The 2024 Spring Thing Festival of Interactive Fiction!

* or Autumnal Jumble, for our Southern Hemisphere Friends

Playing the Entries

The 2024 Spring Thing Festival of Interactive Fiction features thirty-two new interactive stories submitted by authors working across the spectrum of text games. Participants chose to place their stories in either the Main Festival, where they are eligible for a Best In Show ribbon and prizes, or the Back Garden, with looser entry requirements allowing for more experimental or work-in-progress titles.

This year, we also are offering a New Game Plus category as part of the Back Garden, showcasing games that previously have been released but have been either ported to a susbtantially different system or have been significantly expanded.

Main Festival

Title	System	Length
Alltarach, by Katie Canning and Josef Olsson	Twine	full
The Case of the Solitary Resident, by thesleuthacademy	Twine	short
Do Good Deeds..., by Sissy	Twine	short
Doctor Jeangille's Letters, by manonamora	Twine	full
Dragon of Steelthorne, by Vance Chance	ChoiceScript	full
Loose Ends, by Daniel Stelzer and Anais Sommerfeld	Ink	full
Octopus's Garden, by Michael D. Hilborn	Inform/Glulx	short
Pass A Bill, by Leo Weinreb	Twine
Potato Peace, by ronynn	Ink	short
PROSPER.0, by groggydog	Twine	short
Rescue at Quickenheath, by Mo Farr	Twine	short
A Simple Happening, by Leon Lin	Inform/Glulx	short
Social Democracy: An Alternate History, by Autumn Chen	DendryNexus	full
Studio, by Charm Cochran	Inform/Glulx	short
Thanks, but I don’t remember asking., by Mea Murukutla	Twine
To Beseech Old Sins, by Nic June	Twine	short
The Trials of Rosalinda, by Agnieszka Trzaska	Twine	full
The Truth About PRIDE!, by Jemon Golfin	Bitsy	short
Voyage of the Marigold, by Andrew Stephens	Ink	short
You Can Only Turn Left, Written by: Emiland Kray, Programmed by: Ember Chan, Music by: Mary Kray	Twine	micro
Zomburbia, by Charles Moore, Jr.	Dialog/Z	full

Back Garden

Title	System	Length
Bydlo; or the Ox-Cart, by P.B. Parjeter	Bitsy	micro
Deep Dark Wood, by Senica Thing	Twine	short
A Dream of Silence, by Abigail Corfman	Twine	short
Escape From the Tomb of the Celestial Knights, by Megona	Quest	short
Ink and Intrigue, by Leia Talon	ChoiceScript	short
Luna Gardens, by Bruhstin	Inform/Glulx	short
Nonverbal Communication, by Allyson Gray	Inform/Glulx	short
The Portrait, by dott. Piergiorgio	TADS 3	short
Provizora Parko, by Dawn Sueoka	Twine	short

New Game Plus

Title	System	Length
The Kuolema, by Ben Jackson	Twine	full
One King to Loot them All, by Onno Brouwer	Twine	short
The Time Machine, by Bill Maya	Inform/Glulx	short

Archive of all 2024 entries (189 MB zip): Download from itch.io

Festival Readme and Changelog of updated games

Anyone is welcome to submit to Spring Thing. The organizer reserves the right to not show a submission they feel is inappropriate for the festival, but entries are not otherwise vetted, and their contents and opinions reflect the views of the original author, not the Thing as a whole.

How to Play Parser IF

Spring Thing features all kinds of text games, but two of the major divisions are between what are sometimes called choiced-based games (where you interact by clicking links) and parser-based games (where you interact by typing commands).

To those unfamiliar with the parser, it can seem confusing or intimidating. Here are some resources for getting started:

Emily Short's Welcome to Interactive Fiction overview (8-page PDF)
A handy reference card (created by Andrew Plotkin and Lea Albaugh)
You might also try a game written specifically to help newcomers get used to parsers, such as The Dreamhold or Bronze.

To play some parser IF offline, the downloaded story file needs to be opened with a program called an interpreter, much like a .doc file needs Microsoft Word to open. Clicking on the story format (next to the download link) will take you to instructions for finding the right interpreter to play a particular game.

Main Festival

Play

Alltarach By Katie Canning and Josef Olsson

Twine full-length fantasy semi-historical has graphics puzzleless long game myth folklore Ireland supernatural lgbtqcontent warnings in settings An illustrated interactive novel about family, folklore, and grief, set in a semi-historical version of 6th century Ireland. Author's Comment: “This game is part character study, part playful take on Irish mythology, part love letter to my home country. I’m really proud of what our little team has managed to accomplish with enough hacking of Harlowe. Bainigí sult as — enjoy!” Play OnlineCover ArtPlay on itch.io

Play

The Case of the Solitary Resident By thesleuthacademy Twine short mystery detective educational Twine Uncover the truth behind a mysterious death in an apartment. Play Online

Play

Do Good Deeds... By Sissy Twine short kid-friendly children's game Modis the elf faces mockery from the forest inhabitants due to his unusual appearance. However, many of the animals struggle to complete their preparations for winter, and it depends on Modis whether they will ultimately succeed. Play OnlineCover Art

Play

Doctor Jeangille's Letters By manonamora

Twine full romance mystery epistolary multiple endings violence death (incl child) full list in game Forced to settle in the small and quiet village of Meaux, the life of Doctor Jeangille falls into turmoils. In the epistolary exchanges with Olympia, the lover, this recluse person comes to life, entangled in peculiar and mysterious events… Author's Comment: “This entry is the translation of 'Les lettres du Docteur Jeangille', which had been submitted to the Concours de Fiction Interactive Francophone. It is my first time using the epistolary format to tell a story. I hope the translation does its French original counterpart justice.” Play OnlineMultilingual Version on Itch.io

Play

Dragon of Steelthorne By Vance Chance

ChoiceScript full-length Choicescript choice-based strategy action steampunk fantasy Rule a mighty city, fight battles and discover a powerful secret as the Ardent or Ardessa of Lake Steelthorne. Author's Comment: “Cover art was generated using art assets under the CC0 license and pixabay content license. Both provide a perpetual license to use, modify or adapt art assets for commercial or non-commercial use without providing attribution.” Play OnlineCover ArtDiscussion thread

Play

Loose Ends By Daniel Stelzer and Anais Sommerfeld Ink full-length choice-based mystery intrigue world of darkness vampires As a fledgling vampire, you’ve been ordered by your elders to investigate a murder and clean up any loose ends. A simple enough task — until you discover that you might be a loose end yourself. Author's Comment: “The winner of IntroComp 2023, now expanded out into a full game!” Play OnlineCover Art

Play

Octopus's Garden By Michael D. Hilborn

Inform/Glulx short parser comedy octopus You have no complaints about your aquarium... except for its view. You’ve been staring out the same window for months on end. It’s time for this octopus to make a change. Author's Comment: “This author’s attempt at an interactive cephalopod escapade. Originally conceived and written during the second week of the first (and, possibly, only?) Interactive Fiction Writing Month, this game sat dormant on a hard drive for over a decade until recently dusted off and polished (a bit). Enjoy!” Play OnlineCover Art

Play

Pass A Bill By Leo Weinreb

Twine action adventure dark humor dystopian puzzle satire simulation thriller blood violence illustrated flashing GIFs politics Corruption and greed run rampant across the nation and people are losing hope. That's why it's tough for a newly-elected politician like yourself; there's a lot of pressure on you to get things done. But in your jaded heart of hearts you only have one goal in mind, one that sets the bar so low it's impossible to fail – you want to pass a single bill into law. Author's Comment: “A tongue-in-cheek simulation puzzle game on navigating political bureaucracy.

“Images may be cut off on phone or tablet, computer recommended.”

Play OnlineCover Art

Play

Potato Peace By ronynn

Ink short graphical mystery comedy puns potatoes choice based political diplomatic puzzleless failing parent's expectations Set in a world where humans and sentient potatoes coexist, you try (but fail) to uncover a plot that threatens to disrupt the fragile harmony of this society, while trying to keep your father proud. Author's Comment: “I wanted to make a funny potato themed game that also tackles the aspect of how people often fail to fulfill others’ expectations of them, and never try to seek their own dreams. Puns are still the central aspect of the game.” Play OnlineCover Art

Play

PROSPER.0 By groggydog

Twine short Poetry You are a corporate drone tasked with purging poetry from CORPOTECH’s Database of Subsumed Cultures. But when a mysterious interloper hacks into your console, you’re faced with an escalating series of requests which put you in direct opposition to your corporate overlords and on a collision course with the sublime.

A creative exercise in destructive poetry.

Play Online

Play

Rescue at Quickenheath By Mo Farr Twine short fantasy total absence of historical accuracy lighthearted LGBT choice-based romance shenanigans a couple of puzzles Being the Most Recent Exploit of the Notorious Highway Robbers Aubrey & Valentine, featuring Grim Imprisonment, Fairy Intrigue, Romance, Adventure, Feathered Hats, etc. Play Online

Play

A Simple Happening By Leon Lin

Inform/Glulx short parser historical feudal japan samurai adventure combat violence cw: suicide As a samurai, you have been condemned to die by your own hand. Can you escape your fate? Play OnlineCover Art

Play

Social Democracy: An Alternate History By Autumn Chen

full-length historical graphics music Play as the Social Democratic Party of Germany in 1928, and try to stop the NSDAP from taking power. Guide the party through elections and parliamentary politics, and deal with the Great Depression and the spiraling political violence that characterized the late “Weimar Republic”. Author's Comment: “This is an alternate-history political simulation game with some card-based elements. It was written as the first substantial game in DendryNexus, a game engine inspired by StoryNexus.” Play OnlineCover Art

Play

Studio By Charm Cochran

Inform/Glulx short horror cw: graphic violence cw: death multiple endings It’s been a whirlwind few days, but you’re finally just about settled in. New place, new city, no one here yet for you to lean on. You’ve spent all day getting things set up, running errands, and stressing out. Now it’s time to finish up, secure the premises, and get some much-needed sleep. Author's Comment: “Studio uses the Bisquixe interpreter and includes significant CSS styling — it should be run in a browser for the intended experience.” Play OnlineCover ArtHand-Drawn Map

Play

Thanks, but I don’t remember asking. By Mea Murukutla Twine has some violence Making decisions for others has consequences. Be sure you’re prepared for them before you proceed. Author's Comment: “This all began as a dream on a random Tuesday night nearly a year ago. I brought it up in four different sessions before my therapist had enough and suggested that I write it down. A year of procrastination later — here we are. Happy now, Mia?” Play OnlineCover Art

Play

To Beseech Old Sins By Nic June

Twine short sci-fi queer yuri military hypertext Hoping to avoid further loss of life, an admiral asks the sins of the past to deliver her a swift victory. Things do not go how anyone expects. Author's Comment: “This story grew out of a challenge to myself to finally make a story for my recurring core cast that was light and let them have some actual fun without the looming threat of body horror or being crushed under an oppressive system.” Play OnlineCover ArtOther stories in the anthologyItch

Play

The Trials of Rosalinda By Agnieszka Trzaska Twine full-length fantasy puzzles magic multiple playable characters The necromancer may have been defeated, but Rosalinda’s troubles are far from over. On the run and lost in a cursed forest, it will take all of her wits – and more than a little help from her friends – to make it out UNdead. Author's Comment: “A sequel to “The Bones of Rosalinda”.” Play OnlinePlay on itch.ioHints

Play

The Truth About PRIDE! By Jemon Golfin

short Bitsy LGBTQ+ Family-Friendly Has Puzzles Text Adventure Multiple Endings The Truth About PRIDE! is an interactive narrative game where the goal is to undergo self-discovery to reveal the true meaning of the word and concept of ‘PRIDE!’ Author's Comment: “This game was originally a class assignment that I expanded upon to represent a more personal meeting of finding one’s internal PRIDE. I hope that it helps strengthen the self-confidence of anyone who plays it. And as an aspire video game developer, I hope this game can be the start of more greatness to come.” Play OnlinePlay on Itch.io

Play

Voyage of the Marigold By Andrew Stephens

Ink short scifi exploration replayable combat Join the Federation Starship Marigold as its captain in a desperate mission through unexplored sectors. A new game awaits each time you play. Author's Comment: “Voyage of the Marigold was conceived as a short “lunchtime” game with an emphasis on replayability and exploration. Heavily influenced by the Fighting Fantasy series of books from the 80s, the yellowing pages of old SciFi paperbacks, and cliches from a certain popular TV franchise.

Features include starship combat, an automatic mapping system, terrible dialog, and crisp 1-bit graphics.” Play OnlineCover Art

Play

You Can Only Turn Left Written by: Emiland Kray, Programmed by: Ember Chan, Music by: Mary Kray

Twine micro nightmare dream memory violence fear strange nonlinear insomnia You Can Only Turn Left is a playful exploration of the hypnagogic state between sleeping and wakefulness. Within this liminal space, memories morph into dreams and dreams feather into reality. You, the player have to navigate these hallucinations by choosing how the character creates their sleeping patterns. Inspired by game books and guided sleep meditations, this story invites you to imagine both the mundane and the fantastic to practice the mental flexibility of an avid dreamer. Author's Comment: “This game is the accumulation of dream journals dating back to 2017, the collaboration and patience of many mentors, and an incredible amount of energy drinks.” Play OnlineCover Artitch

Download

Zomburbia By Charles Moore, Jr. full-length parser puzzles cartoon violence zombies You’ve inherited the family manor from your great uncle but the deed is lost and the mansion and its environs are haunted. Find the deed and avoid the local mad scientist who’s turning people into voodoo zombies. Cover Art

Back Garden

Play

Bydlo; or the Ox-Cart By P.B. Parjeter

micro has graphics has music A short Bitsy game based on the 4th movement from Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” Play OnlineCover Art

Deep Dark Wood By Senica Thing Twine short 7 student micro games Author's Comment: “You´re now at the Main Crossroads. There are seven paths leading from here into the Deep Dark Wood. Each path is a separate micro game written by a student from Senica, Slovakia as an answer to an open call for entries with common starting point - in the middle of a forest.” Organizer's Note: This is a special entry, with seven games presented as one. These games come from a classroom in Slovakia that encouraged students to enter a 'mini competition' called the Senica Thing. These students are looking to learn and grow, and would benefit from constructive feedback. Back to The CityDark DreamHalloweenIXI in the Forest Little FrogieSurvive or DieThe Dark One

Play

A Dream of Silence By Abigail Corfman

Twine short Solitary Confinement Nightmares Feelings of Helplessness Starvation Challenging Some Graphics A monster has its teeth in your companions. It builds nightmares out of their worst memories and drinks their pain. One of your companions has a particularly bad worst memory. But you can interfere. You are a single thread of contact in a dream where to despair is to be devoured. A game about solitary confinement and hope.

Cover art by @milton-chamberlain

Author's Comment: “This is a fanwork based on the game Baldur’s Gate 3. If you have not played that game, I’ve included a synopsis of the relevant story that should be enough to bring you up to speed.” Play OnlineCover Art

Play

Escape From the Tomb of the Celestial Knights By Megona Quest short maze Find your way out of a mysterious crypt. Author's Comment: “My first text adventure game attempt.” Play Online

Play

Ink and Intrigue By Leia Talon

ChoiceScript short fantasy romance adventure nsfw dragons Sail to a lush island of warrior-mages where dragon runes grant immortality and love runs deep. When mystery tempts, how do you answer? Author's Comment: “Ink and Intrigue is an upcoming Heart’s Choice fantasy romance adventure set in the same world as Their Majesties’ Pleasure. This three-chapter demo is approximately 84,000 words. It contains optional explicit sex scenes and is 4/5 peppers on the HC spice scale.

- Play as male, female, or nonbinary; gay, straight, bi; asexual; monogamous or polyamorous.
- Romance a passionate artist, a Fae-blooded sage, a sassy diva, or a master warrior.
- Apprentice as a tattoo artist and learn about dragon runes.
- Forge alliances as an emissary and gather intelligence as a spy.
- Dive through portals and explore the interconnected worlds.

Will you bond with a dragon, griffin, or phoenix as you become a warrior-mage?” Play OnlineCover ArtInk and Intrigue CoG Forum DiscussionTheir Majesties' Pleasure DEMO

Play

Luna Gardens By Bruhstin

Inform/Glulx short easy divination limited-verb parser magic fantasy collegiate It seems you’ve messed up the dates. You’re supposed to meet him here tomorrow. But that’s alright; you might as well do a quick divination exercise since you made the trip. Why not divine how you’re feeling right now? Three symbols should do the trick. Author's Comment: “Luna Gardens placed 3rd at IntroComp in 2023. This demo is a more refined proof of concept that doubles as a tutorial. The full version aims for a release date of August 2024!” Play OnlineCover Artitch

Play

Nonverbal Communication By Allyson Gray

Inform/Glulx short experimental unconventional commands multiple endings fantasy setting communication Words fail you – in a literal sense – as you prepare to confront a monster from your past. Play Online

Download

“You now can taste a bit of Isekai, a detailed voyage of discovery, in a new, unexpected body a strange new world, with an ever stranger culture, a very different society... where is also Magic. Four rooms out of a hundred, you will bite this appetizer ?”

The Portrait By dott. Piergiorgio TADS 3 short isekai magic intimistic excerpt an interactive tale of discovery and unique love Author's Comment: “Is an excerpt from the very beginning of Isekai, featuring the titular portrait hanging in the living room where the story begins; looking at the painting, I think the player will appreciate from said painting that the full story of Isekai require a good degree of open-mindness....”

Play

Provizora Parko By Dawn Sueoka

Twine short surreal puzzleless cw: comic violence cw: death cw: fire cw: two instances of implied animal cruelty within a magical realist context A surreal wandering game where you explore a (semi) abandoned bird park. Four endings. Option to play through all endings without replaying the entire game. Play OnlineMap

New Game Plus

This is a new Back Garden category for full games that have been remade in a significantly different engine or substantially remastered.

Play

The Kuolema By Ben Jackson Twine full-length mystery thriller has graphics puzzles hints walkthrough remake An abandoned ship is found adrift in the South China Sea. Your mission is to secure the ship and find out what happened. You will need to locate codes and make difficult decisions in order to accomplish your mission. But you may discover that all is not as it seems, and time is not on your side… Author's Comment: “This is a completely revised and updated version of an original game created in Google Forms. Whilst this Twine remake endeavours to stay true to the original, there are also plenty of changes and additions that take better advantage of the new format.” Cover ArtPlay Online

Play

One King to Loot them All By Onno Brouwer Twine short barbarian fantasy narrative singleplayer story-rich twine A Tale of High Adventure Author's Comment: “While testing my parser game of One King to Loot them All for IFComp, I received the following comment: “You know, with the limited verb set, this would translate to choice fairly well.” This is my attempt at creating a choice version of that game. It was a very interesting learning experience!” Play OnlineItchCover Art

Play

The Time Machine By Bill Maya Inform/Glulx short science fiction sequel has graphics Did your good friend Wells really time travel into the future to the year 802,701 A.D. to the age of Eloi and Morlocks? Only you can investigate his story and determine if he is telling the truth or if he is delusional. Author's Comment: “Version 2.0 of the game has seen significant improvements from v1.0, which was released for Parsercomp 2021. Graphics have been added for all rooms and characters, including the ten new locations and two new characters. Several of the puzzles now have alternative solutions. The user interface has been expanded, adding windows for Possessions, Characters, and Conversation Topics, as well as a status bar compass rose. Fire, burning, and object combination has been added to the in-world "physics" and endgame modifications have been added to introduce additional narrative paths.” Play OnlineCover ArtDownload

Festival Ribbons

A week after the festival opens, players can nominate games for two kinds of prize ribbons:

A Best in Show blue ribbon, for Main Festival entries. The top two nominees each year win a Best in Show ribbon to display by their game.
Audience Award ribbons, for all participants, which are suggested by nominators and can be anything they like: “Best Story,” “Best Parser Game,” “Personal Favorite,” “Alumni's Choice,” “Cutest Vampires”... you get the idea.

When the festival closes, the organizer curates Audience Award suggestions to cull anything not in the celebratory spirit of the Thing before sending them to each author. The author may choose up to three Audience Awards to display on their game. Authors may choose to opt-out of receiving Audience Awards.

More details on the nomination process will be available once the festival opens.

After the festival closes, nominations also close and ribbons are awarded. The games will remain permanently available on the festival site and at the IF Archive, along with any supplemental material of the author's choosing (walkthrough, source code, etc).