#if recs

[hellkeepers-if]

DEMO (prologue out) UPDATES

Set in an alternate version of Singapore, you're a fresh university graduate bumbling through life as you desperately look for a job.

...Or that's what your mother thinks. In a world where occult ceremonies are as common as an existential crisis, there's no way you were ever going to be a perfectly average office worker. Just like your twin brother, you work for the International Society Of Exorcists (ISOE) which deals with supernatural occurrences, demonic rituals, and the like.

When a tragic event befalls your older sister, it uproots your entire life and everything you ever knew about the supernatural. With it, comes a forced need to come to terms with a family history straight out of the movies. 

After all, how the hell did it take twenty years to find out that you're descended from the freaking king of the underworld?

"I have a duty to myself, but more importantly, my family."

——————

Inspired by Supernatural, Fullmetal Alchemist, Noragami, and the Percy Jackson series, Hellkeepers is a +18 urban fantasy/paranormal interactive fiction, involving elements of Chinese and Southeast-Asian mythology. In every playthrough, you will...

• Play as a female, male, or non-binary Chinese demigod/ess.

• Determine the relationships between you and your family members. After all, they will play a big part in your story...

• Peel apart the full truth behind you and your siblings' birthright. Your parents can't hide it forever.

• Learn more about Chinese and Southeast Asian mythology as you warp into different dimensions, unlike anything you've seen before.

• Learn more about who you were in your past life.

| Nishimura Kazuo (he/him)

Age: 26

Ethnicity: Japanese

With a penchant for mischief and a charm that woos even the most stubborn of grandmas, Kazu is the wildcard of your organization. You think he's an anarchist, and the only reason he's tied down to the ISOE is so that he has an excuse for whatever havoc he wreaks on the supernatural. 

The A-ranked exorcist is your colleague and your brother's mentor, though you rarely ever see him in his office. But if you ever need him for demon fighting, he'll be there. Most of the time.

"Mind taking that pesky thing out for me while I take a quick nap?"

| Quentin Khanh (Quan) (he/him)

Age: 25

Ethnicity: Vietnamese

Quentin, more affectionately known as Quan, was your childhood friend. After he moved overseas, the weekly texts you sent him fizzled into nothing but a lost friendship.

Since then, he's returned to Singapore as a forensics pathologist and researcher under your organisation. Whether you like it or not, you have to no choice but to work with him for most of your investigations.

"If your bribe doesn't involve a penthouse worth of money, don't talk to me."

| Reyna Aliyah Santos (she/her)

Age: 23

Ethnicity: Mixed (Filipino-Chinese)

You've never quite met someone like Reyna. A halfling with a demon mother and a human father. Being raised in Singapore all her life with little knowledge of her parents, it's natural that Reyna would come to the ISOE for help at the mere instance of a fox tail and white fur.

You've been tasked to help her mask and get comfortable with her supernatural powers, but she won't make it easy for you. After all, foxes do bite. 

"Technically, I'm not stealing anything if they don't notice."

| Song Huayun (she/her)

Age: ????

Ethnicity: "Uhh...from Hell?" Chinese

| You don't know too much about Huayun, except for the fact that she lives in Diyu, the Chinese Underworld. As Diyu's gatekeeper, Huayun has seen countless depravities committed by humans before their deaths. That alone has made it hard for her to like them, and the contempt she shows you is no different than what she shows everyone else.

But with time, maybe she'll finally learn what it is like to feel human…and what a smile is.

"If it isn't the star of tonight's show. Welcome to Diyu."

| The Arbiter of Fate (m/f)

Theyre a stranger, or so you say. But this deity knows everyone...especially you.

[aquarii-if]

Demo 84K words (Updated 2/9/24) /// The Gods /// Ask Boundaries

After being abducted by two aliens, their spaceship crashes and leaves you stranded on a galaxy called 'Aquarii", which is populated by a species called 'Mitans'.

You're taken in by the Queen of Aquarii, where she reveals you are a child of one of Aquarii's gods. A cool idea in theory, but it appears the Mitan's aren't particularly happy with a human being half-god.

The queen believes that your arrival is a sign an upcoming war between Mitans and gods can be prevented, while others believe this war is inevitable.

As you are forced to fight for your right to live, you're left with one question:

Can a universe survive without gods?

Choose your pronouns, sexuality, and appearance.

Join forces with an unusual group of aliens with unique features.

Choose between five RO's, two female, two male, and one non-binary option.

Become a demigod and pick one of twelve gods to be the child of.

Deal with a strange device that has been turned against you and the Mitans (along with the alien that built it).

And fight an emperor!

RO Descriptions

Liviana Vlahos, The Queen (she/her)- The queen of Aquarii and all Mitans, she is beloved by all her people for defeating the tyrant who ruled before her. She was kind enough to lend her hand in your time of need, but it's hard to tell if she genuinely cares for you. If you don't prove to be helpful, she may just throw you into the fray.

Estelle Alinac, The Chief (she/her)- The chief of the Justice Association of Aquarii, Estelle is known to be a cold and intimidating woman. She doesn't like you, or humans, and makes that abundantly clear every time you talk to her.

Amare Mailon, The Recruit (he/him)- A new member of the Justice Association of Aquarii, Amare can appear quite naive and unserious. With others, he's sarcastic and witty, but with you, he's nervous and paranoid. Being a member of the JAA, anyone would assume he's just worried about something happening to you. But you know from the way his eyes flick to your arms and legs that the fear runs deeper. You can't tell which matters more to him; stopping a war, or preventing humans from finding Aquarii. Ellery Torres, The Doctor (he/him)- Liviana's personal doctor and the most renowned doctor in the galaxy, Ellery appears as someone you can trust. He can make you feel at ease with his playful humor and light-hearted personality. He has sworn to the queen that he will do everything in his power to keep you alive and healthy. He doesn't appear threatening, but who can you trust in this unknown galaxy?

???, The Mastermind (they/them)- Not much is known about the one who lives in the apartment on Fiery Pass, but it's kind of weird how they never turn their purple lights out...

[nineblooddances-if]

CH.ZERO DEMO RELEASE

I have had a fantastic time writing Chapter Zero, and setting up every for later chapters and just yay!! I hope you enjoy just as much as I do!!

CHAPTER ZERO

[kalorphic]

can you rec a dark if like +18 ☠️ i want chaos. (u can ignore this btw)

DARK(ER) IFS

Okay, I found this one quite difficult because I don’t know what you would constitute as dark (especially considering that this community on tumblr doesn’t really do dark dark (that I’ve seen)), but I’ve managed to compile the list below. Most have demos and there aren’t as many which haven’t updated in months and months (but there are still a few).

I added IFs that used the words ‘dark’ or ‘horror’ in their descriptions and/or that were explicitly rated 18+. I then looked at content warnings - what they were, how extensive they were, and how intense they were.

If anyone wants their IF removed, please let me know (or added, but please keep the criteria(?) above in mind).

OFNA: Birds of a Feather by @ofna - Demo

Legend of a Savior by @legend-of-a-savior-if - Demo

Witches of Ferngrove by @witchesofferngrove - Demo

The Exile by @exilethegame - Demo

Remember, You Will Die by @vapolis - Demo

Project Hadea by @nyehilismwriting - Demo

The Goodfellows by @thecuriouseye - Demo

Event Horizon by @if-eventhorizon - Demo

Fellow Traveler by @robotvampire - Demo

We All Bleed Red by @lost-kiwi-dev - Demo

Mind Games: Trepidation by @bottlecaprabbitgames - Demo

Swallow the Dark by @swallowthedark - Demo

Sinners and Saints by @sinnersandsaints-linwrites - Demo

The Numbers Game by @thenumbersgameif - Demo

A Trial of Horror by @atrial-ofhorror-if - Demo

Defiled Hearts: The Barbarian by @defiledheartsblog - Demo

Haunt the Bodies by @hauntthebodies - No Demo

Kingdoms and Empires by @kingdoms-and-empires - Demo

Ballad of the Judgment Night by @nikkefort-dev - Demo

The Spirited: Origins by @yuveim - Demo

Fox of Sunholt by @foxofsunholt - No Demo (being rewritten)

My Beginning & My End by @chaosbringerx - No Demo

A Court of Serpents by @acourtofserpents - Demo

Ripper’s Plague: Ground Zero by @ripperplague - Demo (indefinite hiatus)

The Operative: Fires of Revolution by @theoperativeif - Demo

The Scars I Live With by @thescarsilivewith-if - No Demo

The Kiss of Midnight by @if-kissofmidnight - No Demo

An Ode to Dying Stars by @dyingstars-if - No Demo

Tainted Souls: Fables & Myth - The Bonded Awakening by @taintedsoul-if - Demo

Dark Impulses by @timidloner - Demo

The Inseparables by @theinseparables-if - No Demo

The Decoy by @alternatewriter - Demo

Softly, Opulent by @softlyopulent-if - Demo

Cheers to the Elites by @cheerstotheelites-if - Demo

The Weight of Yesterday by @theweightofyesterday-if - No Demo

What Lovely Bones by @whatlovelybones-if - Demo

[horsemenoftheapocalypse-if]

(First ever collaboration IF between the Author of King's Despair and Dragon's Edged.)

Writer's Links: Dragon's Edged & King's Despair

(Warning: 18+ The story includes the following: Violence, , self-doubt, cliché’s, child abuse, torture, trauma and many more will be added in the future.)

Kroz&Author

"Greetings, Reader!

You are about to enter a world of darkness, danger, and deception.

A world where a child has been sold to the most powerful underworld company known as the Fates. A world where you will have to make life-or-death decisions for them. This is not a typical story of an orphan or a survivor.

This is a story of a child who has to learn how to kill, lie, and manipulate in order to survive in the dark side of New York City. A city where crime never sleeps and where the Fates control everything from the shadows.

You are not just a passive observer of this story. You are an active participant. You are the voice, the intuition, the gut feeling of the child protagonist. You will have to guide them through their trials and tribulations, their choices and consequences, their victories and defeats. But be careful, Reader.

The Fates are watching your every move. They have plans for you and the child. Plans that may not end well for either of you.

Are you ready to take on this challenge, Reader? Are you ready to face the Fates? Reader I beckon you to join them on this extraordinary adventure, where danger lurks at every turn, and the stakes are unimaginably high.

Through your unwavering presence, you will empower our young hero to face their fears, outsmart their enemies, and ultimately shape their own destiny.

Prepare yourself for a thrilling and immersive experience. Brace for the adrenaline-pumping encounters, the unexpected alliances, and the heart-wrenching decisions that will test the limits of our protagonist's resilience.

The fate of our young protagonist lies in your hands. Choose wisely, for their life depends on it. Decided are we?

Then come closer, and let me tell you more about this story…"

Introduction:

You were a kid, was a kid, now your a cold-blooded killing machine.

Dispensing justice and vengeance using your guns and knives. A modern robin hood you ask? Nope your not wearing any leotard pants or cap.

You're a merciless executioner, killing anyone who crosses your way. But underneath all that bloodshed and brutality, you still have a soft spot for kids.

It all started when you were taken by a prolific assassin, who decided to make you his protege. Armed with guns and knives, he taught you how to kill, track and hunt. But there was one rule that he made you live by, "No children, we never hurt them". That code fueled your respect for the man.

Through rigorous training, you became an expert in sharpshooting, knife throwing, and stealth. You even surpassed the master assassin, becoming the leader of your own hit squad. Together you and him started cleaning the streets from drugs, hoodlums, pimps and mafias. That made you a hero to the poor and downtrodden. But you were known by the authorities as a murderer and vigilante.

Despite all the havoc you reaped, you kept your code. Whenever you had a child captive, you would send them back to their families or orphanage. But one day, rumors of a powerful entity known as "The Fate's" were spreading they deal with guns, prostitution, alcohol, guns for hire, and mercenaries.

It was said that they're the Top Dog of the black market, the consigners of death and terrorisms. You know because your were one of the victims in their child trafficking business.

Now it's up to you to take down "The Fates", the only problem is that you couldn't seem to find any hard evidence against them. It was rumored that they cover their tracks so meticulously.

Until one day a member of their organization was sent to the hit list.

The client? The Fates their selves wanting to kill one their own. Yet there is one problem, your just still a rookie under the eyes of your teacher and he's not getting any younger.

"We need you to get a team and a back-up plan," your mentor said. "To get to The Fates, we need to be ready for everything they throw at us."

Despite his worring tone, you were confident that you can end this once and for all.

Now it's up to the great assassin and their protege, to bring the dark side of the world to light and serve justice to those who deserve it.

"It's time, kiddo," he smirked as he patted your back. "You've proven yourself more than ready for what's ahead, you will be leading this team but under my supervision of course!"

This was an exciting step towards finally taking down the Fates. With your mentor and you leading the team, you were sure it will be successful. After all, this was his legacy, and you will be a part of it. Together, you and him gathered a group of skilled mercenaries, sharpshooters, and information brokers.

You knew it wasn't going to be an easy mission. The Fates were known for their ruthless methods and their underhand tactics. To take them down, you needed to be able to outsmart them.

But this wasn't a rite of passage or even a battle of egos. This was a race against time, a race to save countless souls like you, who were trapped and used for the Fates' twisted plans.

Elizabeth Baker, The Rider of Death

"Appearances can be deceiving. I don't have to be gentle with my words to save your life."

She was once a respected doctor at a prestigious hospital, admired by colleagues and loved by patients. Her passion for saving lives and talent for surgery were well-known. However, everything changed when she uncovered the hospital's dark truth. They were charging exorbitant fees while using second-hand equipment and expired drugs. The medical director was involved in a corruption scheme, siphoning off millions of dollars.

When Elizabeth confronted him, he responded with threats and violence. In self-defense, she accidentally killed him with a scalpel. Fleeing the scene, she left behind her career and reputation, going into hiding. In the underworld, she became a freelance doctor, offering services to criminals and outcasts.

Operating in secret locations, she used whatever tools and resources she could find. Her prices were high, but she maintained high standards. Morality and legality didn't matter to her clients as long as they paid well and respected her rules. With a sharp tongue and a cold heart, she became the most sought-after doctor in the underworld.

Over time, her skills grew, and she began performing complex procedures like organ transplants and limb replacements. You and your mentor have made countless deals with Death, even cheating him a few times, so you know how to handle someone like her.

~

Nate O'Neil, The Rider Of Conquest

"The beauty of an explosion's light surpasses that of a sunrise!"

Nate is an unpredictable force within the group. He excels at causing explosions and demolishing obstacles, making him the go-to person for such tasks. Nate embodies chaos and has a twisted love for destruction.

Recklessness defines Nate. He thrives in dangerous situations, embracing the adrenaline rush that comes with each explosive endeavor. With a devil-may-care attitude, he charges into any situation, leaving destruction in his wake. His disregard for personal safety often leaves his comrades on edge, unsure of what he might do next.

Nate's passion for pyrotechnics is unmatched. He finds beauty in the chaos and destruction that fire brings, taking pleasure in watching things go up in flames. His eyes light up at explosions, and his laughter echoes through the chaos as he revels in the fiery spectacle. He is a true pyromaniac, using the world as his canvas to paint with flames.

But Nate is not just a reckless demolition expert; he is also the life of the party. With his larger-than-life personality, he fills the room with infectious energy. His boisterous laughter and dark jokes keep everyone entertained, even in dire circumstances. Nate can turn any situation into a comedy show, ensuring there is never a dull moment.

He possesses an innate talent for determining the right amount of explosive power needed to achieve the desired result, whether it's breaching a secure facility or creating a distraction with a chaotic firework display.

Nate is also one of the most loyal members of the group. He always has their back, regardless of the situation. He willingly puts himself in harm's way to protect his comrades and will fight fiercely for them if necessary. His bravery knows no bounds, and while his recklessness can sometimes lead to trouble, it is ultimately his heroic actions that make him the beloved daredevil he is today. Nate O'Neil is a wild card, a dynamo of destruction, and the heart of humor in the group. He reminds everyone that even in the darkest times, laughter and explosions can still exist, and he is always ready to ignite excitement wherever he goes.

~

Haley Jones, The Rider Of Famine

"When I look through the scope, all I see is you."

Haley, a Texan country girl, was born and raised on a ranch. She had a fiery spirit and a talent for precision. While she was no stranger to hard work and the thrill of the open fields, it was the touch of cold metal and the weight of a sniper rifle that truly ignited her passion.

From a young age, Haley displayed an uncanny talent for marksmanship. Her ability to hit headshots with unwavering accuracy earned her the title of the best sniper in her town's academy. Instead of pursuing a military career, Haley chose to become an assassin, targeting key figures who committed heinous acts.

Haley's movements were as precise as her shots. She never missed a target and always completed her missions efficiently. Her sass and flirtatiousness added to the mystique that surrounded her. She often used her curves to distract opponents, giving her time to get into optimal shooting position. People said that if you heard Haley's rifle, it was already too late - you had been marked and there was no escaping your fate.

Despite being an elite assassin, Haley never lost sight of her roots. She took pride in her Texan heritage and maintained a strong work ethic. After every assignment, she would return home to the ranch to decompress from the chaos. Among familiar faces, she would tend to the fields or go horseback riding, finding solace in the simplicity of her upbringing.

~

David Garcia, The Rider Of War

"I don't engage in meaningless conversations. Prove your worth or go away."

David is a mysterious and versatile individual. In private, he is quiet and reserved, preferring simple communication. However, during missions, he surprises even his closest allies with his various personas.

David is quick-witted and can easily become a charismatic trickster. With his clever wordplay and silver tongue, he can turn the tide of a battle without using force.

Flirtation comes naturally to David, and he uses it to manipulate and gather information. It's hard to determine his true intentions when encountering him.

Regardless of the roles he assumes, David is always dedicated to completing his missions. He will do whatever it takes to accomplish his tasks, whether it's infiltrating an enemy stronghold or uncovering a sinister plot.

[2nd-toughest-in-the-infants]

Crown of Ashes and Flames (WIP) on itch.io Review

Author: @coeluvr

Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Choice: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Replayability: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall: 4/5

Pros: ANGST ANGST ANGST‼️, absolute monster of an antagonist, compelling characters, regular updates.

Cons: awkward dialogue from younger characters, no return button on UI.

**SLIGHT SPOILERS**

Notes:

TW!: Family Death, Murder, Forced Marriage, Child Marriage, Bullying, Isolation, Struggles with Mental Health

Crown of Ashes and Flames is another really strong IF WIP on itch.io with a very active author and so far it’s been receiving regular updates so I’m quite excited to see how the story develops as the game updates further. As it stands, I still want to share my thoughts on what is available to play so far.

So, Crown of ashes follows the MC who is the last surviving royal of Vesphire after King Luceris of a neighbouring kingdom, Rosea, declares war on Vesphire, murders MCs entire family, takes them back with him to Rosea and forces MC to marry him and become the new Royal Consort (at age 9?!?!) all for the sake of avenging the death of his wife, who he believes was killed by MCs older sister. As you can probably tell by that quick summary, this is an IF that is absolutely LOADED with Angst and drama, so, naturally, I was drawn right in!

I have to start off by saying how good of a job the author did in managing to create a cast of characters that are all so uniquely compelling in their own right. It can be the case that sometimes IF authors will focus too intently on just one or two main ROs while the others can feel like a bit of an afterthought, but in CoAaF, I feel as though all the characters are given equal opportunity to shine. That isn’t to say that there aren’t stand out characters, because there absolutely are and the first that comes to mind has to be Luceris. For me he stands out because not only is he an incredibly well-written, complex villain I find it rare that I have as much of visceral hatred of a fiction character as I do for him. I mean, what he does to MC in the name of ‘vengeance’ and the way he justifies himself just solidifies him as one of the most delusional and twisted villains I’ve read in an IF.

Also, the setting and minor characters in the story really serve to highlight how the MC is ostracised in their new ‘home’ as punishment for their sisters crimes. And it really is sickening how both adult and young characters justify the way they effectively bully MC because of something MC doesn’t have any control over and really serves to highlight the theme of injustice vs. justice that has been present throughout the game so far.

Furthermore, I enjoyed the amount of choice given to the player over the way MC reacts to what they’ve been through as well as to how the people around them treat them (both good and bad) and provides the player with the opportunity to explore how the traumatic events of the game impacts the MCs attitude and mental state.

It’s also quite interesting to see how the MC develops as they grow as the story starts with the MC as a nine year old and eventually grows up. This however, can be quite tricky from a writting perspective as typically authors can have difficulty with writing young child characters. Unfortunately, this is something that I have noticed was the case with this author as I felt that a lot of the dialogue exchanges between the younger characters (particularly the MC) just didn’t really feel accurate coming from a nine year olds mouth. Aside from that however, I feel as though the rest of the dialogue fits very well and overall I would say the writing is of a good quality.

All in all, I would definitely recommend this game to anyone interested in picking up a new, angsty WIP and I will certainly be patiently awaiting updates!

[uroboros-if]

For Twine I recommend:

- Our Life: Now and Forever (It's complete w 3 DLCs for Cove's Route + a DLC for Baxter and Derek)

- Our Life 2 (currently only a Demo)

- Andromeda 6 (Not complete but already quite long!)

- Throne of Ashes (dark, but beautifully written)

- Superstition Seasons 1-3 (very long w amazing writing)

- Infinite Stars (amazing writing, still not completed yet but you already get lots of content)

- Wayfarer (amazing writing and worldbuilding!)

- Touchstarved (so far mainly a demo but already lots to read)

- A Tale of Crowns (beautiful worldbuilding and Story, w different routes and romances to explore)

- Speaker by Speakergame

- When Twilight strikes

- Hybrid by HeartForge

- The Spirited: Origins

- Atollo

-Blooming Panic (Fully finished w four routes, Discord Server Setting, making it quite unique. Very wholesome game tbh)

- You Live and Fern

Other IFs I recommend (some complete, some demos):

- Mind Blind by @mindblindbard

- Triaina Academy by @leo-interactive-fiction

- Honor amongst Thieves by @leoneliterary

- The Northern Passage by @northern-passage

- Night Market (full Demo is out, had me bawling my eyes out) by @night-market-if

- Defiled Hearts by @defiledheartsblog

- Wolfsbane by @wolfsbane-if

- College Tennis & Merry Crisis by @allieebobo

- Golden and Before the dusk by @milaswriting

- Chop Shop by @losergames

- Signal Hill by @signalhill-if

- Virtue's End by @virtues-end (has undergone re-writing so the demo is a bit shorter but already beautifully written)

- Sentinel by @nyehilismwriting

- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by @doriana-gray-games

- The King's Hound by @the-kingshound

- The Exile by @exilethegame

- Fields of Asphodel by @chrysanthemumgames

- Keeper of the Sun and Moon by @keeperofthesunandmoon (2 completed games, third in the works)

- Bastard of Camelot and Supernaturals in New York by @llamagirl28

- The Nameless by @parkerlyn

- all the IFs by @hpowellsmith

- Eight Years Revolution by @eight-years-revolution

- Vapolis by @vapolis

- Blood Moon by @barbwritesstuff (and her other works too!)

- OFNA: Birds of a Feather by @ofna

- A Mage Reborn by @mage-parivir

- Citadel - A medical romance by @bouncyballcitadel

- Buried Love by @buriedlove

- Bodycount by @bodycountgame

- Devilscreek Ballad by @devilscreekballad

- The Fernweh Saga by @lacunafiction

- Eye of the Moon by @eyeofthemoongame

- Novaturient by @kalorphic

- The Soul Stone War Series by @intimidatingpuffinstudios

- Mind Games: Trepidation by @bottlecaprabbitgames

- Greenwarden by @fiddles-ifs

These are just some that I can think of and that I really like but for any IF Recommendation Lists you can also go check out @interact-if, it's a directory blog here on Tumblr!!😊

Thank you so much for all these suggestions! 🥹 (Although I am pretty sure all Our Life, Andromeda 6, and Infinite Stars are ren'py than Twine, which is okay since my family member loves VNs/otome as well!)

I've heard of almost all these things!! The only ones new to me, aside from the VNs, is Wolfsbane, Vapolis, Citadel, and Mind Games: Trepidation, so I will keep a particular eye out for those!! :)

Thank you so much for sending all these great suggestions aaaa 🥺💕 I'll also have much to try out myself!!

[fallen-if]

Do you have any IF recommendations?

My time has come. Everyone listen as I grant you with the knowledge of all my favorite IFs…

Gotta start strong with Uroboros by @uroboros-if . It’s a fantastic IF with amazing worldbuilding and characters. I could not recommend it enough.

Mind Blind by @mindblindbard is another great recommendation. Honestly it’s one of the IFs that got me interested in actually following the authors and community actively.

The Night Market by @night-market-if. Another one with fantastic worldbuilding and characters - I would recommend a million times if I could.

The Exile by @exilethegame. It’s a classic for a reason! The ROs and worldbuilding literally keep my eyes glued to the page every time I play through it.

Infamous by @infamous-if. I’m usually not a fan of this genre but this IF has me absolutely hooked. It kinda gives me Daisy Jones and the Six vibes (which is a book I absolutely adore).

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Affair of the heart by @doriana-gray-games. One of the BEST IFs I’ve had the honor of reading. It fantastic and a good read even if you aren’t into Sherlock Holmes stories.

Emberwood by @emberwood-if. It’s fantastic - the characters are intriguing, the plot is attention grabbing and it reminds me of the X-men which is a huge plus!

The Voice of Silverking by @lilac-den. Vigilante shit? Robot sidekick/caretaker? Sign me the hell up!

Next in Line by @nextinline-if. Fantastic, wonderful, 10/10, would recommend a million times. It’s a genuinely wonderful story!

Defiled Hearts: The Barbarian by @defiledheartsblog. This is my guilty pleasure read. It has the best “enemies to lovers” I’ve seen in an IF.

Fields of Asphodel by @chrysanthemumgames. Genuinely one of the best pieces of fiction (interactive or not) that I’ve read so far. I’ve spent literal hours playing it every time it updates!

Of course this isn’t all the IFs I read but these are definitely my favs that I keep coming back to!

[beyondthegame]

Do you have any sports based/sports if recommendations?

I have three! Sport-based ifs are definitely a niche genre. The @/interact-if blog will have some more on their sport tag so check that.

@collegetennisoriginstory — My first sport if story! I love Allie’s writing! CT:OS is definitely a huge inspiration for Beyond The Game too, more than you know. Her story definitely ignited my like for tennis, and the ros are a delight—I always battle between romancing Rayyan, Sam or Tobin—and just the fact that all the tennis matches feel soo real too. I could go on and on about this but yeahhh, CT:OS is in my top three ifs that I regularly check on for updates <33

@thephoenix-if — A pretty new if, it’s on Twine and has a diverse set of ros! Alsoo, a taekwondo if! There’s such originality with that and it’s something I’m such a fan of. I’m intrigued to see how this story develops.

@circuit-if — If you’re an F1 fan then this is a story for you! I find it so cool that the ros aren’t just race car drivers like the mc, there’s diversity with that. And another original sporting idea that’s graced the if world. There are super cool customisation options too.

[villainousif]

Villainous

This is Rated 16+, please be aware of this before continuing

This game will contain

Blood and violence, death, manipulation, child abuse, trauma, vulgar language and implicit sexual content, suggestive mature content

Fate can be great and bad. Born into a cruel and unfair world, life was never great nor did it get better, always bringing you into a downward spiral. Death was at your door, and it was time for judgement.

Yet judgement was never casted for you lived another day but how far can you run before it consumes you whole and kills you right where you stand? How long before you pay the ultimate price for your crimes? Your fate is sealed.

SYNOPSIS

Cursed is what you've heard since you were a small child abandoned in a cruel world. What could you do but survive hopeless? The world laughed at you and threw things at you, but you were saved by mother she showed you love. All you have to do now is listen to your mother; after all, She is the only one who can wash away your sins.

DEMO FEATURES

Play a cursed MC and future villain with uncontrollable powers and an uncontrollable craving for blood.

Customizable MC: name, gender (male, female, non-binary), appearance,

Manipulate and destroy those around you play the victim

Listen to mother

5 Potential Romance Options

Survive

DEMO TBA

Main Cast

King Derek (53)

- King Derek is not present in the lives of Amalia and Amir since he is preoccupied with Kingdom matters and battles.

Mother Cordelia (44)

- The woman who adopted you and nurtured you as her own is kind and compassionate, and she appears to be rather younger for her age.

Teacher Esmerelda (60)

 - The twins’ teacher since childhood She is sweet and humble, yet she is strict and only does what she believes is proper and ideal.

More characters will be added as the story goes on + more information on them

ROs

Princess Amalia [ISFP] (23)

- A carefree and enthusiastic princess, a ray of sunshine 

- Small in height with wavy long platinum blonde hair, bright ocean blue eyes, honey complexion, and a lithe figure with dimples

- Amalia, prince Amir’s twin sister, is reckless and full of energy. She enjoys crowded areas and doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty. She spends most of her time exploring or horseback riding. She is known for her breathtaking beauty and heavenly smile, as well as her unconditional loving attitude.

Prince Amir [INFJ] (23)

- A quiet and calm prince 

- Wavy hip long platinum blonde hair, dark blue eyes, honey complexion, and a tall, mesomorph figure

- Amir, the twin brother of Princess Amalia, is the polar opposite of his sister; he is more cautious and instinctive; he prefers peaceful places and spends much of his time reading or training; and he is known for his intelligence and serene attitude, always appearing to be perfect.

Commander Erica [ENTJ] (25)

- A commander who is open-minded, intuitive, and judgmental.

- Curled medium-length black hair, bright orange eyes, dark brown complexion, inverted triangle physique, with scars all over

- Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army Erica is a nice and laid-back person who enjoys the entertainment and has a sweet spot for cutesy things. She spends much of her time with her army or out touring; she is known for her raw strength, laid-back demeanor, and accomplishments.

Servant Caius [ESFP] (24)

- A charming and flirtatious servant

- Dark brown short curly hair tangled hair, brown eyes, tanned skin, athletic physique, medium height, and a beauty mark under his left eye

- An imperial palace servant Caius is a humorous and charming flirt who enjoys open places and people. He spends the most of his time working or chatting with strangers. He is known for his confidence and playboy tendencies. 

Wizard Wren (20)

- A prideful and arrogant wizard

- Straight long dark red hair, mismatched green and purple eyes, ivory complexion, and a slim frame low in height with an eyepatch on the left eye.

- A wizard of the Empire Wren is direct and ruthless; they prefer tiny spaces and spend the most of their time casting spells or conducting magical matters; they are known for being powerful and arrogant.

[hummingbird-games]

hi Gemini! do you play IFs and do you have an recommendations?

I do play IFs! Not as many as I want, and definitely not half as many as I do VNs. But. I have a few recs 👀 also I apologize in advance, I'm not very original so maybe you've already heard of one or all of these:

Golden by @milaswriting

@ataleofcrowns which I think had an update today!! which means I need to get back to my D romance!!!!

180 Files: The Aegis Project by scribble-games (alsoooo I think there's a sequel on the way??? but spy and espionage media has me in an utter chokehold so yeah. check this one out!)

@collegetennisoriginstory (this one I'm alllllmost caught up on and I'm already plotting another MC for another playthrough)

@infamous-if (bruhh I know EVERYBODY AND THEY MAMA LOVES THIS GAME well guess what, me too. basic bitch™️ at your service or whatever. Also, I'm team Orion/August/Blake/make Seven Fall in Love Again Just So I Can Not Pick Them In the End 🫶🏽*but if I had to choose just one, it's Orion. It's always been Orion 😂)

anything @jaunefleurwrites creates, though I'm rather attached to DoW lol

Blood Moon by @barbwritesstuff (another I need to finish BUT it has werewolves!!! I LOVE werewolves!!! i think they're soooo much better than silly vamps 🤪)

Wayfarer by @idrellegames (yeah yet another I need to finish, sue me, BUT it's another banger so I will finish it and these others before I die.)

[aquarii-if]

Prologue and Chapter One released on Itch.io now! Aquarii is currently at 84,290 words.

-Get kidnapped

-Meet the Aquariians

-Find out you're a demigod

-Meet your godly parent

If you run into any bugs, feel free to send an ask or fill out this form

Hope you enjoy the demo!

[nineblooddances-if]

CHAPTER UPDATES

STATUS: COMPLETED

STAGE: REVIEW

[kalorphic]

So, Novaturient is based on Spy…do you know any other IFs that are based on existing shows/movies/books etc? I’m quite new to IFs so any recs would be a great help! Thank you!

IFS INSPIRED BY/BASED ON EXISTING MEDIA:

There’s probably loads that I’m missing lol, but here are the ones that I know of. Unfortunately, a lot of them don’t have demos and/or haven’t updated in a long time (some a really long time), but I put them all in just in case you want to follow and hope for a miraculous reappearance lol.

Once & Future by @kaiwrites-if

Merlin | No Demo

Midnight Delights by @midnightdelights-if

The Morganville Vampires | No Demo

The Kiss of Midnight by @if-kissofmidnight

Predator Franchise | No Demo

Scandal by @nightingale-interactive

Scandal | Demo | MC genderlocked to Female

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: An Affair of the Heart by @doriana-gray-games

Sherlock Holmes | Demo

Valhalla by @palette-jack

Farscape | Demo

Supernova: Renegade by @jupitergames-if

Mass Effect/Star Trek | Demo

Unmourned by @unmourned

Frankenstein | No Demo

Façade by @altair-interactive-fiction

Jekyll and Hyde | No Demo

Swan Song by @swansong-if

Swan Lake | Demo

Return to Never, Never Land by @never-never-land

Peter Pan | Demo

Hidden World by @hidden-world-if

How To Train Your Dragon | No Demo

A Life Supreme by @lifesupreme-if

Cyberpunk 2077 | Demo

Beyond the Waves by @allthatwrites

Little Mermaid | No Demo

Orenda by @orenda-if

Howl’s Moving Castle | No Demo

Rabbit Hole by @if-rabbithole

Alice in Wonderland | No Demo

Knights of the Eternal by @if-eternalknights

Transformers | No Demo

Sempre by @sempre-if

Castle | No Demo

Elsinore: After Hamlet by @lapinlunaire-games

Hamlet | Completed [Itch.io]

Calamity Control by @calamitycontrol-if

Mass Effect meets The Dragon Prince | Demo

The Spark of Hope by @thesparkofhope

Star Wars | No Demo

The Hymn of Winter by @thehymnofwinter

Game of Thrones | No Demo

Dusk Till Dawn by @dusktilldawn-if

Dracula | No Demo

A Court of Serpents by @acourtofserpents

Folk of the Air Series | Demo

A Dangerous Game by @adangerousgame-if

Killing Eve | No Demo

The One Who Cried Wolf by @bluewritesif

Teen Wolf/Chilling Adventures of Sabrina/Vampire Diaries/Twilight | No Demo

Blood of a Saint by @bloodofasaint-if

Grishaverse | No Demo

Song of Valhalla: Spear of Heaven by @songofvalhalla-if

Percy Jackson & The Olympians | No Demo

Welcome to the Family by @wttf-if

The Addams Family/Kuroshitsuji | No Demo

Mata Aetara IF by @mata-aetara-if

Naruto | No Demo

Maboroshi by @maboroshi-if

Naruto | No Demo

Tales From Roseborough by @roseborough-if

Stardew Valley/Harvest Moon | No Demo

Emberwood by @emberwood-if

X-Men meets Ms. Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children | Demo

Decaying Picture by @decayingpicture

Dorian Gray | No Demo

Slayer by @slayer-if

Buffy the Vampire Slayer | No Demo | MC genderlocked to Female

The Sixth Guardian by @the-sixth-guardian

Rise of the Guardians | No Demo

My Fair Maiden by @my-fair-maiden

Resident Evil: Village | No Demo | MC genderlocked to Female

Prodigal by @prodigal-if

Prodigal Son | No Demo

Hollowmoon Valley by @hollowmoonvalley

Stardew Valley | Demo (being rewritten)

Her Crimson Clutches by @thathexwolf

Vampire: The Masquerade | No Demo

The Unquiet Grave by @ombresart

Wuthering Heights | Demo

The Inseparables by @theinseparables-if

The Three Musketeers | No Demo

Hana no Uta by @hana-no-uta-if

Gintama | No Demo

Dahlia Hills by @dahliahills-if

Gossip Girl/One Tree Hill | No Demo

Apartment 502 by @apt502-if

New Girl/FRIENDS | No Demo

Embers of Hope by @embersofhope-if

Hunger Games | No Demo

The Whisper in the Mist by ME (@ellawrites-if)

Pacific Rim | No Demo

[2nd-toughest-in-the-infants]

Uroboros (WIP) on itch.io Review

@uroboros-if

Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Choice: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Replayability: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall: 3.8/5

Pros: Angst 😁, well-written, smooth interface, lovely supporting characters

Cons: short demo, not the fastest updating WIP, so far not much romance

**SLIGHT SPOILERS**

Notes:

So, for me this was a great one to revisit for a first review on this blog because it was actually one of the first WIPs I played on Itch.io and boy did it set the standard. It’s also one I’ve revisited a few times and is deefinitely on my list of most anticipated WIPs.

As I understand it, you are born into a kind of mount olympus-esque realm and play as the deity of eternity which, in a rather cruel twist of fate, makes you essentially powerless as of course, nothing lasts forever. This is a rather nice spin on the typical gods/mythology IF MC and also gives us the opportunity to play a super angsty MC (which I love). Also a big fan of the in depth character customisation you can do.

There are also a handful of (gender selectable) ROs which so far have great potential and can have some really interesting interactions with MC BUT unfortunately the demo is still pretty short so romance with the RO’s is still quite limited. I have to say though, that the lack of romance (so far) hasn’t really bothered me as I am in love with MC’s parents and they way they act towards them is just so wholesome and such a refreshing departure from the usual tragic home life trope and also provides a really nice respite from the (at times cruel) way MC’s world treats them because of their situation.

Another thing I’d like to add, is that in general, it’s just a really beautiful game, which I know seems odd to write about a text based game but I think that the attention to detail in the UI along with the high quality writing really makes for an immersive experience and that in and of itself makes the game worth checking out.