Anyone know if there’s a way to just read text adventure games?
I found out about these types of games about three years ago. I attempted playing Zork I, as well as this other film where you’re trying to get inside something and apparently it turns into a time travel game where you meet The Beatles (and if someone knows the title of that game I would really appreciate it because I’ve forgotten).
I’ve been fascinated by some of these games. Big problem though, is that I suck at video games in general, and these text adventure games are particularly brutal. I saw some video about Zork, which were great, but for some of them (like the aforementioned time travel game) don’t have videos. So is there a way to just read it like a book. I’ve found guides on how to complete the games, but even those leave me lost and confused.
Don’t know if they have these for what you’re looking for, but the term for a video of a game played from start to finish without commentary is called a “longplay” (as opposed to a “let’s play” which has player commentary). They’re meant for people who want to watch a game being played but not have to play it for themselves.
You could try looking for longplays on YouTube of the text adventures you’re interested in and see if you find any.
I found this transcript of a playthrough of Zork that was based on a walkthrough.
I also found a site for an Interactive Fiction club that gets together weekly to play various IF (text adventure) games. They have like, 16 years worth of transcripts of their playthroughs. I've only glanced through a few, but it's an interesting format, they've got some chat between the members of the club on one side and the transcript of the game commands and text on the other.
This is great, thank you so much!
That's a fun trip down memory lane that I'd forgotten - I found a transcript where I joined in about 11 years ago!
I do this all the time with very story-driven games, there is a secret codephrase that works every time: go to YouTube and search for "{game} playthrough no commentary". Or "walkthrough" or "longplay" in the rare event that "playthrough" doesn't work.
I don't remember anything about the Beatles, but for a time travel text adventure, Trinity comes to mind.
For some games there are "walkthroughs," which tell you which commands to type. This isn't quite the same as just reading a transcript, but on the other hand, you can try doing something different if you like. So, I'd try doing a search on the name of the game and "walkthrough" and see what comes up.
Also, you should know that "old school" text adventures were often more difficult since they would do things now considered unfair; they were sort of like puzzle contests that a group of college students might try to solve together. Newer games are less likely to put you into an unwinnable situation, and sometimes even have built-in hint systems.
Back when Infocom games were sold, they would separately sell "invisiclue" books. They had lists of increasingly specific hints for each puzzle that you would reveal with a special marker. So if it's an Infocom game you could look for that.
Also, it's the nature of puzzle games that sometimes you get stuck. It's part of the process. Up to you to decide how long you want to struggle before getting help.
One option could be to find a walkthough for a game that interests you and follow it. You'd get through the story without trouble, but you'd also get to "play" it, and maybe after a game or two these games wouldn't feel so brutal as you'd start to understand the logic of the genre.