Someone commented here in one thread about another program that does graphic "text" games...
I can't find the post because it's buried in a thread somewhere...
Can whoever commented on that repost the link here because I wanted to check it out.

I do not know if this is the one.
https://textadventures.co.uk/forum/design/topic/kn75n2malekxpmwgblfdoq/need-advice-looking-for-a-button-driven-2d-game-engine
https://fr33mind.github.io/Belle/
https://renpy.org/
https://twinery.org/

felixp7 Oct 23, 2016 12:13 AM new
The best match I can think of is Belle, ostensibly a visual novel engine that's a lot more flexible than it sounds, but only exports to HTML5.

A more powerful solution is Ren'Py, another VN engine that exports desktop games for all major platforms, but it's not as easy to use in non-default ways; you'd have to learn some of its more advanced features first.

Last but not least, Twine should also be able to do it, with the same caveat. And then it also only exports to HTML5.

Other solutions exist, like the Wintermute engine that's supposedly designed for Myst-like games, but I haven't tried it. And Clickteam Fusion, the engine used for the first Five Nights at Freddy's, is supposedly intended for just the kind of game you're describing, but it's a commercial product...

YMMV, but I'd stay with Belle. Hope this helps.