What's New In IF? Issue 3 (2025)
By Aj, Bex, Dion, Briar and Peter
Now Available!
Itch.io - Keep Reading below
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~ EDITORIAL ~
Itâs time for a revival!
As you might have noticed, our Column section has been dead for a while. We feel like itâs time to do something about that!
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?
Send us a message and we will be happy to feature it in our future Issues!
Thereâs power in numbers!
Are you an IF fan and would like a way to give back to the community? Weâre once again looking for new members of our Team!
Do you enjoy keeping up with updates and finding new gems? Maybe you even enjoy working with Google Sheets?
Then our Tracker of News position is made just for you!
Contact us on any of our socials or email and help us stay on the top of our game and make our Database even better!
AJ, BEX, DION, BRIAR AND PETER
~ EVENT SPOTLIGHT : Global Game Jam ~
35,371 jammers and 12,098 games, just wow!
The Global Game JamÂŽ (GGJÂŽ) is the world's largest game creation event taking place in physical locations across the globe. Think of it as a 48 hour hackathon focused on game development around a theme.
GGJâs mission is to stimulate innovation, experimentation, and collaboration in games. The annual event begins on a Friday afternoon in January and kicks off with video keynotes and advice from leaders in the game development industry. The GGJ encourages collaboration and its events are not a competition. Anyone can apply to host a jam site as long as they have a dedicated jam organiser who agrees to follow a few GGJ rules, and a venue with internet access. The event is renown for fostering friendships while increasing confidence and opportunities within participating communities. Each GGJ event poses an intellectual challenge where people are invited to try new technology and tools while exploring new roles and skills.
Be it bubble tea, bubblegum, the housing bubble, soap bubbles, speech bubbles, air bubbles, social bubbles, blowing bubbles, bursting bubbles, and more, this year's theme was: Bubble.
Check out the games here! (Thereâs a fair share of IF too!)
(source)
~ ENDED ~
Feeling nostalgic about the golden age of text adventures? Relive those days by checking out PunyComp 2024!
IF Short Games Showcase 2024 is a great way to shine some new light on projects made in the past year and the results are now in!
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.
The eighth annual Ace Jam is a game jam about creating games with asexual spectrum characters.
~ VOTING ~
ShuffleComp is a musical interactive fiction competition where you make games based on songs, which are submitted by other entrants. You can now vote for your favourites!
Sealed With A Kiss Jam 2025 is a fantastical romance jam for all VN lovers!
~ ONGOING (SUBMITTING) ~
Media depicting healthy examples of polyamory isnât that common. The PolyJamorous 2024 is trying to break the status-quo!
Concours de Fiction Interactive Francophone 2025 is for all French-speaking enthusiasts. Submissions are accepted March 3rd 2025.
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.
SeedComp! is a 2-round interactive fiction game jam, focusing on creativity and the growth of ideas and the Sprouting Round has just started! Check out the Planting round for inspiration.
BL stands for Boys' Love, a genre that focuses on romantic and emotional relationships between male characters. The Ultimate BL Visual Novel Game Jam is all about that!
Are you a fan of Vampires? Then lucky for you, because the Queer Vampire Game Jam is back!
The Make Visual Novel Assets! is 2 weeks long jam for making (surprise, surprise) visual novel assets!
The Smoochie Jam is a month-long unranked jam for interactive fiction about kisses, love, and romance.
bitsy jam #88 is here! This time with the theme Snakes!
~ NEW RELEASE ~
Travel back thousands of years and step into the awe-inspiring halls of the Library of Alexandria, where the discovery of a mysterious papyrus sets you on an unforgettable quest. Unearthed from a hidden tomb in Egypt, the secrets contained within this fragile scroll whisper of an ancient world lost to time. But this is only the beginning. Do you have what it takes to unlock the secrets of Atlantis and bring its forgotten knowledge back into the light? The past is calling in Echoes of Atlantis (GAC) âwill you answer?
Once upon a time, Savvarah was a desolate land: icy winds, a dirty canvas of clouds, lifeless earth. Nuelli witnessed nothing of the kind. She was born in a blooming paradise. The tales of the past had transformed into a kind of fable. Almost a myth. Now Nuelli is set to unravel the mysteries of her visions, learn more about the history of her people, become part of a conspiracy, find herself at the very center of the confrontation between divine entities... Or not. Everything is in your hands in Legends of Savvarah: Children of the Sun.
Two short IFs written on a train, in car 13, seat 26. the train will always pass you by (Twine) was written on a way to a friend, while she came from the fog (Twine) was written on the way home.
The A.D.A.P.T. Entries, equal parts interactive fiction and narrative adventure, it is a space thriller about Judiasm, the building and falling of communities, the necessity of resisting dehumanization, and how even the best of intentions can be twisted in the face of systemic corruption and unaddressed prejudices. You can now read Entry 0.1 - Introductions (Twine) - In which we begin to investigate the writings of Rivkah Kadish, PhD. @thehallstara
Rusalka (Twine) is a short looping story about a woman who drowned (and all those after).
In Stronghold: Caverns of Sorcery (CScript), deep beneath the earth, the dragon is rising! Quest into mysterious underground caverns and forests to learn magical secrets, draw strength from friends and family, secure alliances that can save your home, and carry on the heroic legacy of Stronghold!
A machine and a ghost, in the wasteland. Walk (Twine) is a post-apocalyptic romance with multiple endings and paths. @thatsrightdollface
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) ~
Historians and politicians would call it The Proelium, a righteous battle against the traitorous Iredicci. What it really was, was the systematic genocide of your people. In one night, soldiers attacked every settlement camp across the empire. No one was sparedânot the elders, not the children, not your mother. Will you abandon your song in favor of machine? Join the rebel forces against the tyrant regis? Will you heal the wounds of the realm and restore balance? Or plunge it further into chaos? Cantata (Twine) is a low fantasy IF about song, strength, & finding your voice. @fir-fireweed
From the Mud (CScript) is a Midwest gothic inspired horror set in a solitary countryside occupied only by two small towns and stretches of untamed nature. You play a troubled cowboy/girl/puncher whoâs ground deep into a maddening, repetitive routine that a string of deaths suddenly upends. As youâre hunting for the culprit and running from yourself, your quiet life on the ranch is disturbed, forcing you to keep your cards close and choose your company carefully. But the most pressing matter proves to be whether you can trust your own mind. @beckwritesif
Step into the digital consciousness of an AI chatbot in Onionionionion (RenâPy), an intriguing visual novel that blurs the lines between artificial intelligence and human connection. Your sole window to the world is through text messages with a mysterious high school student named Ăve - but nothing is quite as simple as it seems.
As a government agent who works for a national security intelligence firm called Halcyon Tech, your position is the beginning of a bright future ahead and a name to hold, and youâre happy with that until your boss decides that itâs time for the Government and the Company to part ways. Are you willing to protect the Halcyon secrets with your life? Or are you going to blow them up for the world to see in The Archives of Halycon (Twine)? @thearchivesofhalcyon
This Grave Calls You Home (Twine) is a sci-fi thriller set in space after humanity is forced to leave Earth's ravaged surface following nuclear devastation and an environmental collapse. When a patrol flagship discovers the ARCADIA-II - a long-forgotten relic from humanity's past - and finds within slumbers an astronaut who had failed at delivering humanity from destruction, the routine of your life is thoroughly interrupted. As the mystery of the ARCADIA-II and PROJECT ODYSSEY unfold, you learn that your part in this could mean humanity's salvation. Or you could be its extinction. @blood-teeth
In Rogue Adventure (CScript) you play a rogue lad whose aim is to liberate his family from the debt they owe a crime syndicate and also survive this cruel medieval world.
In Project Vampire (CScript) you play as a marvel of bioengineering and the attempted cure to death and disease. The only successful specimen dubbed âVampireâ created by a black op organization funded by UCA.
Weydosa Island (CScript) is a cursed place that is most feared by all residents of Alberal, even the bravest people will turn pale when they hear the name of that place, a folk legend that every mother often tells to scare their children into obeying. Many people consider the island to be a manifestation of hell. You are the unfortunate soul who was made a scapegoat for someoneâs rotten heart and cast into that cursed Lazaretto. As if isolation alone is not enough, you must also race against time because the evil force has awakened from its slumber. It would be better to address this immediately if you still want to see tomorrow.
In the aftermath of World War II, a classified mission pulls you into the shadowy remnants of a conflict no one dares to acknowledge. Whispers of rogue Nazi scientists and reality-warping experiments have surfaced, threatening to plunge Europeâand perhaps the worldâinto chaos once more. As an MI5 field agent, youâre tasked with uncovering the truth buried beneath layers of secrecy, lies, and betrayal. Redacted: Ground Zero (CScript) is a story of espionage, moral dilemmas, and the unraveling of truths hidden in the shadows of history. Will you rise to the challenge, or will the truth consume you?
Born as a child of a soon to be pirate king. But tragedy strikes, your ship got ambushed by a rival pirate, Balthazar, who speak of âThe greater goodâ. Alone, stranded. You got saved by a local pirate captain. Will he lead you to goodness or destruction in Voyage of destiny (CScript)?
In The Midnight Bay (CScript) death haunts the people of Albach Bay. For fifteen years, âThe Bay Slasherâ has stalked the streets, preying on victims with no apparent goal or motive. You were seven years old when you witnessed the murder of the Slasherâs first victimâyour own father. Impatience swallowed your childhood, desperate to come of age and solve the case that has left the local police department stumped.
~ UPDATES ~
Ashenmaw - Dragons of Marrowoods (CScript) added new content to their demo. @ashenmaw-if
Grey Swan - Birds of a Rose (CScript) updated their demo. @reinekes-fox
Heart of the Mountain (CSscript) released Chapter 2.
Hunter's Requiem (CSscript) updated their demo. @huntersrequiem-if
In Plain Sight: Operative (CSscript) released version 0.4.0.0 of their demo.
Meteoric (CScript) released Chapter 6.
Path of Martial Arts (CScript) updated their demo. @nicky-if
Replica: Between Universes (CScript) released Chapter 9. @replicabetweenblogs
The FANTASTIC Clash (CScript) updated their demo. @heysoyeah
The In-Between (CScript) released Chapter 12. @dalekowrites
The Soul Stone War 3 (CScript) added new content to their demo. @intimidatingpuffinstudios
When Stars Collide (RenâPy) released Episode 2. @steamberrystudio
Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven (CScript) released the majority of Chapter 15.
Gods And Villains (CScript) updated their Patreon demo.
The Eternal Library (CScript) released the rest of Chapter 3. @leiatalon
The OnryĹ Of Osaka (CScript) released Part 1 of Act 3. @osakaonryoif
The Story of Sin (Twine) added new content to their demo. @devilishmango
Esper: Fugitive (Twine) released Part 1 of Chapter 2. @esper-game
Mind Blind (CScript) is back with quite a huge update! @mindblindbard
~ OTHER ~
Parley Games just launched a hands-free, audio & voice based mystery adventure game: RYFT: A Timely Manor!
Episode 16 of The Retro Adventures Podcast is out! Jason and Dave welcome classic text adventure author Jonathan Partington to the program. While studying at Cambridge University, he created and contributed to several memorable games including Avon (featured in Episode 12), Crobe, Sangraal, Fyleet, Monsters of Murdac, and Spy Snatcher.
A Train to Piccadilly post-comp release 2 is out.
January 2025 ChoiceScript Release, new WIPs, and update digest by @hpowellsmith is out!
The Radiants v2.0 brings an extended Epilogue, new romance route and few other updates to the base game!
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.
Press Play by girlfromthecrypt (CScript)
hi!!! just here to recommend my favourite game. i just read @pressplay-if, and it's⌠it's so good. it handles harsh topics with such ease and the writing style is consistent and everyman. everytime i hear there's an update i've got to replay the whole thing, i just love it so much.
//submitted by anon//
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!
WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU ALL! WHETHER IT'S GOOD OR BAD, OR EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN...
Have something to say? Send us a message titled: Zine Letter!
As we end this Issue, we would like to thank:
our anons
For sending us a Highlight and news!!
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!
See you in two weeks!
AJ, BEX, DION, BRIAR AND PETER
WHAT'S NEW IN IF? 2025-ISSUE 3
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 onâŚ!
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!!
