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by Ice Cream Jonsey 07/21/2026, 9:13pm PDT |
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86. Counterfeit Monkey
Creator: Emily Short
Genre: Text Adventure
Year: 2012
Platforms: Inform 7 (Interpreters for Inform 7 are available for almost everything. It's not really possible to say it was released on one system like MacOS first.)
Interactive Fiction Database link
Available through: Github
The (initial) premise of the game is that you have a device. You have a plastic device about the size of a laser pointer that can be waved at things and remove a letter. Then the thing becomes its new name. You can set it to things and you get it right away. I am just looking around my room for examples that are not in the game. I see a disk. You could set it to remove the letter d. Your disk becomes isk. That's the unit of currency in Eve Online. Okay, maybe a better idea is changing a drum into rum. That kind of thing.
This is the work of an author at the top of her craft. You get a visual, handmade map at all times, you get the ability to use the >GO TO shortcut (which we will see in another text game as well later). Early on, there is a section where you have to unlock a door and go through it, after you do some work to get a code. Games with a budget much, much larger than Counterfeit Monkey screw up the playability of codes and doors, but I was even momentarily surprised by how easy it was. I got to feel clever for getting the code then used it with so much ">unlock door". DOORS are no longer interesting things for text games to do, this was handled by a professional. It's easy for me to not worry too much that I am too stupid for these things when the game realizes that we're not going to let a locked door stop the player.
I like that we get the "cool thing" in the game right at the start (the letter-removing machine). I was wondering how many games so far give you the "cool thing" off the bat. Most do! You have to go get the Master Sword in Zelda, you have to walk forward a bit to get the dagger-throwing power in Devil Daggers. But other than that, you can play Pebble Beach right away in Links, you can throw papers from the start in Paperboy. There are other really cool things in Counterfeit Monkey, but the length is not padded by having you go get the letter-removing device, we start- is this in medias res???
I tried many, many games to make this list; one other similar contender was the graphical text adventure Guild of Thieves. Look, Guild of Thieves is a great game. But playing it again, they didn't implement anything from the start, when you are on the jetty. It is really, really sparse. And it was released in 1987 on 3.5" floppies. They had room. It wasn't them "being lazy," it was a decision. The invitation of the text adventure is that > prompt. Teasingly saying "type anything, I can handle it." And of course, you are meant to think that when the game says "I don't see any such thing," you are being given information, it's information that you can ignore it. So I think that what I like best about Counterfeit Monkey is that sense of wonder. I read the text for CM in a way I don't know if I do with other text adventure games because it invites not just the prompt, but the device that can turn anything into something else. I'm looking at the word "ticket" in the screenshot attacked and I am adding letters to the word in order to see if it spells anything, so I might make my ticket. Or maybe we need to go find it?? Let's go on an adventure! |
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The 100 Greatest Video Games of All-Time NT by Ice Cream Jonsey 06/16/2026, 10:56pm PDT 
Re: The 100 Greatest Video Games of All-Time by Ice Cream Jonsey 06/16/2026, 11:27pm PDT
Finally the definitive, objectively true, list NT by E. L. Koba 06/18/2026, 2:56pm PDT
My middle name was going to be "Objective" before by Ice Cream Jonsey 06/18/2026, 5:30pm PDT
In an alternate universe with a different phonetic alphabet... by Entropy Stew 06/23/2026, 12:29am PDT
100. Scorched Earth (1991, DOS) by Ice Cream Jonsey 06/16/2026, 11:28pm PDT
I loved this one as a kid. There was a Mac version which was pretty good. by blackwater 06/20/2026, 3:11pm PDT
Re: I loved this one as a kid. There was a Mac version which was pretty good. by Ice Cream Jonsey 06/22/2026, 10:06am PDT
I was playing this shit on a Commodore in like second or third grade before that by Entropy Stew 06/23/2026, 12:35am PDT
99. Mine Storm (1982, Vectrex) by Ice Cream Jonsey 06/17/2026, 10:26am PDT
Yeah, no emulator gets that iconic vector look right. by Mischief Maker 06/17/2026, 1:04pm PDT
It will appear later in the list! by Ice Cream Jonsey 06/17/2026, 1:30pm PDT
98. NASCAR Racing 4 (2001, Windows 98) by Ice Cream Jonsey 06/17/2026, 11:20pm PDT
A phenomenal choice. by pinback 06/18/2026, 5:46am PDT
Puppygames made a version of that: by Mischief Maker 06/18/2026, 5:59pm PDT
Dammit! That was supposed to be a reply to the paradroid post. NT by Mischief Maker 06/18/2026, 6:00pm PDT
Oi! by Jerry Whorebach 06/30/2026, 1:13pm PDT
A dream! What a week for dreamers ;) by Ice Cream Jonsey 07/02/2026, 10:26am PDT
Best played via wide screen NT by Lonnie 07/02/2026, 10:54am PDT
Driving shitboxes is my favorite part of racing games! by E. L. Koba 07/02/2026, 2:33pm PDT
This week's free Epic Games Store game is I Have No Mouth and I Can't Scream by Jerry Whorebach 07/02/2026, 6:32pm PDT
Re: This week's free Epic Games Store game is I Have No Mouth and I Can't Scream by Mysterio 07/02/2026, 9:01pm PDT
Gah! That was me again. NT by Mischief Mysterio 07/02/2026, 9:02pm PDT
I knew it was you. by Jerry Whorebach 07/03/2026, 2:45pm PDT
Jerry is an expert on compliant asian women NT by Houseboat moored in Angeles City 07/03/2026, 7:08am PDT
I saw the box before I knew what Ellison looked like in real life NT by Ice Cream Jonsey 07/06/2026, 11:53am PDT
97. Paradroid (1985, Commodore 64) by Ice Cream Jonsey 06/18/2026, 5:29pm PDT
96. The Legend of Zelda (1986, NES) by Ice Cream Jonsey 06/19/2026, 9:07pm PDT
Did any other games get the gold cartridge treatment? NT by Mischief Maker 06/20/2026, 1:06pm PDT
Z2 NT by judgement day 06/20/2026, 1:35pm PDT
Action 52? NT by hehehe 06/20/2026, 9:29pm PDT
95. Fatal Frame (2001, Playstation 2) by Ice Cream Jonsey 06/22/2026, 10:08pm PDT
94. Metal Slug (1996, Neo-Geo) by Ice Cream Jonsey 06/26/2026, 8:09am PDT
93. Rocket Jockey (1996, Windows 95) by Ice Cream Jonsey 06/26/2026, 9:09pm PDT
92. Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi (2003, Arcade) by Ice Cream Jonsey 06/30/2026, 9:34am PDT
You should probably mention Ketsui's gimmick: by Mischief Maker 06/30/2026, 11:41am PDT
A cruel gimmick. Toying with them first! NT by Dan Flashes Boss 06/30/2026, 3:24pm PDT
91. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (1995, Arcade) by Ice Cream Jonsey 07/02/2026, 12:03pm PDT
Enter the Ultimate Kombat Kode by Noob Saibot 07/04/2026, 2:39am PDT
canned combos + run button NT by suked 07/04/2026, 2:59pm PDT
Where can I listen to music that sounds like the MK3 soundtrack? Is it a genre? by Lobo 07/10/2026, 1:46am PDT
Good question by Noob Saibot 07/11/2026, 2:38pm PDT
Re: The 100 Greatest Video Games of All-Time by Ice Cream Jonsey 07/06/2026, 10:13am PDT
Re: The 100 Greatest Video Games of All-Time by pinback 07/06/2026, 3:48pm PDT
90. Paperboy (1985, Arcade) by Ice Cream Jonsey 07/06/2026, 9:12pm PDT
Do you just find these on Craigslist? NT by Yaris 07/07/2026, 12:27pm PDT
Re: Do you just find these on Craigslist? by Ice Cream Jonsey 07/07/2026, 9:15pm PDT
This was one of the greats, I agree. by blackwater 07/07/2026, 4:16pm PDT
89. Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars (1996, DOS/Windows 95/Mac) by Ice Cream Jonsey 07/09/2026, 8:52am PDT
How many spots above this is HoMM3 then? NT by the obvious question 07/09/2026, 8:19pm PDT
Well. Shit. NT by Ice Cream Jonsey 07/09/2026, 8:57pm PDT
Five second rule! He can still change it if it happens before NT by the next entry! 07/11/2026, 5:39am PDT
There are people who stick by HOMM2 over 3. Especially the music. NT by MM 07/11/2026, 5:55am PDT
HoMM2 is the one I played when it came out, but, regarding franchises by Ice Cream Jonsey 07/11/2026, 9:11am PDT
88. Links LS (1996, DOS) by Ice Cream Jonsey 07/13/2026, 8:51pm PDT
87. Devil Daggers (2016, Windows 10) by Ice Cream Jonsey 07/13/2026, 9:12pm PDT
86. Counterfeit Monkey (2012, Inform 7) by Ice Cream Jonsey 07/21/2026, 9:13pm PDT
I know Jonsey mentioned the numerous interpreters available by But I play on Chromebook or phon 07/22/2026, 10:06pm PDT
This is great, thank you NT by Mysterio Yesterday, 9:27am PDT
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