Quest Viva is a free, open-source system for making and playing text adventures and gamebooks. Its point-and-click editor lets creators describe game elements in plain English, so they can begin without programming. For more control, creators can use visual blocks or write scripts with variables, conditionals, loops, functions, object types, and libraries. Games can include images, sounds, music, and YouTube video, and their player interface can be customized with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The editor runs in a browser or as a desktop app for Windows, Mac, and Linux; the same editor and game files work in both. Creators can publish to textadventures.co.uk, share a private direct link, host games on their own site, or make a single HTML file. Players use a browser on phones, tablets, or computers without a download or account. After loading, a game continues working if the network connection drops. Players can save to browser storage with multiple slots or save to a file. Browser-stored games should be backed up to disk periodically.
Who it is for
Quest Viva suits writers and game creators who want to make interactive fiction, whether they prefer a visual editor or direct scripting. It also suits players who want browser-based games without an account or download.
What is good
- Plain-English editing can be used without programming.
- Supports visual blocks and direct scripting.
- Editor runs in browser or on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
- Games can be shared, hosted, or saved as one HTML file.
- Loaded games continue offline.
What to know first
- Browser-stored games should be backed up to disk.
- No security certifications or compliance standards are stated.
Verdict
Quest Viva offers several ways to create and publish interactive fiction, with browser play and file-based saving. Remember to back up games stored in the browser.
Quest Viva plans and pricing
All plansCompared on game narrative design software
- Free plan
- Yes
- Branching dialogue
- Yes
- Localization workflow
- Yes
