IFComp 2023 Recommendations

[jaclynhyde]

EDIT: 59 out of 74 games judged by end of comp! I'm planning to get through the rest to complete my recommendations. 

Favorites

Choice

• My Brother; The Parasite: A parasite allows you to speak to your abusive brother after his death; can you ever find closure for a lifetime of pain? Gorgeous art and presentation of a moody story where the horror accentuates the real. Mind the content warnings.
• Paintball Wizard (Walkthrough): As a pledge at a wizard fraternity, it's up to you to learn enough spells to win the wizard paintball game. A really fun magic system and surprisingly sweet story make this a blast to play, and the many Easter eggs are an incentive to use that magic system to the fullest.
• Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head: Sneak inside your abandoned studio to save your deceased boss's beloved puppets--but the puppets aren't the only things there. A surprisingly touching take on mascot horror, with fun gameplay and ridiculous amount of missable dialogue and interactions between the puppets.

Parser

• Citizen Makane (Walkthrough): As the last man on earth, reintegrate yourself into society and solve problems by leveling up your sexual prowess. It's a deckbuilder deconstruction of an old porn game that's hilarious and straight-up fun to play. There's a bunch of optional cards to find and alternate resolutions to quests, so worth replaying, too. Making a non-creepy game about a dude banging tons of women is impressive.
• Dr. Ludwig and the Devil (Walkthrough): As a mad scientist, make a deal with the devil (but not before figuring out how to wriggle your way out of it). Hilarious and delightful, and I love all the queer characters! 
• Gestures Towards Divinity (Walkthrough): In a gallery displaying Francis Bacon's art, learn more about its subjects. A haunting, heavy game diving into art, biography, and ethics; I recommend pulling up the works in question while you play. Definitely heed the content warnings!
• Honk! (Walkthrough): A phantom is haunting your circus; can a clown save the day? A hilarious game full of clever puzzles and charming characters--it's a joy to play.  You can pet the goose.
• LAKE Adventure (Walkthrough): At 13, a boy made a text adventure about going to a friend's sister's birthday party. Decades later, you play while he commentates. A really cool concept which, as far as I can tell, is actually an expanded game the author made as a teen. CW for
  spoilers

  a child dying of cancer.
• The Little Match Girl 4 (Walkthrough): The Little Match Girl, having been adopted by Ebeneezer Scrooge and become a vampire-slayer/general heroine, must collect pearls to prevent war between fairies and humans. A super-enjoyable Metroidvania with tons of fun puzzles, sidequests, and clever descriptions. There's five previous games in the series, but the introduction tells you the important backstory.
• Ribald Bat Lady Plunder Quest (Walkthrough): As a cheerfully amoral bat lady, conquer a suitable birthday present for your lover. The florid and hilarious fantasy prose makes exploring and examining everything a treat. It is extremely, explicitly horny; the particular style isn't my thing, but it has so much fun with sex that it just adds to the atmosphere.

Other Recommendations

Choice

• All Hands: Follow the songs and board the ship. A short, atmospheric horror story. The system (Texture) is less buggy on mobile for me.
• All the Troubles Come My Way: As a cowboy stuck in the future, find your hat. A short, hilarious game with a bit of Disco Elysium flair.
• Antony & Cleopatra: Case !V: The Murder of Marlon Brando: As Antony and Cleopatra, investigate the murder of Marlon Brando in a synchronous two-player mystery. The mystery is genuinely tricky to figure out, and the bizarre cast of characters adds to the fun of the setting. I recommend playing with a friend in-person or with voice chat, but it's possible to play in two windows to experience the writing.
• Detective Osiris: As a newborn god, interact with your loved ones and the Egyptian pantheon to solve your own murder. A fun little mystery with enjoyable characters and great art. You can pet the dog and crocodile!
• Dysfluent: An ordinary day of a person with a stutter. A really effective exploration of what it's like to have a stutter and how other people treat you.
• The Gift of What You Notice More (Walkthrough): You're packing to leave--but first you have to confront what went wrong. A surreal game of diving back into memories, solving puzzles, and figuring out what's important. I had to walk around trying everything on everything a lot, but the overall experience was worth it.
• Last Valentine's Day: You try to bring a Valentine's gift to your lover, over and over. An effective take on the end of a relationship told through a time loop. The Greek mythology trappings don't really work for me, but it stands well on its own.
• Lunium (Walkthrough): Free yourself from a locked room in order to catch a murderer. An impressive translation of an escape-the-room adventure game to Twine, with nice visuals and an entertaining mystery.
• My Pseudo-Dementia Museum (Download recommended): A museum of the author's time of mental health recovery. The focus on objects makes for an interesting perspective, and it meant a lot as someone with mental illness to see the little things that gave someone else's life meaning. Mind the content warnings and take it as an exhibition, not a game.
• One Does Not Simply Fry: Lord of the Rings meets cooking competitions as competitors attempt to fry the One(ion) Ring. Funny and super replayable with four contestants to choose from and a bunch of achievements.
• The Ship (Walkthrough): As a ship captain, follow a mysterious poem left by a parent to find your path. A really cool concept with a lot of minigames and a fun, surreal narrative.
• Tricks of light in the forest (Walkthrough): Take a walk through the woods, finding specimens and taking photos. A lovely exploration game, with the hints of worldbuilding suggesting a lurking darker story.
• The Whale's Keeper: You're a cetologist who has been swallowed by a whale. Do you try to escape or discover what truly lives in the belly of the whale? The mood of not-quite horror is perfect for the ocean setting. The platform is annoying but worth dealing with to play.
• The Whisperers: An interactive play taking place in Moscow, 1938, that allows the will of the people to decide the lives of four neighbors. I really want to see this as a play!
• Xanthippe's Last Night With Socrates: As Socrates' wife, spend one last night with him in his jail cell. Lots of bawdy, black humor, frank discussions of philosophy and death, and sex. 

Parser

• Bright Brave Knight Knave (Walkthrough): Hail, hold! This tale told through rhymes is a sale sold that will have you rhyming forever. The puzzles can be obscure, but a robust hint system (and lots of guessing) makes sure you won't have to bail bold.
• How Prince Quisborne the Feckless Shook His Title (Download only): Help a prince become less useless in a  staggeringly detailed fantasy adventure. I've only finished the two-hour tutorial, meant for IFComp judging, but the amusing and wordy writing makes me want to luxuriate in the full adventure. You can pet the dog, but probably shouldn't.
• The Vambrace of Destiny (Walkthrough): Go dungeon crawling for spell gems with single-letter commands. An ingenious interface and control scheme makes for some fun puzzles, and the many optional treasures allow for some brainteasers.