ALUMNI GAMES
Get started by checking out some games created in the Branches Workshop
“MUST PLAY” PROFESSIONAL TWINE GAMES
“With Those We Love Alive” by Porpentine
In a sci-fi otherworld, you are a slave, bound to serve the Empress. Slowly unravel the story and watch as the world changes around you. The writing immediately transports you to another reality. Porpentine is one of the most well known and experimental Twine authors. If you like this game, I’d highly recommend playing her other games here.
“My Uncle Works for Nintendo” by Michael Lutz.
As a kid, you’re invited to your best friends house for a sleepover, but an unexpected visitor arrives. Scary, nostalgic, and highly replayable with multiple endings. Great use of visuals, audio, and writing to convey a deep and unsettling horror mystery. (Works on Mobile)
“The Writer Will Do Something” by Matthew S Burns and Tom Bissel
You are a writer for a big budget video game. The story takes place in a fictional AAA development team. It’s an accurate, funny, and brutally realistic examination of the video game industry.
MORE TWINE GAMES! (PICK 3)
“Queers in Love at the End of the World” by Anna Anthropy.
What will you say to your loved one before the world ends? Amazing concept using the Twine format. It takes 10 seconds to play, but sticks with you long after.
“My Father’s Long, Long Legs” by Michael Lutz
From the writer of “My Uncle Works for Nintendo.” Another horror story, this time much more real… (Works on Mobile)
“You are Jeff Bezos” by Kris Ligman.
What will you do with $150 billion dollars? A social commentary game with a strong message about wealth. (Works on Mobile)
“Depression Quest” by Zoe Quinn
One of the most famous Twine games on the internet. An empathetic experience showing how depression makes people feel. (Works on Mobile)
A short and comical adventure story with beautiful art and sound design. Shows the full potential of visual and audio polish in Twine. (Works on Mobile)
You are in charge of a theater dress rehearsal before the big performance. How will you work with your actors, what will you do when everything goes horribly wrong? This game is not made in Twine, but a really great example of interactive storytelling that you can recreate in Twine. (Works on Mobile)
A dark and surreal horse training game. The game tracks stats as you try to raise the ultimate horse for a Horse competition. However, not everything is what it seems. (Click fullscreen to play on the website as some text are cutoff.)
Play these games on any computer browser to get inspired. A few games are optimized on Mobile devices. No VPN required, but games will load much faster. Access this list on your computer at https://www.makebranches.com.
INTERACTIVE FICTION IN OTHER MEDIUMS
“Black Mirror: Bandersnatch” on Netflix
Created by Charlie Booker, this Black Mirror episode is a live-action interactive story in a “Choose Your Own Adventure” style. You are a video game designer being challenged in strange and mysterious ways. The original prototype was written in Twine.
Sam Barlow is a video game writer known for Silent Hills Origins. He’s made projects before in hypertext programs like Twine. “Her Story” is a police procedual murder mystery game that uses “searching” through interview videos as it’s main mechanic. It’s an inspiring game for any writer interested in live-action and video games.
“The Boat” by SMS. Written by Nam Le
“The Boat” is a story about refugees escaping Vietnam after the war. Absolutely beautiful website design and amazing graphics, it shows the relationship between interactivity, storytelling, and visuals.