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Spoon

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"Short games thread" , posted Sat 3 Jan 17:32

Even though I have Witcher 3 on the horizon and Dragon Age: Inquisition getting recommendations from all kinds of opinions I value, MGSV on the horizon... I think it'd be good if we had a thread to discuss short and relatively short games.

I say this because I beat Transistor this evening, and it was a generally pleasant experience, in all its total linearity. The total time I clocked on the game was under 10 hours, and it kept up a brisk pace that didn't leave me bored.

Rules for games:
- games which can be played in small-ish chunks but nevertheless demand a lot of total time to complete don't count (so things like Tactics Ogre on PSP don't count)
- I'd draw the line arbitrarily at 10 hours or less, but it can be a bit more. I'm mainly thinking about experiences that can be finished in a few weekday evenings or a single weekend of evenings.
- I'm particularly interested in games which have a definable end. This is somewhat to the exclusion of competitive multiplayer games. I will admit I have put 15 hours in Pacman CE DX+, though.

Replies:

Maou

2727th Post

PSN: zonepharaoh
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"Re(1):Short games thread" , posted Sun 4 Jan 01:02:

This is...a good idea! The length (or maybe just the quality, if I'm being unkind) of modern RPGs might be one reason I don't play them anymore. But what immediately came to mind were experiential, short games, many of them from small teams.

Flower
A great way to spend five hours or so. Completionist options are available but entirely irrelevant to a tightly-knit world with a subtle but clearly-structured story. Nice to come back to.

Journey
Same deal. I think we "beat" this one in five hours, too, and I was similarly happy to have had that brief experience, even if I feel less of an urge to replay because the story was more concrete and less impressionistic.

Monaco
This one may be a surprise multiplayer "short game." Sure, you could play it forever, but the single or multiplayer story mode has a marvelous set of scenarios full of character and Metal Gear-like intrigue. It feels "done" when you finish them all, though of course you would want to play more.

Brothers: Tale of Two Sons
I just saw this last night and we didn't finish it, but I'd be surprised if it lasted more than 10 hours. Marvelously creative two-stick (two-arrow key) control of two sons trying to rescue their father, and a cohesive and interesting world to explore. Controls sort of like...

Wander and the Colossus
I feel like this works with the above in terms of fantastic, short games with purely optional and un-fun, unrewarding side-quests that nearly discourage you from playing above the allotted time. This might be my favorite game on PS2. Of course you've played it already.

Last Window
Like you, I don't actually have any idea if it's more than 10 hours. Wish Room wasn't, so! I'm game for the book club format in late spring.

人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は．．．

[this message was edited by Maou on Sun 4 Jan 08:49]

Mosquiton

2018th Post

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"Re(1):Short games thread" , posted Sun 4 Jan 08:09:

This one is really short, but I recommend Norrland by Cactus, now famous for Hotline Miami.

It's pretty interesting... you may, uh, really get into your character here.

Try it!

Edit: It's best not to watch the trailer first and go in totally blind.

PRO TIP: There was one place where I briefly got stuck... I'll just say I had to wait until it was safe to touch the ground. That's my advice to you. Otherwise, my only advice is to simply enjoy the great outdoors!

/ / /

[this message was edited by Mosquiton on Sun 4 Jan 08:11]

Ishmael

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"Re(2):Short games thread" , posted Mon 5 Jan 10:21

quote:
This one is really short, but I recommend Norrland by Cactus, now famous for Hotline Miami.

Thanks for the recommendation on that one. That was a very unpleasant game and I enjoyed it a great deal.

Loona

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Red Carpet Regular Member+

"Re(1):Short games thread" , posted Mon 5 Jan 22:45

I'm not sure if puzzle games count, but one of the discounts I once got got completing a badge on Steam brought Lyne's existence to my attention, and I'm glad it did. Everything about it, from design to sound effect just has this nice soothing effect to it.
On the other hand, as a puzzle game, there are many many screens to go though, and I think they may still be providing more, but they're usually bundled in groups of 20 or so, so you can treat that as an end (of a session).

I've also discovered and enjoyed Long Live the Queen, again on Steam - it has a bit more gameplay and stat management than most visual novels, and as with most visual novels, the more you play, the shorter the retries and replays get, so you can try many possible paths and endings through the whole thing within a number of hours once you've gone through its major moments.
One of the very few cases where I'll actually tolerate a pink-haired little girl as a protagonist, for what it's worth.

...!!

caiooa
20th Post

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New Customer

"Re(2):Short games thread" , posted Mon 5 Jan 23:28:

does kinetic novel/ visual novels conts? If yes, i would recomend those 2.
Phenomeno
Saya no Uta
You might even find them in youtube, but i find it less imersive as you don't control the flux of text directly

[this message was edited by caiooa on Mon 5 Jan 23:30]

Mosquiton

2018th Post

Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master

"Hey Toxico, you should play Norrland ." , posted Mon 12 Jan 12:19

quote:
This one is really short, but I recommend Norrland by Cactus, now famous for Hotline Miami.

Thanks for the recommendation on that one. That was a very unpleasant game and I enjoyed it a great deal.

You're welcome. It's definitely a bit... vulgar. But I was laughing out loud by the end of my own playthrough and I figured if people didn't like it they could simply quit playing.

You know, now that I think about it I feel that Toxico would get a kick out of this game... but I could be wrong.

Toxico, after hanging around this cafe for years, this is my personal game recommendation to you.

I also have one pro tip:

Spoiler (Highlight to view) -
Press the up key to interact with animals after blowing their heads off.

End of Spoiler

/ / /

Spoon

2765th Post

Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master

"Re(1):Hey Toxico, you should play Norrland ." , posted Mon 12 Jan 14:44

haha I remember playing Norrland while reading about Hotline Miami... Norrland is certainly an experience!

Kentucky Route Zero isn't finished yet, but for the 3 Chapters of it that are out, each can be cleared in about an hour and it's kind of the opposite of Norrland in terms of tone. Both have a sense of being in some kind of limbo, but where Norrland is depraved and wild and nihilistic, KRZ is wistful and warm. KRZ is like a long, American, interactive version of an episode of some Hitoshi Ashinano work.

Maese

758th Post

Red Carpet Regular Member+

"Re(2):Hey Toxico, you should play Norrland ." , posted Tue 13 Jan 12:53

quote:
...KRZ is wistful and warm. KRZ is like a long, American, interactive version of an episode of some Hitoshi Ashinano work.

Now, you have completely sold this game to me. I had managed to be, like, half a year without playing games at all, but everything I need now to be back on the habit again is fecthing myself a Steam account or something and looking for this baby. Sweeeet.