Sometimes All You Want Is a Short Game

As someone who isn't afraid to commit to longer RPGs, every now and then, you just can't beat a short adventure.

I won't pretend that a three-hour review game isn't more appealing than a thirty-hour one as a critic, though I don't say this purely from a professional standpoint. Sometimes you only want something as long as a movie that's beatable in one sitting without this becoming a hefty commitment, and these experiences can come in many flavours.

For context, let's set the parameter here as games that can be beaten in an evening, so four hours at most. Florence, Before I Forget, Miniatures, A Short Hike, Time Flies, What Comes After, Journey, Frog Detective, Donut County, Unpacking, Sayonara Wild Hearts, Abzû, Before Your Eyes, Gris, Limbo, Superhot… just a few games. Let's not forget the ones we've recently covered on Rewinder, either: Duck Detective, Dear Me, I Was…, plus and Roger.

There are times when I may criticise a game for being too short, a feeling that's completely subjective and wildly varies between each game I play. For me, many of the listed games above don't try to be anything especially grand. And yet, they still achieve some magnificent things in a small space of time.

Duck Detective, Frog Detective and Donut County left their marks because they're incredibly funny, not to mention better experienced with friends. I cried hard upon finishing Before I Forget, that one hour experience became one of my top games of 2021. Sayonara Wild Hearts sticks with me because of its powerful soundtrack, GRIS for its stunning presentation and strong exploration of grief, Superhot is just very satisfying, I could go on.

I won't go into the full woes of the media industry here, but one of the reasons I co-founded Rewinder is so I can better cover these games. I used to love visiting W.A.S.D. before that event shut down to write about newly discovered indies (to me at least) for Eurogamer and UploadVR. They can deliver some refreshing creativity, a welcome change of pace, and I'll always keep coming back for more.