Frotz
What is Frotz?
Plays text-based interactive fiction games in Z-Machine, glulx and TADS formats on iPhone and iPad.
Frotz is a free app for playing interactive fiction, also called text adventure games, on iPhone and iPad. It plays titles in the Z-Machine, glulx and TADS formats, including classic Infocom-era works such as Zork Trilogy, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Trinity. The listing describes it as giving access to hundreds of works from the Interactive Fiction archive.
Pricing. Frotz is free, with no in-app purchases on the App Store.
Good for
- Playing classic Infocom-style text adventure games
- Reading and typing through interactive fiction stories
- Trying community-written games from the Interactive Fiction archive
Screenshots
Why this app is in A tier
A tier follows from that score within this list. The full explanation, as data.
Frotz scores 90 out of 100: rating 95, rating count 68, App Store search rank 99, update recency 100. The four parts are averaged and A tier follows from that score within this list.
Description
[*Warning* Playing Frotz involves reading, thinking, and typing. If you just want to blow stuff up, this is not the app for you!]
Burned out on all the new-fangled graphics and dazzling eye candy on your shiny new iPhone or iPad? Nostalgic for a simpler time? Then take advantage of those crisp high-resolution fonts to relive the glory days of the Great Underground Empire, or play any of hundreds of great works from the Interactive Fiction archive.
Frotz lets you play hundreds of free works of Interactive Fiction (a.k.a. text adventure games) on your iPhone or iPad.
Read more
Frotz plays titles written in the Z-Machine format (which was invented by Infocom and was used to produce classic text adventures from the 80s such as the Zork Trilogy, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Trinity), as well as glulx and TADS formats.
In the past couple of decades, text adventures have experienced a renaissance of sorts due to the efforts of a diverse Internet community of talented interactive fiction writers and fans. Many of these games are written using the same engine that powered Infocom's titles, thanks to the Inform compiler and authoring system created by Graham Nelson.
NOTE! If you have suggestions for improving Frotz or encounter bugs, please go to the support link and report them.
Frotz for iOS - Interactive Fiction at Your Fingertips
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Questions about Frotz
Does Frotz include games or do I need to find them myself?
The listing says Frotz plays hundreds of free works of Interactive Fiction from the Interactive Fiction archive. It does not state whether any games are bundled with the app.
What game formats does Frotz support?
The listing says Frotz plays titles written in the Z-Machine format, as well as glulx and TADS formats.
Is this a graphics-heavy action game?
No. The listing warns that playing involves reading, thinking and typing, and it is not intended for blowing things up. Games are text based.
Is Frotz free?
Yes. Frotz is free on the App Store, with no in-app purchases.
Is Frotz right for me?
Frotz is built for playing classic infocom-style text adventure games, reading and typing through interactive fiction stories, trying community-written games from the interactive fiction archive. It sits in the text adventure list on AppTierList.
Is Frotz worth it?
Frotz is A tier, ranked #4 of 24 text adventure apps with a score of 90 out of 100, from a 4.7 App Store rating across 566 ratings. It is in the list's top tiers; 3 apps rank above it.
How does Frotz compare to AI Dungeon?
Frotz is A tier at 90; AI Dungeon is S tier at 91. AI Dungeon ranks higher. Frotz is free, with no in-app purchases, AI Dungeon is free to download, with in-app purchases.
How often is Frotz updated?
Frotz was updated 15 days ago, which counts in its favour.
Alternatives
Top rated in Text Adventure
Categories
All the facts
Ranking
- Lists
- Text Adventure (A tier, #4) · Interactive Stories (#93, beyond the tiered top)
- Tier
- A (Excellent)
- Score
- 90 / 100
- Rank in list
- #4 of 24
- Ranking certainty
- settled
Ratings
- App Store rating
- 4.7 out of 5, every App Store country
- Ratings
- 566
App
- Price
- Free download
- App Store category
- Games
- Current version
- (15 days ago)
- Size
- 46 MB
- Requires
- iOS 15.0 or later
- Age rating
- 9+
- Languages
- 1
- Runs on
- iPhone, iPad
- iPhone Duo
- Made for iPhone Duo, with screenshots for both screens on the App Store
Links
- Developer pages
- Website · Support · Privacy policy
- Maker
- not verified
- As data
- JSON · why it ranks here
App Store data read · ranking