IFComp 2026 Recommendations

How many years before I stop being surprised it starts in September? Rate at least five games before October 19 to be a judge.

Loved

Choice

New Captain: Plan and execute a diplomatic mission as the new captain on a starship. It's like playing an episode of TNG, and the side objectives and little details make it a lot of fun. You can ask the cat who's a good kitty.

Parser

Tableaux Vivants: Explore a house of magic books and paintings to find out who you are. It's a charming setting with fun puzzles and an interesting main character. You can pet the cat and smooch her on her fuzzy little head.
Ultraviolent Unicorn Deathmatch of Destiny 4 (Walkthrough): As an incredible dangerous carnivorous chainsaw unicorn, fight your instincts to put in a good day of work at the office. The single-character parser captures the threat of careening into chaos at any moment, and the puzzles are hilarious and genuinely fun.

Liked

Other

The Flourishing (download only, Walkthrough): A surreal walk through dreams. It's stretching the boundary of IF (you have to walk around with arrow keys and click on things), but it's a fascinating experience, whatever it counts as.

Recommended with Caveats

Choice

Maximilien: Solve the mystery of your declining mental state, and your connection with brutal murders, in 1920s Boston. There's a fascinating story with a surreal atmosphere, in-depth investigation, and a somewhat strict time limit. There are multiple routes to take and clues to pursue, and trying to do everything can lead to an ending where nothing is solved. (Ask me how I know.) The caveat is that the upcoming Steam version of this has an AI disclosure for some visual and audio effects. Since IFComp has banned AI in front-facing assets, I'm hoping this is added content for Steam; I removed it from my wishlist and will recommend the free version keeping this in mind.

jaclynhyde