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.
Category
🎮️
GamingTranscript
00:00This list is for anyone looking for something you can pick up and play without having to
00:07invest lots of time.
00:09In 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.
00:22You're sure to find something here for you in our roundup of six games you can finish
00:26in six hours or less.
00:30Man of Medan is a cinematic, choose-your-own-adventure style horror story from Supermassive Games,
00:35the makers of Until Dawn, that takes around five hours to complete.
00:40This is the first episode in an ongoing anthology horror series from Supermassive.
00:45Man of Medan is pliquist interactive scare fest on now, coming in between four and six
00:50hours depending on how many of your characters survive till the end.
00:58The best part is its novel, rather brilliant co-operative play online or locally with friends
01:03whom can be responsible for different characters e-faring horror fest.
01:08It can take a while to get going in the early hours, but Man of Medan is easily a stellar
01:12choice for any party.
01:14Not least because of how quickly it can be beaten.
01:20Stray is a third-person cat adventure game.
01:23I know, might as well start that download now, right?
01:26But in case you need any more convincing, you control a stray cat who falls into a world
01:31populated by robots and must explore and solve puzzles to return to his family, which should
01:37take you around six hours.
01:39Regardless of whether you're a cat lover or just fancy a brilliant little platformer
01:43to sink into, then Stray is an excellent romp.
01:47Yes, it does help if you're a cat lover because it's so beautifully animated and
01:51captures the cat's personality so perfectly, but there's also so much more to love here.
01:56Between the alluring semi-post-apocalyptic story, the dense atmospheric world and the
02:01cast of quirky characters that inhabit it, Blue 12 Studios has created a fantastic experience.
02:10What Remains of Edith Finch is an interactive walking sim about the history of a cursed
02:14family living in the woods.
02:17Lasting roughly three hours, it presents an emotional range and depth that's richer
02:20and more affecting than dozens of other, much longer games that released in 2017.
02:27Developer Giant Sparrow has crafted a series of bite-sized vignettes akin to an anthology
02:31of short stories, but while each tale differs in gameplay variety, all share a bittersweet
02:37fondness for childhood, family and friendship that tugs at the heartstrings and tear ducts
02:42in ways you won't be expecting.
02:45Set aside a cold, rainy evening by the fire for this one.
02:51This split-screen co-op game has to be played with another human being, either locally or
02:55online.
02:57A Way Out is by far the longest game on this list, taking an average of six hours to complete
03:01its story, but the extended evening binge is well worth the journey with a friend.
03:07Enjoyed together right next to each other on the same couch, or through the wonders
03:10of the internet.
03:12Created by brothers A Tale of Two Sons, Joseph Farras, A Way Out is a co-op game like no
03:16other, maintaining and experimenting with the split-screen format that is usually deployed
03:21as 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
03:30prison break, and your subsequent escape is essentially made up of a diverse series of
03:35mini-games, all of which revolve around tight co-op mechanics.
03:39It's a unique, well-crafted experience with a surprisingly engaging story at its heart.
03:44Just make sure the person you're playing with is one you don't mind spending six consecutive
03:48hours alongside.
03:52Journey is a therapeutic odyssey set across a glistening desert landscape.
03:57Completely wordless, deliberately cryptic, and nay a hint of user interface in sight.
04:02Journey is just two hours long, but its legacy will last a lifetime.
04:07The story seems like nothing more than vague symbolism at first, but developer That Game
04:11Company communicates its message through a bespoke set of gameplay languages and rhythms
04:16that elevates Journey's narrative into something much greater, almost indescribable in its
04:21experimental impact.
04:23It's also one of the few multiplayer games to feel truly seamless in its interactions
04:27with other players.
04:29And you'll still find fellow strangers making the same treacherous odyssey online to this
04:33day.
04:34There are hundreds of theories and analytical thinkpieces as to what it all means, but at
04:39its core, Journey is exactly what it says.
04:42It's an expedition from point A to point B that all of us can relate to.
04:50Firewatch is our final game on this list, and is a story-focused first-person adventure
04:55where you play as a newly recruited park ranger running from a troubled past.
05:00Developer Campo Santo condenses the events of several months into a four-hour, lightly
05:05interactive 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
05:12Telltale's The Walking Dead.
05:14With award-winning central performances from its two leads, Rick Sommer and Sissy Jones,
05:19Firewatch uses Olly Moss' striking deception of rural America as a backdrop for its meditation
05:25on ageing and remorse.
05:27There's more uplifting moments in there too, and Campo Santo's knack for the written
05:31word creates some genuinely amusing moments.
05:34Plus, you can pick up a turtle, so what's not to like?
05:39Some 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.
05:48But you'll have been glad to have embarked on this brief getaway to the country either way.
05:52You're not in your tower?
05:54No, I'm not.
05:55Then who is?
05:59What's your favourite game to finish in an afternoon?
06:01Let us know in the comments below and hit that subscribe button so you never miss another video.
06:06See you in the next one.