Unusual and/or underappreciated IFs

[seneya]

This is an idea born out of the IF disappointment thread. We all know the humble underrated IFs like Fallen Hero or Infamous, and we've only seen the Royal Heir In An European Medieval Fantasy or Mercenary In A Noir City setups like 666 times. What are the IFs with the more unique premises, storylines, or settings? Ones that put an interesting spin on an old well-known trope? Ones that get less attention due to not writing about what's popular?

Feel free to share/discuss! And maybe someone will find a new work to read, and an author somewhere will gain another reader.

 

[John Jacob]

I like spellbound a ghost story, I tend to like stories where you play someone who was at their peak and then crashout and the story sort of follows that. With flashbacks to your peak. It takes place in both the modern and medieval age because of that. I also like the concept of you being bound to a nimrod and having to look out for them. I thought it would be more popular but its not really. I recommend it.

 

[Ksilver]

Sadly a lot of unique IFs that I know throughout the years is put on hiatus for all different reasons.

Heavy Is The Crown, for example, is an Arthurian Isekai/ Time Travel-esque story with customizable RO and a disability option for MC. Back then, I'm hyped AF, because i can be a badass blind swordsman in Arthurian tales. But the Author dropped it in favor of another fantasy story that I can't even remember it's name. It's been two years since the last update.

Another example is What Lovely Bones. Horror IF with Manipulative Serial Killer MC who's work as a Doctor / Surgeon as a cover. Good premise, interesting RO, and then bam, stopped updating about a year ago all of a sudden.

The most recent unique IF that caught my eyes is Bridging The Gap, where our MC is the manager of a famous idol group. The concept of MC having a different personas at home and work is interesting, to say the least, like when you can be serious no nonsense at work, yet timid and shy at home is a new one for me. Current update progress is slow as hell, but the blog is very much alive and the author constantly giving update progress. God I hope it won't be discontinued.

 

[LK5]

I haven't found a IF that interests me in years, but I have hopes in: Autumn Winds, Twisted Scene, The Bureau, and Blackwood Manor is on hiatus

 

[yourstalkeroutside]

Season of Shadows doesn't get the love it deserves. It's both well written and well researched with a protagonist that doesn't have the personality of wet cardboard and LIs that aren't just tropes but have their own personality, history and backgrounds.

Étreinte also has my interest for the same reasons, however there's only one chapter, so I'm not holding my breath.

 

[SasariRomanii]

Tobias; a very short Twine IF written in a 3rd person POV about a vampire reminiscing his deceased serial-killer wife. The 3rd person POV is refreshing and I wouldn't complain if more IFs use it because I am honestly tired of MC being referred to as "I" or "You"

 

[seneya]

A new one that might be of interest: The Mark of the Devil

"The game is a colonial-era horror/adventure IF game developed on Choicescript. The game is narrative-based and recommended for mature audiences.

Synopsis:

The year is 1722. A pestilence known as The Rot plagues the New World, and the Witch Trials have been raging for 3 decades. You are an indentured servant of the Church, seeking unachievable penance for a sin that cannot be undone; a pact with the Devil, sealed with blood on the eve of your 13th birthday."

 

[Parallax]

Another example is What Lovely Bones. Horror IF with Manipulative Serial Killer MC who's work as a Doctor / Surgeon as a cover. Good premise, interesting RO, and then bam, stopped updating about a year ago all of a sudden.

This one was popular and beloved, and then the authors abandoned it to work on some other stuff. What a waste. We rarely can play a doctor. Or a serial killer. And even more rarely both.

The most recent unique IF that caught my eyes is Bridging The Gap, where our MC is the manager of a famous idol group.

It is ironic that I often look for something unique in IFs, and at the same time, "unique" roles MC often seem boring and discouraging to me, as was the case with BtG. I was literally like "come on, just a manager? No thank you "

Eh.