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!
Shelter
Developer: Might and Delight
Publisher: Might and Delight
RRP: £6.99 (Steam), £7.59 (Gog.com) and £7.68 (Humblebundle)
Released: 29th August 2013
I always wondered what it was like to be a badger. I know that sounds like a weird thing to think about but it’s just been something that has always dwelt in my brain. Shelter gave me a look into their world.
It has to be said its a very stylised game aesthetically speaking, the whole game has a design that makes it look somewhat like it was created from cardboard. The music was also very well chosen playing what I would describe as light percussive jazz as your badger sett explore.
Looking after your cubs can be quite difficult, I always found I was desperately searching for the next meal and when that wasn’t on my mind keeping them safe from predators became my main concern. Honestly this game is so worth a look into!
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Typoman: Revised
Developer: Brainseed Factory
Publisher: Brainseed Factory
RRP: £7.99 (Steam)
Released: 15th August 2016
This is a platformer where you play as the literally word ‘hero’, like most platformers you work your way from left to right without dying too much. What makes this interesting is the word play, as in you literally play with words. Turn noxious gas into a life saving gasp by adding a p, or stop a trap going off by adding an s and it’ll be a strap instead.
Here’s the thing for me, even though I did enjoy the storyline I honestly had way more fun with the two mini-games that come with it, one of which is a word hunt where you get sixty seconds to find as many words as you can. The other is a bit more complex, in this one you are given a target word to spell and a series of letters. However those letters aren’t enough to spell the word you’ve been asked for. So you have to spell other words and use a mechanic that you learned in the storyline to turn that word into another word that is associated with it. You then take what letters you need to make the initial target word. I know it sounds complex but after a few tries you start to get into the swing of it.
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Tracks – The Train Set Game
Developer: Whoop Group
Publisher: Excalibur Games
RRP: £14.99 (Steam)
Released: 28th September 2017 (Early Access)
Have you ever played a game that’s just… nice? Something pleasant and relaxing to play? No real stake going on, no missions, just do what you want? That’s this game. I have to say I bloody love this game, it brings me to back to a time in my life I never knew I missed. Playing with Early Learning Center style wooden trains. You get to lay out the track (with nothing telling you you’re about to run out of resources since there are none) and you never run out of track. It can be a ludicrous as you want it to be, just so long as you train doesn’t collide with furniture.
It has to be said that this isn’t just a track laying simulation game, there’s also a part where you can pick up passengers and actually act like a functioning toy train. Even ride in it. But I’ll be honest here, I didn’t care for that bit. I just wanted to keep building tracks and watching the train go from in the drivers seat.
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Nex Machina
Developer: Housemarque
Publisher: Housemarque
RRP: £14.99 (Steam)
Released: 20th June 2017
I’m not good at bullet hell games, generally I try to avoid them because they just get me angry and stressed out, I just can’t reach that ‘zen’ state that some people do with them. However I did find myself enjoying the game quite a lot. Like all the games on this list its very short but it also has a lot of replayablity. Even though I finished the main campaign I found myself returning to this game over and over just to see if I could lower my completion time.
Its definitely not an ugly game, although its not like you’ll get much time to actually spend looking at the scenery and models. Its also got a real love for neon pink, which I’m kinda’ into.
My only real gripe with this game is the cost, I find the price of £14.99 for this game to be a bit too high, not for how long it lasts and what it provides.
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Small Radios Big Televisions
Developer: Fire Face Corporation
Publisher: Adult Swim Games
Rrp: £8.99 (Steam)
Released: 8th November 2016
A game published by Adult Swim and its a bit strange? I think the shock may just kill me. All joking aside though, games that Adult Swim has its hand in have a tendency to be rather odd, in a good way. They’re one of the few publishers where I find that pretty much everything they put out appeals to me in some way.
So what is this weird game? Well for all intents and purposes, I suppose its easiest to call it a point and click adventure. That is what you do for the most part, solve puzzles in the environment by find the right objects to use. Also you have to corrupt cassette tapes to find gems to open doors… did I mention this game was weird? I enjoyed it though, I can say that.
