The Loneliest House is a Glulx interactive fiction story written with Inform 7 and is © 2023 by Tabitha O'Connell. It was an entry in Ectocomp 2023's La Petite Mort (English) division where it took 9th place. It was also an entry in The Bare-Bones Jam.
In this bittersweet story, it's a bright autumn day. You felt compelled to climb the hill and take a closer look at the lonely old house on the hill. It's been abandoned for as long as you've lived here, just part of the scenery for everyone else, but for you, it's a mystery and a promise waiting to be fulfilled.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1 of the story.
SPOILERS AHEAD. Reading a walkthrough prematurely can sometimes diminish one's enjoyment of an interactive fiction story. Please make an honest effort to play the story before reading this walkthrough.
Outside the lonely old house on the hill
I'm unclear on what the exact mechanics are for this game, but when the game is this short, does it matter much? Just examine everything you possibly can, listen, and smell, and you should be fine.
> x me. i. listen.
> x house. x fence. x sign.
> x porch. x brackets. x paint. x wood.
> x cupola —or— x roof.
> x windows. x muntins.
> x windowpanes —or— x glass.
> x trees. x leaves. x hill.
> x doors. x knobs. x pattern.
> listen. smell. x sun. x view.
> look. x house.
Your awareness has changed. You now know every inch of this house.
*** You are the lonely old house on the hill. ***
This game is just about you and the lonely old house, but you sometimes hear children playing, a dog barking, or geese honking during the first half of the game. That's it.
This is the response to CREDITS:
A game by Tabitha O'Connell. Written and coded in under four hours for the La Petite Mort division of Ectocomp 2023. Cover photo by Tabitha O'Connell. Thank you to shiroyasha and Nulla for testing!
This walkthrough is provided free of charge since the work it's based on has less than fifteen locations. Please consider it a thank you for your support!
I create larger walkthroughs too! Please visit my Patreon account if you're interested in helping me create more interactive fiction walkthroughs. I appreciate all the help I can get! Thanks again.
Ko-Fi is a way to send me small one-time donations. Every little bit helps, and thank you!