never met. @maneki-mushi
Lydia’s Labyrinth (Ren’Py) is a choose your own adventure where you try to get to the end of the labyrinth. @doublefreegames
The end of an obsession is a fictional sequel work to It gets so lonely here.
The Virus Game HALLOWEEN is here.
In Ghostship Delgado (Amstrad CPC) you find yourself on the quarter deck of a mysterious, seemingly abandoned historic ship…
As always, don't forget to check out the submitted entries to the events mentioned in the previous pages. They deserve some love too!
~ NEW RELEASE (WIP) ~
Camp Maple Wind (Ren’Py), you saw your sister die there 18 years ago and now you decided to return as the new camp counselor. @tailorfae
Dusk and Dawn (CScript) is a urban fantasy inspired by CYOA’s like Slayers V4. You’ve failed college, what do you do now? @tuskhansworld
Circus Eyes of God (Twine) is a horror interactive fiction where you decide to join a mysterious circus. @circuseyesofgod-if
In Tether (Twine) your an interpreter for a new lord under the occupation of another country. Will you rebel? @runcriedthecrawlingif
Return back to your hometown where you and your friends used to be team of detectives until the incident.... in Return to Misty Cove (CScript) @fluorescent-if
In Red River Academy (CScript) you and your group of friends are murdered in cold blood. But you were brought back, is this a second chance at life? @bratlinwrites
You step out for some fresh air, only to find yourself lost and stranded in the forest overnight in Fickle Solitude (Twine)
In Ice Cream For Love you are a bearfolk ice cream maker. However the newest dietitian-in-training has problems with your product. @atelierursine
In Demon Daycare (Ren’Py) you’ll have to baby the adult demon prince Belphegor. Hope the money is good!
~ UPDATES ~
Devil's Liminal (Ren’Py) released Chapter 2.
Crown of Exile (Twine) Vinia Path is released on Patreon. @ramonag-if
Tales of Wocdes: The Silver Protector (Twine) heritage features have been updated. @tales-of-wocdes
College Tennis: Origin Story (CScript) added halloween bonus to Ko-Fi. @collegetennisoriginstory
Sins of the Crown (CScript) added new content to their demo. @pariahinteractive
The King's Hound (Twine) released a rewritten demo. @the-kingshound
The Mighty Shifter (CScript) released Chapters 4 & 5. @miss-briar-novels
Lucid fate (Twine) released Chapters 3 & 4.5. @lucid-fate-if
Eldritch Tales: Inheritance (CScript) released the final part of Chapter 2.
Saturnine (CScript) added new content to their demo. @satur9-if
Shattered: Oblivion (CScript) reworked their prologue.
Strings of Fate (CScript) released partial Chapter 3.
Text Your Life (Ren’Py) added Chapter 2 Day 1 to their demo.
The Good People (Na Doine Maithe) (Ren’Py) released the first five chapters of Shae and Maeve's routes. @moiraimyths
Tri City Monsters (Ren’Py) released Chapter 3 for Akello. @tricitymonsters
Bridge Ices Before Road (CScript) added new content to their Prologue. @bridgeicesbeforeroadif
Aphni's Quartet: Nightbloom's Veil (Twine) released Chapter 2. @marblesstorystudio
The Brightest Stars (CScript) added the first part of Chapter 3 to their demo. @brightest-stars-if
Weeping Gods (CScript) added new content to their demo. @jcollinswrites
~ OTHER ~
The Kickstarter for Keyframes has started, and even though the main goal has been reached there are still some stretch goals! @blankhouse
The ChoiceBeat Zine Issue 12 is out. We thank them for mentioning our Zine! Go check it out!
Amare Fortnightly Bulletin Issue 27 is here for all your romance needs! @amaregames
Never Gives up Her Dead has released a deluxe version of their game.
The People's House has been officially submitted for publication.
~
As always, we apologize in advance for missing any update or release from the past week. We are only volunteers using their limited free time to find as much as we can - but sometimes things pass through the cracks.
If you think something should have been included in this week's zine but did not appear, please shoot us a message! We'll do our best to add it next week! And if you know oncoming news, add it here!
~ MAYBE YOU NEXT? ~
We did not get a submission this week. But if you have an idea for a short essay, or would like a special space to share your thoughts about IF and the community...
Shoot us an email!
~ HIGHLIGHT ON ~
A couple of games that we thought were cool.
Your favourite game here?
Do you have a favourite game that deserves some highlighting?
An old or recent game that wowed you so much you spam it to everyone?
Tell us about it! And it might appear here!
H/T = Horror/Thriller H = Halloween themes S = Supernatural C = Creepy
~ RECOMMENDATIONS (COMPLETE) ~
Halloween Scrooge (H)
by Vanade of Hamilton Hour (Ren’Py)
A short Halloween spin on A Christmas Carol... and you can flirt with the ghosts!
//submitted by anon//
Killer Chat (H/T)
by @rosesrotofficial (???)
After asking too many murder-related questions online (for your book), you get an invite to a... serial killer chatroom?! What the fuck?
A Zombie Head Went Missing at the Party Full of CUTE MONSTER GIRLS!? (S)
by MaroonDrops (???)
Half gorgon Jade Mason finds herself dragged to a party full of monsters, she doesn't have high hopes.
Therapy with Dr. Albert Krueger (H/T)
by dino999z (Ren'Py)
Has work been feeling more tiring than usual?
Your mood, confusing and uneasy?
Then it sounds like you need our newly patented ★DREAM THERAPY★!
A Series of Interactive Stories Where No Matter What You Do You Are Immediately Killed by a Werewolf (S)
by Luke Burns (Twine)
The name just says it all.
AL - A Choose Your Own Adventure (H/T)
by Gabriel Cornish (Twine)
You are a student going on their first date in a long, long time. Only problem is your apartment is trying to kill you with your own clutter!
Spooble: A Search Engine Story (H/T)
by All the bees (Unity)
Are babies supposed to do that?
Cal's Costume Conundrum!! (H)
by amarvelous (Ren’Py)
Which costume is the best? Cal needs to know! Infiltrate her siblings’ Halloween party, interview the guests, and crown a winner!
Restore, Reflect, Retry (H/T)
by Natalia Theodoridou (CScript)
This is a haunted game about a haunted game. You've played this game before. You may not remember, but the game does.
Model Employee (H/T )
by Nth Circle (Unity)
If you want to get ahead in your career, you gotta be willing to take some risks.
Contrition (H/T)
by akfedeau (Twine)
As a priest, it’s your job to listen to your parishioners’ darkest secrets and absolve their guilt. But when a sinister stranger comes to the confessional one Halloween night, you realize it’s your soul on the line.
Quoth the Raven… (C)
by gamedevillibrarian (???)
Edgar Allen Poe's 'The Raven', with some spooky ambiance. What else do you need?
Hallowmoor (H)
by Mike Snyder (Twine)
Your quest: infiltrate Castle Hallowmoor, find the potion, and make it out alive.
Keeper’s Curse (H/T)
by CParadis777 (Godot)
Stranded on a remote island after your Lightkeeper duty has ended you must ration and scavenge for supplies while awaiting your delayed relief crew.
Dicentra (H/T)
by caffeine (Ren’Py)
You play as Basil, a young boy lost in a forest of watchful trees and unfriendly guides.
Tales from Castle Balderstone
by Ryan Veeder (Inform7)
This is Castle Balderstone, and tonight is the night when the greatest spook-crafters convene to share their hair-raising handiwork with each other.
Muertos
by Medley Games (Twine)
You are a lost undead wandering the Aztec afterlife, only to come across a strange city.
Dawn of the Damned (H/T)
by Melancholy Marionette (Unity)
Anxious to attend your job interview at Aurora Antiques, you arrive to discover a room full of melancholy mannequins. One, in particular, captures your interest, drawing you closer.
Seance (S)
by Alex Rose (???)
A murder case has gone cold, and the NRPD has asked you to help them solve it, on account of your abilities as a psychic medium.
~ RECOMMENDATIONS (WIP) ~
Samsara (H/T + S)
by Amelia (???)
After being killed by the same hands in every past life you decide to take your killer's life instead.
//submitted by anon//
Parasitical (H/T)
by @parasitical-if (CScript)
You grew up under the masked faces of their Exalted, under the stories of Earth past. Rusted metal and cracked plastic; His bone and His flesh. Conflicting worlds, conflicting times, and soon, it might all come to a head.
Seven days in Purgatory (H/T)
by @sevendaysinpurgatory-if (CScript)
Seven days in Purgatory is a psychological thriller ripe with philosophical musings and sensuality.
Taste, hear, think, feel, love… Run.
//recommended by Dion [team]//
Did we miss your favourite game? Don’t worry, there’s still a chance! Fill out this form and we will include it in our regular Highlight on.... section!
WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU ALL! WHETHER IT'S GOOD OR BAD, OR EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN...
Thank you for keep updating! I really don't want to miss any IF updates but it's hard to find everything. So thank you for all the effort.
@waywardartisanoafhound-blog
Have something to say? Send us a message titled: Zine Letter!
As we end this issue, we would like to thank:
our awesome anons!
For sending us their game recommendations!
And a special thanks to Bex [team]
for all the work she’s done for the zine.
And as always, huge thanks to all you readers who liked, shared, and commented on last week's issue! What might be tiny actions are huge support and motivators to us!
Thank you for cheering us on this journey!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It come with sad news that me (Bex) is having to leave the Zine….for now at least.
I joined back in August and honestly it was crazy time, especially with the sad passing of Marjorie. I honestly enjoyed what we’ve made of it and don’t regret it in the slightest. Life has sadly go in the way of me and I just don’t have the time to continue you this on. I’m hoping the New Year will bring peace and with it me back to the Zine.
Love you all ❣
And we will see you next week in our traditional colours!
It doesn't mean the end of Run Cried the Crawling, even though I'll have to put it aside while this new project is being developed.
I became pretty overwhelmed with the scope of RCTC, it being a LARGE project and also my first IF (and first ever piece of writing I've shared online or otherwise.) It got to the point where I was spending loads more time re-writing and re-working than making any sort of forwards movement. It was frustrating. This new project is something more manageable, a "baby step" IF before I tackle the "big beast" IF.
This IF has less variables, a smaller world and (although probably still novel length) a shorter story. It's also a story I'm very passionate to tell, something that hits home. Without getting too personal online, I wanted to make a story that reflected my experiences as an immigrant. But it's more than that, it's about my struggle with language, about being raised by parents from two different cultures, about identity and lost history.
The Thicket is always growing in the back of my mind, I want it to be clear that it's not abandoned. I hope Tethered keeps you company while you wait.
Here's a link to the very short demo
Thank you for all the love you've shown RCtC, it's been amazing to go into the depths of the Thicket with you. <3
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality
Anya is LIVE right now
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Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
“I am the forest, I am ancient. I treasure the stag, I treasure the deer. I shelter you from storm, I shelter you from snow. I resist the frost, I keep the source. I nurse the earth, I am always there. I build your house, I kindle your hearth. Therefore, you people, hold me dear.”
— Inscription found in a 17th century forester’s house in Lower Saxony, Germany (via inatt)
Noooo, I think about this story at least once per day!
I haven't been writing because I've been busy with life, but also because I read back on the IF too many times and was becoming frustrated with the way I was telling the story.
I do plan on continuing with Run Cried the Crawling (and seeing it to its end) but if I'm being completely transparent, it's probably going to go through some heavy re-writes before it makes it out into the world.
For now know that I can say for certainty that I haven't given up on this IF, but you won't be seeing any updates for a while.
Thank you to everyone who has reached out to ask if the IF is still active, it's really encouraging to see that there is people out there who care about the story. <3
Rated 18+ for violence and sexual content. Trigger warnings will be provided at the beginning of each chapter.
The king is dead. Long live the king.
Alandria is scarred from six long years of war. After a chance encounter in the field, heir-apparent Lisandro hires your mercenary band as security for his upcoming coronation. Now, you find yourself in the nebulous web of lies, schemes, and murder that make up Alandrian politics. When the future king falls deathly ill, it's your job, as the mercenary band's only healer, to figure out what's killing him.
The king is dead. Love live the king.
🗡FEATURES
Customizable MC. Play as male, female, or non-binary; trans or cisgender; inter or endosex; customizable pronouns. Customize your appearance, and personality. Tailor your approach to patients -- do you rely on science and surgery, or magic and faith?
Four unique ethnic backgrounds. Alandrian -- the kingdom you find yourself in after ten years. Iskarian -- the expansive empire to the south, and the jewel of the world. Mani -- the nomadic people unwelcome in the north. Ruz -- hailing from the frigid, barren archipelago across the northern sea.
Who were you in your past? A peasant? A former noble? A monastic? Part of a cult? Each ethnicity has four unique origins to choose from -- each origin will impact the story in different ways.
Romance. Or not! Four romance options, two gender-selectable. Play as gay, straight, bisexual or asexual; allo or aromantic.
Solve a medical mystery. Save the king however you can.
Change the course of history. Your proximity to royalty puts you in a position to play the great game -- in fact, you have to, to stay alive.
POV Switches. See some parts of the story from the point of view of the ROs and other characters.
Keep your secrets hidden. They cannot find out.
🗡ROMANCE OPTIONS
Sibir Temyurinkai. [She/her, he/him, they/them]
Your best friend for more than a decade. A mercenary warlord many people can't read. You have a lot of history. Maybe even too much. You make them vulnerable.
Flavor of romance: friends-to-lovers, love epiphany, UST, shippers on deck.
Lisandro Abarcas. [He/him]
The young king uncrowned of Alandria. He's hired Sibir (and therefore you) to be extra security for his upcoming baptism and coronation, but a mysterious illness forces you to play doctor.
Flavor of romance: courtly love, Uptown Girl, savior complexes
Idali Abarcas. [She/her]
Duchess of the northern province of Baqueria, second in line to the throne, Lisandro's older sister and vicious rival. A cunning, calculating opponent -- but she might be willing to work with you.
Flavor of romance: Uptown Girl, Defrosing the Ice Queen, #girlbossmode, dancing with danger
Tesias. [She/her, he/him, they/them]
A very mysterious masked traveler. They offer advice and information -- for a price. As a spy, you can't trust anything they say -- but you know they want revenge. And they want it now.
Flavor of romance: [INFORMATION CORRUPTED]
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality
Anya is LIVE right now
FREE
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
imagine if doorways grew back like scabbed over with fresh drywall and you had to keep carving them back out with a jabsaw to keep the doorway clear etc
(1/2) As a counterpoint to the romance asks, I'd like to say THANK YOU for making Wayfarer playable as a complete, robust story without romance. IF is such a wonderful medium and I'd really like to engage more with it--but I've never cared for romance in fiction. I get disappointed when a high concept novel turns out to focus mostly on the MC's love life. And in the same way, a lot of IF stories sound fascinating until I scroll down and 70% of the description is about ROs :(
(2/2) I thought "interactive fiction" was SYNONYMOUS with romance until I played Roadwarden and decided to make an effort to really dig for a different type of story. Wayfarer + your dev blog is a big part of the reason I decided to actually start working on an idea for an interactive story I've had on the bckburner for a long time. I knew it wouldn't involve romance but I didn't know if that was "a thing" which in retrospect is a dumb thought lol you can write anything. anyway thank you
As a developer, I think it's really easy to fall into the trap of being romance-focused, even if you don't intend to be. Romance is potentially THE most popular gameplay mechanic in IF games. Knowing who you can romance from the get-go provides a reason for the audience to be invested in the characters before they're introduced into the game. And that makes romance a huge (and very useful!) marketing tool. There's a reason that about 90% of the IFs circling tumblr, itch.io, and COG will usually have a description of romance options up there alongside their key features.
But this does contribute to the expectation that romance is always going to be an important part of an IF game. Games with romance tend to do better than games without. If you're not making a romance game, I think there's a certain balance you have to strive for between managing audience expectations and staying true to your vision.
And for new developers, I would say this - if you don't want romance in your game, don't feel pressured to include it. Conversely, if you want it, go for it! I love romance in games, it's a very fun dynamic to explore (if I didn't think so, then Wayfarer would have no romance content at all).
My main gripe with it is how it's treated as a necessity (by both players and developers) and the assumption that main characters/companions are ROs and vice versa. Romance tends to trump everything in conversations about IF and I would personally like to see a little more variety and diversity, both within the romance genre and outside of it.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality
Anya is LIVE right now
FREE
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
