Skip to playerSkip to main content
  • 8 hours ago
In recent years, we've been treated to a host of wonderful indie games that offer up memorable experiences without demanding too much of your time. From spooky experiences like Man of Medan to relaxing gems and immersive narrative adventures like Stray, you're sure to find something here for you in our round up of the best short games.
Transcript
00:03This list is for anyone looking for something you can pick up and play without having to invest lots
00:08of time. In recent years we've been treated to a host of wonderful indie games that offer up
00:13memorable experiences, from spooky experiences to relaxing gems and immersive narrative adventures
00:19and of course the game with a cat. You're sure to find something here for you in our roundup
00:24of six games you can finish in six hours or less. Man of Medan is a cinematic choose-your-own
00:32-adventure
00:33style horror story from Supermassive Games, the makers of Until Dawn, that takes around five hours
00:38to complete. This is the first episode in an ongoing anthology horror series from Supermassive.
00:44Man of Medan is plickest interactive scarefest on now, coming in between four and six hours
00:50depending on how many of your characters survive till the end.
00:57The best part is its novel rather brilliant cooperative play online or locally with friends
01:03who can be responsible for different characters seafaring horror fest. It can take a while to get
01:08going in the early hours but Man of Medan is easily a stellar choice for any party, not least because
01:14of how quickly it can be beaten. Stray is a third-person cat adventure game. I know,
01:23might as well start that download now right? But in case you need any more convincing, you control a
01:29stray cat who falls into a world populated by robots and must explore and solve puzzles to return to his
01:36family. Which should take you around six hours. Regardless of whether you're a cat lover or just fancy
01:42a brilliant little platformer to sink into, then Stray is an excellent romp. Yes, it does help if
01:48you're a cat lover because it's so beautifully animated and captures the cat's personality so
01:53perfectly, but there's also so much more to love here. Between the alluring, semi-post-apocalyptic
01:58story, the dense atmospheric world and the cast of quirky characters that inhabit it, Blue 12 Studios
02:05has created a fantastic experience. What Remains of Edith Finch is an interactive walking sim about
02:13the history of a cursed family living in the woods. Lasting roughly three hours, it presents an emotional
02:19range and depth that's richer and more affecting than dozens of other, much longer games that released
02:25in 2017. Developer Giant Sparrow has crafted a series of bite-sized vignettes, akin to an anthology of
02:31short stories. But while each tale differs in gameplay variety, all share a bittersweet fondness
02:37for childhood, family and friendship that tugs at the heartstrings and tear ducts in ways you won't
02:43be expecting. Set aside a cold rainy evening by the fire for this one. This split-screen co-op game
02:52has
02:52to be played with another human being, either locally or online. A Way Out is by far the longest game
02:59on this
02:59list, taking an average of six hours to complete its story. But the extended evening binge is well
03:05worth the journey with a friend. Enjoyed together right next to each other on the same couch,
03:09or through the wonders of the internet. Created by Brothers A Tale of Two Sons, Joseph Farras,
03:14A Way Out is a co-op game like no other, maintaining and experimenting with the split-screen format
03:20that is usually deployed as nothing more than a necessary evil to accommodate local multiplayer.
03:25Two players will take the roles of Vincent and Leo, a pair of convicts on a high-stakes prison break,
03:31and your subsequent escape is essentially made up of a diverse series of mini-games,
03:35all of which revolve around tight co-op mechanics. It's a unique, well-crafted experience with a
03:41surprisingly engaging story at its heart. Just make sure the person you're playing with is one you
03:46don't mind spending six consecutive hours alongside. Journey is a therapeutic odyssey set across a
03:54glistening desert landscape. Completely wordless, deliberately cryptic, and nay a hint of user
04:00interface in sight. Journey is just two hours long, but its legacy will last a lifetime. The story seems
04:07like nothing more than vague symbolism at first, but developer That Game Company communicates its
04:13message through a bespoke set of gameplay languages and rhythms that elevates Journey's narrative into
04:18something much greater, almost indescribable in its experimental impact. It's also one of the few
04:24multiplayer games to feel truly seamless in its interactions with other players. And you'll still
04:29find fellow strangers making the same treacherous odyssey online to this day. There are hundreds of
04:35theories and analytical think pieces as to what it all means, but at its core, Journey is exactly what it
04:41says. It's an expedition from point A to point B that all of us can relate to.
04:49Firewatch is our final game on this list and is a story-focused first-person adventure where you play
04:55as a newly recruited park ranger running from a troubled past. Developer Campo Santo condenses the
05:02events of several months into a four-hour, lightly interactive adventure set in the Wyoming wilderness.
05:08The results are as good as you'd expect from a story penned by the lead writer of Telltale's The
05:13Walking Dead. With award-winning central performances from its two leads, Rick Sommer and Sissy Jones,
05:19Firewatch uses Ollie Moss's striking deception of rural America as a backdrop for its meditation on
05:25ageing and remorse. There's more uplifting moments in there too, and Campo Santo's knack for the written
05:31word creates some genuinely amusing moments. Plus, you can pick up a turtle, so what's not to like?
05:38Some will say Firewatch's story is a little on the disappointing side, deliberately undercutting
05:43its central mystery with something much less exciting than it makes out to be. But you'll
05:48have been glad to have embarked on this brief getaway to the country either way.
05:59What's your favourite game to finish in an afternoon? Let us know in the comments below,
06:02and hit that subscribe button so you never miss another video. See you in the next one.
Comments

Recommended