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I think everyone on this site should try at least one of these stories, whether you're a writer looking for inspiration or just someone who enjoys playing text based games in general (if you didn't you probably wouldn't be here). While these games are not entirely text based like the ones on this site, and still have some exploration/combat elements that are graphical, all of them (Except Year Walk, but that's a unique case) have the vast majority of their exploration shown entirely through text descrpitions, which is the critera I have chosen to count them as "text-based video games).

I'll give a short overview for all of them so that you can see if you think you'd be interested:

1. Sunless Sea & Sunless Skies

Both of these games are part of the same series. Set in the "Fallen:London" universe, a world where London has been dragged underground by eldrich bats and sunlight drives people insane with bliss (it makes even less sense in context), this is a particularly strange world that's almost impossible to get your head around, because the deeper you get into the lore, the harder it is to understand. It's possible to get a general idea of what's going on if you dig deep enough though. The "island exploration" is text and choice based, but the "ship" exploration and combat is more RPG/Roguelike in nature.

The gameplay involves taking your ship to different islands in these eldrich locations, where each island has some eerie goings on, from haunting to cannibal cults. There's also a "sanity" meter, where if your ship spends too long in the dark (or you make risky choices when you get to the islands), your crew goes insane. There's a good deal of supply management, with you having to get enough food and fuel on your voyage. This is probably the most famous of the games here but it's worth including because it is very well written and thought out.

2. Year Walk, Device 6 and The Sailor's Dream

(You might be tempted to look for guides to these games online when you get them. Don't do that if you can help it, it will ruin the experience)

These are three Simogo games for mobile, and unlike 99% of mobile games, they are all incredibly cleverly done. They actually take advantage of the medium (some of the puzzles, for example, involve you having to change the position of your phone in real life, and turn it on its side to read text). Year Walk is an eerie game heavily based in European Mythology, where you have to explore beautifully drawn woods on a cold winter's night to learn the future, encountering faithful representations of the ghosts and creatures from these mythologies. The "text based" part of this comes from the Companion App, where the second half of the story is told entirely through text, but you need to apply the things you learned on your first adventure in order to complete it. Device 6 is an eerie mystery set on a strange, abandoned island, told mostly through text, but with a few visual puzzles sprinkled in.

The Sailor's Dream is one of my favourite games of all time. It's easily the most immersive experience I've ever played (I've tried VR games and they don't even come close to how immersive Sailor's Dream is). You have to explore a series of islands (a running theme in these sorts of things I've noticed), uncovering the mystery as to what happened to a young woman who once lived "in a house, on a cliff, by the sea". This game will take you at least a week to uncover, and you'll have to really imagine you're there in order to solve some of the puzzles it poses (if you do buy this game, make sure you start it on a real-life "Monday". Trust me, you'll enjoy it way more if you do this.)

3. The Witcher Tales: Thronebreaker

Part of the famous "Witcher" series, this is set before the RPG Trilogy, where Queen Meve has to free her land from the overwhelming might of the Nilfguardian Army. While you go from one location to the other in a top-down, isometric format, the actual descriptions of the towns, forests and swamps you explore are all explained via-text, which allows for a much greater degree of choice and consequence than the more "mainstream" RPGs. In terms of choice and consequence, this may be the best mainstream video game I've ever played, because seemingly tiny, insignificant moral decisions often have HUGE impacts that you sometimes won't even realise until you choose differently in a second playthrough. The game does a great job of not shoving any kind of agendas or moral positions down your throat (a quality that is not to be overlooked...), but simply shows natural, logic consequences of each action. If you play this game, I would certainly advise you to "go with your gut" and choose whichever option seems best to you. The combat in this game is card-based, which I personally find very fun and rewarding, but it's also a relatively unusual choice for some people, though it's quite easy to get the hang of after a while. (Also, one of the locations in the game is, quite easily, the most disturbing place I've ever been in any video game I've played. All I have to say regarding that is Gvaern Ichaer...)

 

I really hope that at least one of these games is enjoyable to play. (If you're squeamish about horror elements, then the only one I could really recommend in good conscience would be "The Sailor's Dream", but even that is really both eerie and sad.)

I remember a few years ago  i played sunless sea, i honestly cant remember it very much anymore. I just remember being super fascinated by the depth and intricacy of the world.  Two text based story games id definitely reccommend to people which i preferred more than sunless sea would be the life and suffering of sir brante and suzerain 

 

In suzerain, you're a president, and your decisions decide whether you become a communist, fascist, nazi, or something in between. I remember doing a play through where i cut the dick off one of cabinet members, after his wife requested it of me because he cheated on her. always make the secret police force and use veto powers whenever possible to quell all possible opposition btw, don't be a democratic cuck. 

In the life and suffering of sir brante, you play as a guy named brante from birth to death, and your decisions dramatically change who he becomes and what happens to the world he inhabits. 

I did that review of Sir Brante and there's a sequel to Sir Brante coming out too.

i heard about a sequel a year back or so, definitely gonna have to play that. Can you link me your review please?

Lol it's like the first one in this pinned thread in the Lounge along with a bunch more.

https://chooseyourstory.com/forums/the-lounge/message/29519

King of Dragon Pass still GOAT, you dung-daubed stickpickers who haven't played it have probably been busy raising dogs and funny looking cows the last 25 years.

Also flutter's mother was a fencepost and his father was a broo.

Dude I had an unhealthy obsession with trying to pirate that game when I was a kid. I completely forgot it existed, you just brought back so many memories of me getting 10 different viruses trying to get that game. I'll probably have to subtly suggest to one of my friends to get it for me on my birthday lol

There's a sequel to that one too. Two of them in fact, with a third I think on the way.

DRM-free copy is on sale for 2 bucks on GoG.

You have four jobs, I think you can manage.

Thanks for letting me know mizal. I'll buy it. 

It's a bit harder than I thought to be honest. I decided to go with  a warring tribe, I intentionally let in loads of immigrants to build my forces, caused civil unrest, tribe splinters off. Even though I have a big army I keep losing battles? Do we have any tips people's, what am I missing? Should I just sacrifice to the war god so my soldiers are stronger? 

 

Since I lose half my battles I get my cattle all stolen, so then I go shiiiit. I feel like I took an L saying no to slavery, in my next play though I'm killing the duck people and enslaving them 

Well yeah you're just letting hordes of immigrants into your clan, no wonder you're having civil unrest and people splintering off.

I'd think as a Brit you'd know this.

I guess if all else fails, he could try setting an Eurmali as ring leader, but that's so cheap it's practically easy mode, haha. If you can even find one with good enough skills anyway.

Sacrificing to Malia has also been known to work miracles.

Yeah sacrifices to Malia usually helps.

honestly, true lol

The biggest tip I can give is to not to spoil the process for yourself by reading too much direct info about it on the internet. You will lose your first few clans while getting a handle on some of the complexities, and sometimes even when you think you've got it all down the game will suddenly turn around and kick you in the balls. (It's better to play it out even if a clan seems to be going badly though, you may learn things to help you next time, or even manage to stabilize a situation and turn it around.)

There's an insane amount being tracked under the hood, so you can't even always expect making the same choice twice to work out the same way when it depends on other factors too. That's why it's pretty much infinitely repayable.

One of the sequels is actually even harder, although not as varied.

Anyway, best advice I can give is to BE the magical Viking king, but remember this isn't a power fantasy either, you're a little collection of backwards hill-folk in a big world and there's a lot more to manage than just combat. Acting like a violent retard with nothing to back it up will end the way it would anywhere else. If you're getting your shit kicked in by the neighbors, there's a reason for that.

Pay attention to the lore tidbits and act like a good Orlanthi. And listen to your advisors when they're talking about a subject they actually are skilled in.

And be sure to let us know how it goes with the ducks. :)

To slow down on hemorrhaging cows though, well you need to look at some things. Are there enough weaponthanes at home or are you sending them all out and leaving your tula undefended? Have you built fortifications? Do you have a huge amount of wildlands that can't be effectively patrolled?

Cows are life, protect your cows. And a lot of that incidentally ties in with protecting your tula from the bigger raids too.

Fyrdwoman might be the most useful blessing for home defense, but the magic you spend at Sacred Time is pretty potent in a more generalized sense.

If you still can't stop getting your ass kicked, suck it up and start sending tribute. Diplmacy with the neighbors can't be entirely ignored.

Those resource stats, im jealous. I see why you gave the smiley face about the ducks now. At first i was like "aww, theyre so cute, ill let them live", this time around i decided to try and attack them, just for them to destrooy me lol. I was hoping to do a genghis khan, and just conquer everyone and everything. I now realise thats not going to happen. Heres what my civ stats currently look like :(( 

Ill stick it out, like you suggested, im picking things up slowly. 

Haha, POOR!

Please do continue updating though, I enjoy the play by play noob experience.

My earliest copy had to be burned on a CD and sent to me by the dev after I mailed him a check. So I've been playing on and off for uh, awhile. Usually go through a KODP phase once a year or so. Hopefully I will manage to not have this occur just now when I'm trying to throw together a contest story.

Though I've also been reminded I still haven't beaten Lights Going Out. But that one was designed to throw you into a starvation cycle in the last years while you get direct visits from Wakboth the Chaos Devil and your advisors to go insane and shrines crumble as one by one the gods are murdered, so...slight jump in difficulty there, yeah.

So all y'alls screenshots inspired me to obtain a copy.  Now I can play this on either my phone or tablet, so goodbye to any productivity that I could have thought about having in the near future. But at least I dont have a contest entry hanging over my head right now.

I eagerly await the story of how your first clan gets stomped into the dirt.

And if you guys like either of these you should probably check out the Six Ages game. Or at least the second one. (Lights Going Out.)

I beat Ride Like the Wind my first attempt and never felt much need to replay it after the second try didn't change much.

KODP is still the best for simulation and replayability even once you've got a good handle on the gameplay. But Lights Going Out has a more defined plot and also one that needs replays by default since it'll keep kicking your ass.

"Haha, POOR!"

just like in real life, smh. I'll definitely keep updating the thread to keep you entertained with funny and disastrous things which may happen. :))

"My earliest copy had to be burned on a CD and sent to me by the dev after I mailed him a check." thats very endearing. Im sure it meant a lot to him. Its probably a bit before my time, but i do remember being a kid and sketchy guys would come up to you in the dead of night - on the street, with the latest movies burnt onto CDs, and they would try selling them to my dad lol