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I'm Drew Cook (aka kamineko or biting cat)! I make content about narrative games. Some bullet points:
In terms of raw numbers, I think I might be best known for some of my game criticism, but I love making games more than anything. Click on for some links and stuff!
By Bex, Dion, Briar and Peter
Itch.io - Keep Reading below
If you read the zine, consider liking the post: it helps us see how many people see it! And sharing is caring! <3
It’s time for a revival!
As you might have noticed, our Column section has been dead for a while. We feel like it’s time to do something about that!
Want to write 1-2 pages about a neat topic, or deep-dive into a game and review it in details? Share personal experiences or get all academic?
Send us a message and we will be happy to feature it in our future Issues!
There’s power in numbers!
Are you an IF fan and would like a way to give back to the community? We’re once again looking for new members of our Team!
Do you enjoy keeping up with updates and finding new gems? Maybe you even enjoy working with Google Sheets?
Then our Tracker of News position is made just for you!
Contact us on any of our socials or email and help us stay on the top of our game and make our Database even better!
BEX, DION, BRIAR AND PETER
Most importantly:
Keeping up with news and releasing a new Issue every week is exhausting. We have decided to change it up a bit, hopefully preventing a possible burnout. We also hope that this will give us more time to make every Issue a bit better.
We thank you for your understanding.
What else?
Our X/Twitter account is no longer active. Please check out our other social media to keep an eye on releases and news.
We plan on releasing a special What’s 2024 in IF? Issue summing up all Issues that came out last year. This will include New Releases, Event Highlights, Columns, Game Highlights and more, making it easier for new readers to check out the Zine. The date of release is not set yet, but hopefully soon!
More exciting stuff is to be unveiled in the upcoming Issues!
🦇 🥀 🕯 🪦 🩸
Queer Vampire Game Jam is a month-long interactive fiction game jam hosted by kit, nyehilism, that will run from January 10 - February 20th, 2025. The goal of this jam is to create more interactive fiction games about queer vampires, focusing both on queer relationships and queer experiences as told through a vampiric narrative.
Last year’s edition had over 50 amazing submissions. Give them a look too!
The Queer Winter Game Jam is in full swing. Those interested can submit their work until January 16th 2025.
Feeling nostalgic about the golden age of text adventures? Relive those days by participating in PunyComp 2024!
IF Short Games Showcase 2024 is a great way to shine some new light on projects made in the past year (Jan 1, 2024 to Dec 31, 2024). You now have until January 25th 2025 to vote.
Media depicting healthy examples of polyamory isn’t that common. The PolyJamorous 2024 is trying to break the status-quo!
ShuffleComp is a musical interactive fiction competition where you make games based on songs, which are submitted by other entrants. Creators have until January 20th 2025 to upload their works.
Once upon a time, a game jam was held to create stories around the theme of fairy tales… and that game jam is the Once Upon A Time VN Jam. It’s running from October 1st to January 31st.
Concours de Fiction Interactive Francophone 2025 is for all French-speaking enthusiasts. Submissions are accepted March 3rd 2025.
The Black Visual Novel Jam is all about working with creative professional developers who work in visual novels to bring more Black stories to life. The goal is to create a space where Black creators can show their unique storytelling through visual novels.
SeedComp! is a 2-round interactive fiction game jam, focusing on creativity and the growth of ideas and the Sprouting Round has just started! Check out the Planting round for inspiration.
BL stands for Boys' Love, a genre that focuses on romantic and emotional relationships between male characters. The Ultimate BL Visual Novel Game Jam is all about that!
Are you a fan of Vampires? Then lucky for you, because the Queer Vampire Game Jam is back!
Sealed With A Kiss Jam 2025 is a fantastical romance jam for all VN lovers!
The eighth annual Ace Jam is a game jam about creating games with asexual spectrum characters.
Joyride To Hell (Ren’Py) After weeks of not hearing from your girlfriend she called you panicked, wanting to meet up with you. You want nothing more to do with her. But as they say, forgiveness is a virtue.
The Shadow Over Cyberspace (Ren’Py) From the same creators of Arcade Spirits. Time is running out, barter with gods, embrace the deathless aeons, or go offline permanently.
Full moon. Cold night. Dark shadow. Warm gun. The Beast of Glenkildove has stalked Ireland for centuries. Now, you must hunt it in Hunter: The Reckoning — The Beast of Glenkildove (CScript).
In Five Candles in the Meadow (Twine) even in the far flung future, penpals still exist. With a sea of stars between them, two young adults keep correspondence as best they can, with lone data relays acting as their heavenly messengers. @windsoflimbo
As always, don't forget to check out the submitted entries to the events mentioned in the previous pages. They deserve some love too!
After Mina Murray is reunited with her childhood friends Jonathan and Lucy Harker, they are all invited on a cruise to Transylvania with a mysterious man named Count Dracula. - Syndromedia's Dracula (Ren’Py)
Rite of Decay (Ren’Py) or, Sense in Self; The testimony of one Nastya V. Yarocz, Rot Physician, on the peculiar happenings at Pavia Manor following the death of honoured Guest Lord Kallistos of Arkhé. And on the even more curious romances she has forged therein.
House of Prestidigitation (CScript) is a school of magic game, a chance for you to pursue a specialty in the magical arts while competing in extra-curricular events, investigating clandestine clubs, and preventing a disastrous curse from carrying away the House before the end of term! You can also explore the strange history of the House itself, or turn your attention towards more romantic endeavours.
What will you do now that you find yourself in the captain’s chair of a starship tasked with exploration and diplomacy? Forge your name in the history of the Astral Alliance as a hero… or a traitor in Captain’s Log - Space Adventure (CScript).
In Time Fall (CScript) — Time does not wait for anyone, even for the one that controls it. Life in the undercity of Draeken, also known as The Depths, is brutal enough. But when an ill-fated encounter leaves you forever altered—your blood itself changed—you’ll soon realize that time is strange, and the thin fabric of reality a fickle thing. Even more so when it’s something you can no longer just witness … but may be forced to control.
Until the Dogs Come Home (CScript) is about war, though you play no part in it. Instead, you are the sole member of your hometown’s postal service, who must venture into fire and brimstone to bring the word of loved ones to the front lines. As the battle rages on and new truths come to light, your seemingly simple job transforms into a rescue mission, where the very lives of the people you were tasked to deliver to are in your hands.
In Velocity's Edge (Twine) as the adrenaline-soaked story unfolds, secrets are unveiled, loyalties are tested, and the pursuit of the checkered flag takes on a life of its own, propelling the characters toward the finish line which is only the beginning of the ultimate race. @velocitysedge-if
In the summer of 1984 you get a letter informing you of your mother's death. The first and only letter you get in ten years since you left your hometown. You stand in the middle of the old, tiny room that you can barely afford to rent and read it over and over again until the buzz at the back of your head quiets down. - There Are No People Left (Twine)
In Bride of Shadows (Twine) step into the tragic and fleeting existence of a Vestal of Dawn—a priestess bound by sacred vows of purity and an unwavering devotion to scripture. But when the sun goddess abandons you, your faith shatters. In your darkest moment, a tempting offer arises. A new covenant. A second chance at life... but at a cost. @bride-of-shadows-if
In Lecture Me Later (Unity) you wake up in a classroom way after your lecture concludes. The person who wakes you up looks familiar. Oh right, it's that one popular guy that everyone likes. With the light of the setting sun on your skin, you engage in conversation with the popular young man, realizing that things are taking a very scandalous turn, and that his interests are far more fascinating than you'd think. @lehxra-arts
Eldritch Tales: Inheritance (CScript) released second portion of Chapter 3. @darielivalyen
Keeper of Life and Death (CSscript) added new content to their demo. @keeperofthesunandmoon
Lightweaver: Chosen (CSscript) updated their demo. @lightweaver-chosen-if
My One and Only (CSscript) added new content to their demo. @reds-corner
Strings of Fate: Origins (CScript) released full Chapter 3.
The Eternal Library (CScript) updated their demo. @leiatalon
The Ultimate Magic Student (CScript) added new content to their demo
Thicker Than (CScript) updated their demo. @barbwritesstuff
Throne of Blood (CScript) released Zero and Cy’s aftermath Chapters. @throneofblood-if
Tri City Monsters (Ren’Py) released Akello Chapter 4. @tricitymonsters
Weeping Gods (CScript) updated their demo. @jcollinswrites
When Life Gives You Lemons (CScript) added new content to their demo. @when-life-gives-you-lemons-if
Chop Shop (CScript) released Episode 4. @losergames
Help! I Got Isekaied as a Lamia (CScript) added new content to the demo @succubus-interactivefiction
Marry My Stalker released Chapter 1.
The King's Hound (Twine) released the second half of Chapter 2. @the-kingshound
Hybrid (Twine) added new content to their demo. @heart-forge
Mathbrush released Learning from the Best of Text [IF History Book], a collection of various historical essays about the history of interactive fiction as told through the lens of IFComp, the XYZZY Awards, and Spring Thing. (We thank Anon for bringing our attention to this release.)
When Winter Comes Again (Definitive Edition) (Ren’Py) is the fully remastered version of the romance visual novel originally released for mobile devices. Now available on PC, this edition brings an enhanced experience with improved visuals, and refined storytelling.
To Ashes You Shall Return (CScript) is looking for beta testers!
Sanguine Sky: Winter Special Collection of the short stories is out! @sanguinesky-if
let’s TEST IF#2: playtesting your game is also out! @golmac
As you might have heard, Dashingdon, a free ChoiceScript game hosting service, will be shutting down at the end of the month. All users and games will be permanently deleted. (Read more here)
If you know about a project that’s moving to an alternative hosting service, please consider updating the link in our Database. Our Team will be working on this in the upcoming weeks, but any help would be appreciated.
As always, we apologize in advance for missing any update or release from the past week. We are only volunteers using their limited free time to find as much as we can - but sometimes things pass through the cracks. If you think something should have been included in this week's zine but did not appear, please shoot us a message! We'll do our best to add it next week! And if you know oncoming news, add it here!
We did not get a submission this week. But if you have an idea for a short essay, or would like a special space to share your thoughts about IF and the community...
Shoot us an email!
A couple of games that we thought were cool.
Velocity's Edge by Amelia (Twine).
It's the first F1 based interactive fiction I've seen! Its very unique!
//submitted by anon//
Your favourite game here?
Do you have a favourite game that deserves some highlighting?
An old or recent game that wowed you so much you spam it to everyone?
Tell us about it! And it might appear here!
WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU ALL! WHETHER IT'S GOOD OR BAD, OR EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN...
Have something to say? Send us a message titled: Zine Letter!
As we end this issue, we would like to thank:
our anons
For sending us a Highlight and news!!
And as always, huge thanks to all you readers who liked, shared, and commented on last week's issue! What might be tiny actions are huge support and motivators to us!
Thank you for cheering us on this journey!
See you in two weeks!
BEX, DION, BRIAR AND PETER
WHAT'S NEW IN IF? 2025-ISSUE 2
THIS ZINE ONLY HAPPENS WITH YOU!
Want to write 1-2 pages about a neat topic, or deep-dive into a game and review it in details? Share personal experiences or get all academic?
WRITE FOR THE COLUMN!
Prefer to be more low-key but still have something to share? Send us a Zine Letter or share a game title for Highlight on…!
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Came across something interesting? Know a release or an update announced? Saw an event happening? Whether it's a game, an article, a podcast… Add any IF-related content to our mini-database!
EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS!
