View source for Games with Animal Protagonists

Various games have been written in which the [[Player-character | protagonist]] is an animal (or a fantastic non-humanoid creature). These can pose special challenges for both author and audience, since the ways in which animals interact with their environment is frequently unlike the default behaviour assumed by a standard IF [[parser]]. Animal protagonists may sense things in different ways to human ones, but usually more significant is manipulation of objects within the game - a key part of conventional IF, and one that tends to assume opposable thumbs.

==Games==
* ''[[The Adventures of Bobo the Monkey]]'' ([[Pat Handy]]; 2006; [[Z-code]]). Chimpanzee.
* ''[[The Adventures of Houdini]]'' ([[Colleen Boye]]; 2012; Z-code). Hamster.
* ''[[Adventures of Thumper™ - Wonder Wombat]]'' ([[Chris Tyson]] a.k.a. Diablo; 2002; [[ADRIFT]]). Anthropomophic wombat, as per title.
* ''[[And a Hippo New Year]]'' ([[Adri]] as "Erin Gigglecreek"; 2012; Z-code). Tiny hippo.
* ''[[Arthur: The Quest for Excalibur]]'' ([[Bob Bates]]; publisher: [[Infocom]]; 1989; Z-code). PC can magically transform into an owl, a turtle, an eel, or a badger.
* ''[[ASCII and the Argonauts]]'' ([[J. Robinson Wheeler]]; 2003; Z-code). PC is briefly a mouse.
* ''[[Barton]]'' ([[Ricardo Dague]]; 2001; Z-code). Anthropomorphic dog.
* ''[[A Bear's Night Out]]'' ([[David Dyte]]; 1997; Z-code). Teddy bear.
* ''[[Carmen Devine: Supernatural Troubleshooter]]'' ([[Rob Myall]]; 2006; Z-code). Werewolf.
* ''[[A Day for Soft Food]]'' ([[Tod Levi]]; 1999; Z-code). Cat.
* ''[[Delusions]]'' ([[C. E. Forman]]; 1996; Z-code). PC is briefly a virtual-reality fish.
* ''[[Donkey Kong]]'' ([[Andrew Plotkin]]; 2001; Z-code). Ape.
* ''[[Dragon George and the Man]]'' ([[Marnie Parker]]; Z-code). Dragon.
* ''[[Drool]]'' ([[Jeff Breidenbach]]; 1994). Dog.
* ''[[Fish!]]'' ([[John Molloy]], [[Pete Kemp]], [[Phil South]], ed. by [[Rob Steggles]]; publisher: [[Magnetic Scrolls]]; 1988; [[Magnetic Scrolls]]) Begins the game as a fish.
* ''[[Foggywood Hijinx]]'' ([[Ivan Cockrum]]; 1998; [[TADS]]). PC transformed into a chicken for most of the game.
* ''[[Futz Mutz]]'' ([[Tim Simmons]]; 2000; TADS 2). PC spends most of game as dog.
* ''[[Gilded]]'' ([[John Evans (Gilded author)|John Evans]]; 2005; TADS 2). PC can transform into a raven and, during the endgame, a dragon.
* ''[[Glass]]'' ([[Emily Short]]; 2006; Z-code). Parrot.
* ''[[The Green Princess]]'' ([[Eric Mayer]] as "The Invisible Man"; 2002; ADRIFT 4). Frog.
* ''[[Heroes]]'' ([[Sean Barrett]]; 2001; Z-code). One of the game's five protagonists is a dragon.
* ''[[An Important Appointment]]'' ([[Jennifer Earl]]; Z-code). Civilized dinosaur.
* ''[[Leather Goddesses of Phobos]]'' ([[Steve Meretzky]]; publisher: [[Infocom]]; 1986; Z-code). PC exchanges bodies with a gorilla for part of the game.
* ''[[Legion]]'' ([[Ian Anderson]]; 2006; Z-code). PC is the sentient part of a sentient planet.
* ''[[Lesson of the Tortoise]]'' ([[Gerry Kevin Wilson]]; 1997; TADS). PC is briefly a fish.
* ''[[Lupercalia]]'' ([[Eric Forgeot]]; 16-Feb-2008; [[Glulx]], [[Z-code]] 8; [[French]]). PC is mostly a Wolf.
* ''[[The Man from DEFRA]]'' ([[Kevan Davis]]; 2002; Z-code). Goat.
* ''[[Microbe Willie vs. The Rat]]'' ([[Jeremy Yoder]]; 2002; ADRIFT 4). Microbe.
* ''[[Mr. Fluffykin's Most Harrowing Misadventure]]'' ([[Justahack]]; 2009; ADRIFT 4). Bear cub.
* ''[[New Cat]]'' ([[Poster]]; 2011; Z-code). Cat.
* ''[[Office Goose]]'' ([[Liz Henry]] as "Lizzard"; 2020; Glulx). Goose.
* ''[[Once and Future]]'' ([[G. Kevin Wilson]]; 1994; TADS). PC is briefly a mouse.
* ''[[Only After Dark]]'' ([[Gunther Schmidl]]; 1999; Z-code). PC is briefly a wolf.
* ''[[The Perfect Spy]]'' ([[Blackmaster]]; 2008; ADRIFT 4). PC can shapechange into a tiger, mouse, or German shepherd.
* ''[[Prodly the Puffin]]'' ([[Craig Timpany]] and [[Jim Crawford]]; 2000; Z-code). PC is the title character.
* ''[[Quest for Food]]'' ([[Lumin]]; 2006; ADRIFT). Small animal, probably a raccoon.
* ''[[Ralph (by Schmidt)|Ralph]]'' ([[Miron Schmidt]]; 1996; Z-code). Dog.
* ''[[Rats]]'' ([[Rémi Verschelde]]; 2008; Z-code; French). Mouse.
* ''[[The Reluctant Resurrectee]]'' ([[David Whyld ]]; 2007; ADRIFT 4). PC is a single eyeball.
* ''[[Rocky Raccoon]]'' ([[Ian Herzog]]; 2008; ADRIFT 4). Raccoon.
* ''[[Rover's Day Out]]'' ([[Jack Welch]] and [[Ben Collins-Sussman]]; 01-Oct-2009; [[Glulx]]). For some of the game, the PC is apparently a dog.
* ''[[Snatches]]'' ([[Gregory Weir]]; 2005; Z-code). PC briefly plays a dog.
* ''[[Sorcerer]]'' ([[Steve Meretzky]]; publisher: [[Infocom]]; 1984; Z-code). PC can magically turn self into a bat.
* ''[[La Source de Zig]]'' ([[Benjamin Roux]]; 2014; Z-code; French). Female zebra.
* ''[[Speculative Fiction]]'' ([[Diane Christoforo]] and [[Thomas Mack]]; 2011&ndash;2012; Z-code). Raven.
* ''[[Squeaky on the Moon]]'' ([[David Welbourn]]; Z-code). Alvin the Chipmunk.
* ''[[Stupid Kittens]]'' ([[Marc Valhara]]; 2000; Z-code). Cat.
* ''[[Till Death Makes a Monk-Fish Out of Me!]]'' ([[Jon Ingold]] and [[Mike Sousa]]; 2002; TADS 2). As per title.
* ''[[Time to Shine]]'' ([[Sophie Frühling]]; 2006; Z-code). PC is a caputman (a head with a hand).
* ''[[Transfer]]'' ([[Tod Levi]]; 2000; Z-code). PC exchanges bodies with a chimp, a dog, a bat, a mouse, and a mosquito for various parts of the game.
* ''[[Woof]]'' ([[Roberto Grassi]]; 2004; ADRIFT). Dog.
* ''[[You've Got A Stew Going!]]'' ([[Ryan Veeder]]; 2011; Z-code). Rat.
* ''[[Your mind is gone, it must be brought, you have some rock candy.]]'' ([[Lenny Pitts]]; 1999; TADS). Monkey, supposedly.
* ''[[Zombie Cow]]'' ([[Amber Rollins-Walker]]; 2004; ADRIFT). Zombie cow, of course.
* ''[[Zork Grand Inquisitor]]'' (publisher: [[Activision]]). PC becomes a dragon for part of the game.
* ''[[Zork Zero|Zork Zero: The Revenge of Megaboz]]'' ([[Steve Meretzky]]; publisher: [[Infocom]]; 1988). PC exchanges bodies with a flamingo for part of the game.

[[Category:Lists of works|Animal Protagonists]]