[hubblesticks]

I grew up playing Return to Zork and just missed the original Zorks. I couldn't get into them but really wanted to. I love the execution of IF and the stories they weave. What would be a good modern IF to jump into that isn't as punishing as the original Zorks, and not too hard for an IF newbie? Thank you!

[ojnabieoot]

Lost Pig was my starting point for contemporary IF: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Pig (and it’s probably still my favorite)

[dfabulich]

For IF newbies, your best bet is probably to just pick great IF games and use hints as needed. (Prefer gradual hints over step-by-step walkthroughs.)

The IF community maintains IFDB, and a list of the top 100 games. https://ifdb.tads.org/viewlist?id=k7rrytlz3wihmx2o (It can take a full minute to load; be patient.)

All of the games on the list are delightful, but a newbie can't really be expected to finish any of them without hints. Luckily, almost all of them offer gradual hints, either linked from IFDB itself or in-game with a HINT command.

[II2II]

Your best option is to browse past IF competition winners. A lot of modern IF places emphasis on story telling based upon setting or situation. Much like a book, it can be difficult to connect with a story if you cannot relate to it in some way. Here is a link to past competitions:

https://ifdb.tads.org/search?browse&comp&sortby=awn

[zorked]

Spider and Web is a very interesting game with many well-used devices and twists.

Photopia leans towards the "fiction" end of "interactive fiction". It's very short and accessible.

[anthk]

Anchorhead.

[brox]

For those familiar with the original 1998 version, note that a remastered and illustrated edition was released in 2018--worth a replay and a good way of supporting the author! https://store.steampowered.com/app/726870/Anchorhead/

[7thaccount]

I don't use Steam, but would gladly play this on pretty much anything else.

[brox]

You can buy it on itch.io as well: https://www.anchorhead-game.com/purchase/

[7thaccount]

I didn't think it was on itch.io. I'll go ahead and buy it there. Thanks!

[nicolas_t]

I'll second the recommendation for Anchorhead. It's a great lovecraftian horror, the plot draws you in and it's hard to stop until you finish it. Beware of dead ends though so save often.

[anthk]

I prefer the ultraportable freeware (on any machine with a Z8 machine interpreter), but I'd gladly support the author by other means.