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I have been on a kick lately with short games. Because I'm a parent with a hectic job, it's really nice to be able to beat a game in just a few days.

I've played both Plague Tale games (10 & 20 hours respectively), Stray (7 hours), and Alan Wake (10 hours). All great stories, very atmospheric, and felt like just the right length for what they were.

Any other good story-heavy games that are pretty short? Throw any and all recommendations at me!

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[-] bermuda@beehaw.org 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I went on my steam profile (note these are all PC games, but some are on console) and looked at all the games I finished in under 20 hours at least once and enjoyed so I'll just list them here. It's in descending order from most (20.1 hours) to least (68 minutes):

I put a star next to the ones I'd recommend in a heartbeat even without the 20 hour limit.

  • Mirror's Edge ★
  • The Stanley Parable ★ (although may take you at least 20 to find all endings / easter eggs / secrets)
  • Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ★ (due to the fact that it's the middle game in an incomplete trilogy, also recommend Deus Ex: Human Revolution but that's more than 20)
  • Hotline Miami ★
  • Little Inferno
  • Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
  • Dishonored ★
  • Myst
  • DOOM (2016) ★
  • Wolfenstein: The New Order ★
  • Portals 1 & 2 ★
  • Return of the Obra Dinn ★ (beat twice in 9 hours)
  • Kentucky Route Zero ★
  • The Henry Stickmin Collection ★
  • FAR: Lone Sails
  • Titanfall 2
  • DUSK ★
  • COD: Modern Warfare 2
  • Ghostrunner (didn't like this but it seemed most people who weren't me did so i'm putting it here)
  • Thomas Was Alone
  • Jazzpunk: Director's Cut ★
  • Gunpoint ★
  • Orwell
  • Firewatch
  • Superliminal ★
  • Observer_ ★
  • SUPERHOT ★
  • The Beginner's Guide
  • BattleBlock Theater
  • INSIDE ★
  • EDGE
  • Quadrilateral Cowboy
  • Journey ★

edit: saw u said "story heavy" so i removed some of the arcadey ones. Some of these aren't exactly "story heavy" depending on ur definition but they at least have a story

[-] TheRoarer@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

I'm pretty upset tf|2 doesn't have a star. Explain yourself.

[-] bermuda@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

i didn't like the multiplayer

[-] HiT3k@beehaw.org 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Returnal, Resident Evil REmakes, most Giant Bomb games, Firewatch, Hellblade...

If you liked Alan Wake, definitely give the RE remakes and Hellblade a shot, and don't sleep on Firewatch. In fact, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is probably one of the most thoughtful and atmospheric experiences in gaming (at least in the field of 3rd person, pseudo action games).

[-] Hamano@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

I second Resident Evil games. But, they have multiple ends that require replay the games or a large portion of them. You can watch the endings on YouTube though. But iirc, RE VII, has a whole different portion of game influenced by a choice you make, than make you replay that whole part and it can be long.

[-] abir_vandergriff@beehaw.org 5 points 1 year ago

Depending on your puzzle solving abilities, Outer Wilds (not Outer Worlds!) should only take around 15-20 hours.

Extra bonus, it can be played in very short sessions very easily and has a great in-game log of events in case you have to put it down for a little while.

[-] CraigeryTheKid@beehaw.org 0 points 1 year ago

I just want to say that I also keep hearing about this game, but then can't remember which one strangers told me to play.

[-] abir_vandergriff@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

Oh man, it's so good. It's my favorite game in recent memory and it's only competition is probably Hollow Knight.

Don't look anything up, this game is super easy to spoil because of the way the exploratory puzzles are set up.

[-] Oneeightnine@feddit.uk 4 points 1 year ago

I'll always recommend What Remains of Edith Finch into these sorts of conversations. Absolute one of my favourite shorter experiences.

[-] Plus_a_Grain_of_Salt@beehaw.org 4 points 1 year ago

I'mma do it, I'mma be the one to bring up Undertale this time (estimated 2 hours, worth a few replays), there's also little nightmares (2-4 hours depending on platforming skills) which is a spooky little game, but not too spooky if you ever play in front of the kids.

[-] Noit@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

Portal and Portal 2 must be on this list. If you’ve never played then, you must. It is that simple.

[-] Crankpork@beehaw.org 3 points 1 year ago

Journey is a game you could easily finish in one sitting. Short but sweet, and very easy to get swept up in the atmosphere.

[-] ranandtoldthat@beehaw.org 3 points 1 year ago

Bastion or Transistor, both early Supergiant games.

[-] Lemmyatem@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

Great idea for a post. I feel the same with games and novels.

[-] iNeedScissors67@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I'd look at Telltale-style games. They're roughly 10 hours each ( five 2-hour ish episodes) and are almost entirely story driven. The gameplay is usually very simple. You choose dialogue choices to drive the story.

The best Telltale games are in my opinion: The Wolf Among Us, Tales from the Borderlands, The Walking Dead, Batman: The Telltale Series and its sequel, Batman: The Enemy Within. They're also releasing the first episode of The Expanse (based on the TV show since the character Camina Drummer does not exist in the books) later this month.

Another series that is very much that same style but by different devs is the Life is Strange series. I've played the first one and the prequel called Before the Storm. They are very emotionally heavy stories so I'm taking some time before I can go into the sequels but I absolutely love that series and will preach it to anyone who will listen.

10 hours is definitely short but it also helps that they are all done in 2-hour episodes so you can easily take breaks.

[-] IcedCoffeeBitch@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

I haven't finished Spec Ops: The Line, but I recommend that. It looks like your average American propaganda third person shooter but the story is actually super interesting and thought provoking. Looking at https://howlongtobeat.com/, it's 6 hours for the main story.

[-] jehreg@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago

Gris. It’s like playing an art piece.

[-] thekbob@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

Similar vein, but I replay Journey often, as well.

[-] CorvusNyx@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

Jade Empire - a little older Bioware action RPG, originally for the Xbox, but can be found on GOG. Runs between 12 to 20 hours.

Undertale - my favourite game of all time, easy to play, excellent story, and incredible soundtrack.

[-] smegforbrains@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago
[-] CatBusBand@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

Have you tried What Remains of Edith Finch? It's a good story heavy game that's pretty short. Return of the Obra Dinn is a deduction puzzle game that can be done in short sessions. Celeste is also good for short sessions if platformers are more of your thing.

[-] Thanovir@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

You should give Guardians of the Galaxy a try. I’m not really a Marvel fan but the game is great and should take around 20 hours to complete.

[-] Segab@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

I'm usually way more into short arcadey yet narrative games like Hotline Miami, but based on your list I'd wholeheartedly recommend What Remains of Edith Finch. It's a bunch of very short story vignettes, so even if you only have 30 minutes you know you'll complete one.

Night in the Woods might also interest you. I would always play one in-game day (which is about 1 hour each) to relax before going to bed.

[-] HuntressHimbo@lemmy.fmhy.ml 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

If you like tactics games I recommend Wintermoor Tactics Club. Its funny and sweet and fits nicely in that time frame

[-] Pseu@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago
  • Ori and Ori: Will of the Wisps. These games are beautiful and atmospheric. The story is basic, but it's a world to get lost in.

  • All of the supergiant games (except for maybe Hades). So Bastion, Transistor and Pyre. Dripping with style, Bastion and Transistor have a pretty straightforward story, but it's well told. Pyre's story is a bit more complex, with a heavy focus on characters and your choices with them.

[-] Chobbes@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

Pyre is criminally underrated.

[-] any1th3r3@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Story-heavy: Uncharted series (between 10 and 16 hours per game), Hellblade (around 8 hours) and - if you can spare another 10 hours or so and Action RPGs are your thing - Nier Automata is really worth it (around 30 hours).
Gris was impactful enough for me that I'll mention it here, since it was super short (4 hours at most).

[-] nlm@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

Hellblade is amazing! Needs to be played with headphones on for the beat experience! The sound design is incredible

[-] lvl13charlatan@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

Undertale and Untitled Goose Game though the latter isn't very story oriented.

[-] knokelmaat@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

What Remains of Edith Finch is a beautiful game in under 2h.

A Short Hike is a wholesome short little experience, really loved it.

Journey is one of my favorite games of all time and is shorter than most movies.

Titanfall 2 campaign was 6h or something and really cool!

[-] all-knight-party@fedia.io 1 points 1 year ago

If you're cool with visual novels, Doki Doki Literature Club is an incredibly interesting game, not very long. It really stuck with me.

[-] nlm@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

Pretty important to go in blind with this one! It's a great game!

[-] Plus_a_Grain_of_Salt@beehaw.org 0 points 1 year ago

Hey Op don't play it in front of the kids, you'll thank me later.

[-] nlm@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

True!

It's not a horror game though. It's more of a creepy tension. And some bloody bits. Overall it's for the atmosphere you play it, you really get sucked into the mind of the protagonist.

[-] Plus_a_Grain_of_Salt@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

See, you get my worry. The tension's not bad, just a lot for the kids.

[-] nlm@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

Very true. :)

There's a bit of gore in there too, not much, but still.

[-] HowlsSophie@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

Oxenfree, A Night in the Woods, Afterparty, and Gris. Gris is a masterpiece when it comes to visuals but not story-heavy. The other three are entirely story.

[-] silent_g@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

Seconding Oxenfree. It's one of the few multi-choice/multi-ending games where I was completely content with the ending I got, and didn't feel like the game ever lied to me or ripped me off for choosing the "wrong" thing. I had stayed away from it for so long because I wasn't ready to deal with choice anxiety that I get in a lot of games of that type, but for whatever reason, the game never made me feel like that.

[-] HowlsSophie@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

Oh yes choice anxiety was definitely a thing. I think I felt that more with Afterparty and even played the game a second time to try to alter things but at the end of the day, I realized it's not that serious and simply enjoying the game made it a better experience.

[-] TheKracken@sopuli.xyz 1 points 1 year ago

Ori and the blind forest is a great platformer that is about 8-10 hours long.

Donut County is a fun little game that takes about 5 hours or less.

Axiom Verge (and 2) is a neat Metroid like game that is around 15 hrs.

[-] MrEUser@lemmy.ninja 1 points 1 year ago

I beat Myst in 19 hours of continuous game play without a guide or the internet. Best? Well, if you intend to beat it, it’ll take a lot of thinking through stories.

[-] patchymoose@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

I haven't played Myst since the 90s! Such a great game.

[-] orca@orcas.enjoying.yachts 1 points 1 year ago

Checkout Somerville. It has its quirks, but I loved it overall. If you’re familiar with the game Out of This World (often referred to as Another World and vice versa), you’ll probably dig it.

Another one I recommend is Planet of Lana. Lovely little story and easy gameplay. This one really grabbed me and was an enjoyable, short playthrough.

I went through a similar period. Played a handful of easy-to-pick-up short adventure games.

[-] EmDash@beehaw.org 0 points 1 year ago

Limbo and Inside are both short and atmospheric, but not story heavy at all.

[-] jeanofthedead@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

Oof, I would tend to disagree. Those stories are dark (despite being unexplained) and have stuck with me for years.

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this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2023
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