The criteria for this is very simple, all of these games can be completed in three hours or under (without using exploits etc). The reason for this? Well I find that sometimes, often in fact, that people just don’t have time to play a longer game. So I thought I’d show some of the shorter ones some love!
Donut County
Developer: Ben Esposito
Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
Rrp: £9.38 (Humblebundle) £10.29 (Gog.com, Steam and Epic)
Released: 28th August 2018
This game was some stupid fun. It works like Katamari Damacy except in reverse, you control a hole that gets bigger as you swallow more items. It’s that simple. There is a storyline to follow which is incredibly silly but I loved it and grew to enjoy the character interactions between each of the levels.
It’s only a short game being about two hours and while I enjoyed it I can’t say that I think its worth the nine or ten pounds being asked for it. I paid only three pounds while it was on sale and I personally think that that is the right price for a game as short as this.
Social Justice Warriors
Developer: Nonadecimal Creative
Publisher: Nonadecimal Creative
Rrp: £5.79 (Steam) $7.99 (Itch.io)
Released: 12th May 2014
What to say about this game… well, I know it was intended to be a satirical game about the way people need to assign labels onto themselves. However, if I’m honest, while I understand that that was the developers intent, what it feels like to me is a joke specifically a well worn and very tired joke. The core of the joke is what if instead of being just a social justice warrior you could be a ranger, a rogue or a paladin?
I played through the game (it’s very short) and I’ll be honest I got bored after the first thirty minutes. Truly I don’t have much else to say on this game, it’s kind of… unremarkable.
Samorost
Developer: Amanita Design
Publisher: Amanita Design
Rrp: £free (Gog.com, Steam)
Released: 20th May 2021
Amanita games make some of my favorite point and click puzzle games, they’re always so… different. They have a different style to every other game in the genre, hell they have a different style to most any other game I can think of. The visuals are quite captivating with the developers using textures that I believe came from hi-resolution photographs of things like bark and moss.
This isn’t the original version but instead a remaster, the game originally came out in 2003. It seems that the remaster mostly just tidied up some of the music and sound effects.
In terms of length this game is very short, I think I completed it in just under twenty minutes but those twenty minutes were great, especially when you consider the game is free.
Vandals
Developer: Cosmographik, Novelab, ARTE, Ex Nihilo
Publisher: ARTE France
Rrp: £3.99 (Humblebundle and Steam) and $5.99 (Itch.io)
Released: 12th April 2018
I love the basic premise of this game, in that its being a strategic puzzle game where you avoid and distract the police so that you can get to the wall you want to graffiti upon. Once at the wall you get to create your work of art by literally drawing it and then when you’re done run away before the police can get you.
It’s essentially Lara Croft Go! (or Hitman Go!) but for street art. What I mean by that is that the both the police and yourself can only travel along set paths so you have to carefully plan your route ahead of time.
This isn’t the most challenging puzzle game but there aren’t that many that allow you to create your own piece of art.
Another Perspective
Developer: Shaun Spalding
Publisher: Shaun Spalding
Rrp: £2.59 (itch.io) or £4.79 (Steam)
Released: 9th August 2014
As puzzle platform games you really can do worse than this one and I honestly can’t bring to mind another in the genre that involved combining different realities. In fact the closest game I can think of that used a reality swapping mechanic was Quantum Conundrum but thats an FPP (first person puzzler).
Loved this game and it didn’t outstay its welcome, the story got a little dark at times but not all that much. Definitely worth the time if you want a quick puzzle game to play.
