manonamora-if

[manonamora-if]

Friday Fun-day Five-star day!

I kinda missed... 5/5-day organised by Jess Levine, where you rate 5 games on itch.io (because the algo sucks ass, and you should tell people that you liked their stuff). So I'm doing my part but a bit later. And maybe a bit more than once? like a Throwback-Thursday-When-I-Remember-It's-Thursday type of thing

friday fun-day 5-[star] day Sharing some of my favourite indie games

For this first FFF edition, here are 5 of my favourite IF games. Of varying sizes (5min-2h?), of varying themes, of varying mechanics, but all freaking great! 100% 5-star games in my book (and on itch)! It's hard to choose just five dams...

Computerfriend by Kit Riemer (@adz)

Vanitas by Sweetfish/Ayu (@sweetfishes)

SPILL YOUR GUT by Coral Nulla (@nullamirrors)

InGirum by BenyDanette

The Dying of the Light, by Amanda Walker

If you want some words about them, check below (+ links to reviews):

Computerfriend by Kit Riemer

I wrote a whole review about this game two years ago, but I still think about it often. It's so weird and nihilistic that it becomes strangely comforting. I've been coming back to it a couple of times this past year, especially when things gotten tough - I don't know if the bleakness that become so familiar I needed more of it? I keep finding new neat stuff every time somehow (that or I keep forgetting what I'd already seen).

It even has a mini-sequel! And I highly recommend Verses too (I didn't get it, but it's really good.

Vanitas by Sweetfish

It feels like since I reviewed it, this tiny game became even more relevant. Cohost is gone, Twitter is... something I guess, Reddit is even more a cesspool, and people keep moving around. What will the new flavour of the month be, before it gets enshittified too. I've also returned to it recently, when reading more about the Web Revival and working on my website. It's that comforting feeling that wherever we end up on the internet, we'll find each other.

SPILL YOUR GUT by Coral Nulla

This was part of the reviews that never made it to Tumblr (but you can read it here!), which is a shame, because more people should know about this game. Actually, they should know about the GUT trilogy (since, this is the third opus): GUT THE MOVIE (EctoComp/BareBones 2023), and the Sequel (Really Bad IF). And play it in order. They all hold a dear place in my hear, but I think the third one takes the cake. It's both the WTF-ness of it all, layered and layered and layered. You get lost so easily, within the mazes, and the prose, and the story. But it's worth it. Play each section of this game order though (or the final one won't hit as hard).

InGirum by BenyDanette

It's honestly a crime this game has like 3 ratings on itch (and I contributed to the 3rd this week, because I'd forgotten to do the English version when I reviewed it - and it's the only review on IFDB), or isn't streamed by people. It's so so SO good! You've got a pseudo-documentary style look over an anthology, with a calm but kind of creepy voice-over, bits of puzzle-like anxiety-riddling mini-games, and an interface that really blew me away. It truly brought the best of the bisty/binksi engine. Everything was so well planned, so well executed - it all makes sense in the context of the game.

And for the last one, I'll go with a parser.

The Dying of the Light by Amanda Walker

This was one of my truly favourite game published in 2023. It's difficult to play through it, but that makes the game even more compelling. I talked about it in my review of the game, that even its obvious mechanical flaws push the message further. Having passed some death anniversaries (relevant here) recently, I was reminded how true this game was, how raw it was, how devastating it was. And how understanding it was.

I hope yall check them out, maybe leave a rating or comment.

[manonamora-if]

dusting off here...

Hi!

It's been a while since I've posted in here. I've played and reviewed games since, but forgot to transfer them here - you can read them on the IFDB tho.

So I'm going to do the other way around - post reviews here first! And do a little more gushing about IF games in general (already queued!).

Anyways, I'm going to play this year's Neo-Twiny entries :) There are still 10 days to submit something (and you really should!), but I thought I'd get it started anyway!

See you in the next posts!

[manonamora-if]

Neo-Twiny Jam 2025

Returning for a third edition! Still fundraising for LGBTQ+ organisations! Come make a Tiny Game for charity!

The Neo Twiny Jam is an Interactive Fiction Jam with one rule:

Don't write more than 500 words.

Any type of Interactive Fiction is welcome, from any kind of IF system/format, regardless of genre/theme.

You are not limited to Twine only. Use any program you want as long as the output is interactive fiction.

NSFW content is acceptable (NSFW themes must be clearly indicated in the submission).

Sounds, graphics and code are not included in the word count.

No AI/LLM generated content, incl. game cover/title card.

No Hate/Spam submissions.

You must credit any asset used.

The Neo Twiny Jam will run from June 1st 2025 (12:00 AM/00:00 EST) to June 30th 2025 (12:00 AM/00:00 PST).

This Jam is unranked.

The inspiration for this jam comes from Porpentine's Twiny jam, which ran in 2015. During the original three-week jam, creators were asked to submit a Twine game with no more than 300 words.

Like the previous years, I will be matching the number of entries into a donation to an LGBTQ+ charity - Trevor Project and SAGE. Please contact us if you would like to donate as well.

Join the Jam!

We will track entries on Tumblr with the #neotwinyjam, but you can also tag @neointeractives/@neo-twiny-jam!

Join the Neo-Interactive Discord 

[manonamora-if]

Author’s Note

These timelines, based on the Timeglider.com software system,  have been taken from my ever-expanding database of slang, which was also the source of Green’s Dictionary of Slang, published in 2010. Slang covers many areas, but there are certain major themes which have dominated the vocabulary for over 500 years. To sum them up as sex, drugs and, in its widest sense, rock ‘n’ roll wouldn’t be so far from the truth. Plus crime, drunkenness, insults, racism and a number of other of our less savoury but quite inescapable activities. What you will find here are the first examples of what I intend to be a look at all of them. Prepare to be amused, informed, even shocked. Subversive, cynical, witty and sometimes cruel, whether we like it or not, slang is humanity at its most human.

Jonathon Green aka 'Mr Slang’

click a link below to view a timeline 

Intercourse pt 1: The Basics

Intercourse pt 2

Intercourse pt 3

Penis

Penis Click-Through

Vagina Click-Through

Breasts

The Body

Arse (Down and Dirty)

Defecation & Urination

Masturbate

Commercial Sex

Homosexuality

Gay and Lesbian

Women pt 1

Women pt 2

Men (Click-Through)

drunk

Alcohol

Pubs and Bars

Mad

Fool

religion

race: white european

race: people of colour 

Police

Relationships

Death

larceny

Con Men etc

Drugs part 1: Narcotics:https

Money

Rich and Poor:

Jobs & Occupations

Exclamations 1 (Oaths, Hell & Damnation etc)

Exclamations 2 (Dismissal)

Good

Sources of Slang

NB: The purpose of these timelines is to illustrate the wide range of terms that slang uses for a single topic. They are not a dictionary, with definitions and etymologies, simply an example of slang’s remarkable creativity over time. Their aim is to inform, but also to entertain. I do not pretend that all of them are in common use or ever were. What I do know is that I have found them in print, in lyrics, in scripts, online or elsewhere. There are certainly more that I have yet to discover. I must also add that the dates are not set in stone. Slang research is always changing what we know and there is only one rule: words are always older than you think. When I find proof, I shall make the necessary changes.

[manonamora-if]

Cassandra

A Neo-Twiny Jam game (and for the Decker VN and pink decker jams)

Fire rages on. Warnings dismissed by thousands. If only they had listen… Would it truly change a thing?

Cassandra is a tiny Interactive Fiction game made in Decker, based on the mythological character.

[manonamora-if]

Third Sunday, third translation!

Another double translation, since it was a French entry! I have tiny notes about the translation and you can read a bit more in the About/Over page in-game.

It's a pretty fun mechanic overall, though the limited amount of words does make the randomisation very same-y (I'd recommand you flip between the directions bc of this).

Still not officially back, but whip up something for the Partim500

It's Christmas and you're pretty late. Your mother won't be happy. It would be a shame if your journey had to be deviated...

Dévoiement is a tiny game made for the Partim500, with the theme of "deviation". It was made in Twine (Chapbook) in 2-3hs during the Christmas break. Since, it was translated into English and Dutch.

PLAY GAME | RATE GAME | REVIEW GAME

[manonamora-if]

Finished my RBJ entry:

Go Play My Best Game I'Ve Ever Made Ever.

It has 67 different endings.

Have fun.

~

Also there are 17 days left before the deadline !! Get to make the worst game ever!!

[manonamora-if]

Final Content update + Fixes (4.2.0 - beta)

This is the actual final major update for this game. Fixed a bunch of stuff (mainly maze in Chapter 5, NewGame+ error at endings). Made some QoL addendum. And added Achievements (37) and Codexes.

This update breaks the saves (sorry, I forgot to add the Achievement variable last April), so please restart the game completely - or you'll get an error.

If I don't get any bug report during this summer, I'll move the game to Released and Complete. :)

Also, if you want/can, consider sharing the original promo post! and maybe leave a rating/comment? Thanks!

NEW:

Fonts: 2 Serif + 2 monospace for main text, monospace for journal entries

Themes: Added 2 extra contrasting themes: Night Glitter and Extra Bleached     

Achievement: 37 collectable achievements (100% through NewGame+)    

Codex: added new entries (Chapter 5, Chapter 6)     

Codex: added Achievement List on last page     

Interface: added tiny scroll when new text is added to the page     

Map: Toggable X marks your position 

Map: Auto-scroll so current room is visible when opening popup (smaller window)

CHANGES

Added Twine/SugarCube logo to title page

Shortened the delay of first screen just a tad      

Character Page is now a pop-up   

Maps: Changed formatting     

Updated the OpenDyslexic Font files    

Clearer Credits     

Renamed Endings

FIXED:

Splash Screen not appearing (Title Page)

General typos (Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6)      

Infinite picking up the handkerchief in the Church (Chapter 2)     

Wrong direction in link (Chapter 5 - Loose Book from Bones, Round from Moonglow)    

Error warning when going to Meatlocker twice (Chapter 5)     

Looping third wall in Library (Chapter 5)     

Repeated choice in Utter Darkness Room (Chapter 5)     

Mixed up order in Rooted Mutant, making you stuck (Chapter 5)    

Mixed up order in W. Crossroad and Round, sending you the wrong way (Chapter 5)     

Skipped Mother Darge's intro (Chapter 6)     

Edward's letter not appearing on screen (Epilogues)     

Error warning when Restarting (Epilogues)     

Popups not displaying properly in iOS/Safari     

Popup being too small in mobile view    

Popup for CW not formatted properly     

Popup for Key Binding not formatted properly     

Error with Codex not returning to Previous entry     

Notification position and code     

Second map typos + text position    

Cleaned up the StyleSheet + fixed some typos     

Title page mobile not being centered vertically

[manonamora-if]

Le Jeu de la Dévotion

Le Jeu de la Dévotion is a tiny interactive silly game created originally for the 2022 Partim500 (yearly French game jam). Done over the course of two afternoons at the absolute last minute. It's a bit meta, around the theme of devotion, and very very silly. Just focus your gaze on the light, don't worry about anything else.

Until now, it was only available in French. As of today, you can now choose to play Le Jeu de la Dévotion in English and Dutch as well!

PLAY GAME | RATE GAME | REVIEW GAME (or don't :P it's not a serious game at all)

Second Sunday, second translation!

Not much to say about it. Pretty straightforward. The About section was the longest thing to translated (probably longer than the game itself).

[manonamora-if]

Final Content update + Fixes (4.2.0 - beta)

This is the actual final major update for this game. Fixed a bunch of stuff (mainly maze in Chapter 5, NewGame+ error at endings). Made some QoL addendum. And added Achievements (37) and Codexes.

This update breaks the saves (sorry, I forgot to add the Achievement variable last April), so please restart the game completely - or you'll get an error.

If I don't get any bug report during this summer, I'll move the game to Released and Complete. :)

Also, if you want/can, consider sharing the original promo post! and maybe leave a rating/comment? Thanks!

NEW:

Fonts: 2 Serif + 2 monospace for main text, monospace for journal entries

Themes: Added 2 extra contrasting themes: Night Glitter and Extra Bleached     

Achievement: 37 collectable achievements (100% through NewGame+)    

Codex: added new entries (Chapter 5, Chapter 6)     

Codex: added Achievement List on last page     

Interface: added tiny scroll when new text is added to the page     

Map: Toggable X marks your position 

Map: Auto-scroll so current room is visible when opening popup (smaller window)

CHANGES

Added Twine/SugarCube logo to title page

Shortened the delay of first screen just a tad      

Character Page is now a pop-up   

Maps: Changed formatting     

Updated the OpenDyslexic Font files    

Clearer Credits     

Renamed Endings

FIXED:

Splash Screen not appearing (Title Page)

General typos (Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6)      

Infinite picking up the handkerchief in the Church (Chapter 2)     

Wrong direction in link (Chapter 5 - Loose Book from Bones, Round from Moonglow)    

Error warning when going to Meatlocker twice (Chapter 5)     

Looping third wall in Library (Chapter 5)     

Repeated choice in Utter Darkness Room (Chapter 5)     

Mixed up order in Rooted Mutant, making you stuck (Chapter 5)    

Mixed up order in W. Crossroad and Round, sending you the wrong way (Chapter 5)     

Skipped Mother Darge's intro (Chapter 6)     

Edward's letter not appearing on screen (Epilogues)     

Error warning when Restarting (Epilogues)     

Popups not displaying properly in iOS/Safari     

Popup being too small in mobile view    

Popup for CW not formatted properly     

Popup for Key Binding not formatted properly     

Error with Codex not returning to Previous entry     

Notification position and code     

Second map typos + text position    

Cleaned up the StyleSheet + fixed some typos     

Title page mobile not being centered vertically

[manonamora-if]

Harcourt v4.2.0 will be uploaded tomorrow (Sunday 8-June). Major Update, with a bunch of fixes for Chapter 5. Don't play today, because I've added a new variable (Achievements) which will break saves. Hopefully, that's the only thing I'm breaking. There's 37 of them... You need a minimum of 7 playthroughs to get them all. DONE!

Also uploading tomorrow my second entry for The Summer of Translations. (New for English speakers too!)

[manonamora-if]

I haven't fixed that one... been working on ACHIEVEMENTS today.

So far... ~20 are coded. And I'm about halfway through. So hum... happy hunting?

Unless I broke things doing all this, this really will be the final update for this game.

Harcourt bug fix coming probably this weekend. Lots things fixed (mostly minor, but annoying). Spam me with reports (DISCORD) if you found something.

(will try to have a walkthrough for the endings within the month too)

[manonamora-if]

THE FUCKING DOORS (Open issue on Github)

They haunt me. Every fucking time I fix it, something goes wrong again. DO NOT CREATE MAZE WITH INTERACTIVE DOORS> IT IS NOT WORTH IT!!!!

Harcourt bug fix coming probably this weekend. Lots things fixed (mostly minor, but annoying). Spam me with reports (DISCORD) if you found something.

(will try to have a walkthrough for the endings within the month too)

[manonamora-if]

IFComp Seeking an Artist for the 2025 Logo

We are looking for art for this year’s IFComp logo! We will pay a $250 commission.

Artists should express interest by sending us a link to their past work/portfolio via email: ifcomp@ifcomp.org by June 30 (incl.); the artist will be selected by the end of July.

More info:

We will request one rough draft for review / edit before the final logo is produced.

We must have the final art in hand by August 25th.

We will need three versions of the logo: one with no text, one that says ‘IFComp’, and one that says ‘IFComp 2025’.

The final image file will be created or scanned at 3600 x 3600 px, and the design should still be clearly legible when reduced for display at 250 x 250 px for the web.

If you incorporate a person (optional) we ask that you make the person’s gender ambiguous.

We ask that you integrate the IFTF logo into the art in some way.

The IFComp logo should imply / be inspired by the many genres of games people make.

We will also request an invoice from the artist that the includes the following terms:

The Interactive Fiction Technology Foundation has the right to use the image in whole or in part, in world-wide publishing, print, or on any merchandise for an unlimited time. The artists reserves the right to use or edit the work to be used in their portfolio. The artist will be paid $250 US dollars, sent by PayPal or Venmo, upon receipt of final image file. IFComp will cover currency conversion fees charged by PayPal.

If you are an artist thinking about making something for this year's competition (e.g. cover art or a game), the logo may not be or have an obvious reference to an entry submitted this year. We are still open to artists participating in any way, whether it be submitting a game or doing art for an author, in this year's competition.

Here are the last few years’ logos, just to give you an idea of what we’re looking for…

Please feel free to share this info far and wide - and with any great artists you know! The artist does not have to be part of the interactive fiction community.

[manonamora-if]

Harcourt bug fix coming probably this weekend. Lots things fixed (mostly minor, but annoying). Spam me with reports (DISCORD) if you found something.

(will try to have a walkthrough for the endings within the month too)

[manonamora-if]

June Check-In

I am finally home! gots lots of feelings about it, but it can be TLDR'd into a happy 5min scream of glee and relief.

Obviously, because of the move, things were pretty busy IRL, especially during the last days/weeks. I'm not completely done with it, but it won't be as frantic (mainly waiting to hear back on things). Hopefully by the middle of the summer, all the boxes will be checked!

Let's get into this:

Recap of May

The Plan for June

Update on 2025's progress

TLDR: NEW WEBSITE YALL! and a plan for June.

What I've been up to in May?

Not much in terms of releases. Actually nothing at all. Didn't even managed to push some bug fixes for Harcourt. But!

MY WEBSITE IS UP TO DATE, YALL!

A fresh new version (v3*!), going in a completely different direction from the previous iteration. At the same time, it's very much a continuation of what I imagined the website would be. *3 is actually my fav number. I think it was meant to be that the best version of this website would be on version 3....

Anyway... LOOK AT THIS BEAUTY!!!

I'm so so freaking happy with how it turned out. Reorganising the sections and giving everything a lot more personality is making be excited about this place. And it's allowing me to grow it however and wherever I want (branching out to different medium?).

AND LOOK AT THE BUTTONS <333333 Returning to the old web vibes is just everything I needed, ngl.

So yeah, go through my little computer/website. There are tons of pages with different interfaces (there will be more soon!).

Fair warning: it is absolutely not mobile friendly. Anything smaller than 1200x768 will give some some weird results. Also use Firefox to view it.

I still have a huge To-Do list of things and polish to do (incl. mobile), but at least all the info from v2 has been moved to v3, and what was missing (games/assets/etc...) has been added (if not a full page, it is mentioned somewhere).

Neo-Interactives and other Events

May is REALLY BAD IF (Tumblr) month, between the end of the previous and next cycle of competitions, where people are tasked to make the absolute worst IF game possible. Normally it's just the month of may, but... I announced it late everywhere, and I didn't manage to put my entry in time, so... it's extended until the end of June!

I forgot at the end to officially announce the 2025 Showcase. Gotta put myself a reminder to do that.

Also announced in May (though it only just started), The Summer of Translations (Tumblr)! Because I honestly needed accountability buddies to ensure I actually upload a new translation every week (which will happen every Sunday!).

Keep an eye on @ifcomp for announcements, too. I'm still handling Social Media this year, and we're slowly getting ready to open the new edition of the Comp.

And finally, Neo-Twiny Jam is coming back, again a fundraiser (we got a few donors already!). We're hopping to break all the records again, so consider participating for a good cause (or share, that helps tons) !! Check @neointeractives and @neo-twiny-jam for announcements and entries :) And I'll be restarting @manonamora-if-reviews with my comments on the entries!

Translations Project

Nothing is out before June, but I manage to create a little bit of a buffer for myself (a couple of games buffer) in case things get busy IRL for a few weeks and whatnot. Which makes me pretty happy! Now... having received pages long of pointing out mistakes from MelS... But he said I'm getting better!

And... that's all folks :P The website took most of my very little free time this month.

~

The PLANtm for June

Al-right-y, let's make a list!

Harcourt: pushing the fixes ASAP (and pray there won't be any new bugs) and nag MelS for the missing Codex pages.

Summer of Translations: upload 5 translated works (incl. new releases) <- one less to do because Collision is done!

Website: chip away at the To-Do list (I'm making moar buttons)

RBIF: fix the bug and upload the entry

NTJ: try to at least make one entry (potentially with Anti-Romance and Nouvim, two birds one stone) - I have 3 ideas already, just need to make them happen.

Reviews: Neo-Twiny here we come!

Not so much of a plan, more of what to expect this month, which... won't be much. Because the thing is: I'm moving at the end of the month. So between packing, selling, cancelling stuff here, and unpacking, opening, and probably buying things there, my IRL To-Do is arm-length at this point. It's both super stressful and a huge relief. I picked such a good time to come back, lol.

~

Updates on 2025's progress

Is... void. lol. Which means I'm sticking to the plan!

I haven't submitted to any event so far (outside of Showcases for stuff already out! and the Translation project, but those don't count)

No new events organised either! (aside from the Translation one, but that's for keeping me accountable, so it doesn't count either)

I've done some fixes for a previously released game (Harcourt, it's just not pushed yet - I got sent a couple of more typos to fix)

The website is up-to-date!

Depending on how things go in June, I might have a more concrete plan for the rest of the year in my mid-year check-in. As in: picking a WIP and finish it in those next 6 months.

[manonamora-if]

Today is the 1st of June, so it's time to release a translation!

First up: Collision.

I... honestly forgot how neat this game was. After I submitted it to @neo-twiny-jam in 2023, it kinda... flew away from my mind. It was fun to replay it before sitting down and translate it - the shock is still as shocking as I hoped it would be. So yay :)

My favourite passage to translate: the actual final screen. I didn't expect it to roll out of the tongue as poetically as it did... Weirdly lyrical!

Also fixed a couple of lil things in passing.

Open your Eyes, and Do Something... Anything...

Introducing Collision, a tiny Twine game with less than 300 words, made for the Neo Twiny Jam.

Strange designs over your body, fingers attached to a wheel, and a vehicle approaching fast. An imminent crash. Will you manage to make it out alive?

CW: animated text (toggable), sudden sound (volume slider), implied death

Play Collision | Rate Collision | Review Collision The game is also available in French and Dutch.