Happy February 28th!
In honor of the shortest month of the year, I thought I’d make a fun, yet short, list of some games that, like February, are over too soon.
1. Fable – 12 hours
While it takes a bit longer to complete all the extra quests (about 20, or 30 if you’re a completionist), Fable is remarkably short for an RPG. However, with great characters, art, and a memorable story, Fable is like a great dessert that leaves you wanting more!
2. Little Big Planet 3 – 5 hours
Charming and fun, Little Big Planet 3 clocks in around five hours for a main story mission run, although that time in the creative wonderland is filled to the brim with fun and adventure, like a novella you weren’t expecting to like but then couldn’t put down.
3. Yoshi’s Story – 3 hours
Poor Yoshi seems to get the short end of the stick sometimes, doesn’t he? Although this games big bother, Yoshi’s Island, takes a whopping 10 hours to complete, this little snippet into Yoshi’s life is not unlike a firework – colorful, fun, and over too soon.
4. Flower – 3 hours
You are a flower petal, and you must float your way through treacherous environments to bring life back to a dying planet. With a main story of about three hours (and up to five if you are a completionist), Flower is like a refreshing breath of fresh air after being at work all day.
5. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes – 2 hours
With just about two hours of main story line, this is by far the shortest Metal Gear game ever released. The extra missions that unlock after you’ve finished the main mission can expand the game for up to 20 hours if you’re a completionist, but according to HowLongToBeat, the “main+extra” is about seven hours for the average player.
And as an aside, keep in mind that a game about being a flower petal is longer than the main story mission of a Metal Gear game… At any rate, I’d pose that this game was just a demo for the then-upcoming Phantom Pain, but it was released as a stand-alone game and so it makes this list, like a college student returning home to do laundry and side-stepping an invitation to stay for dinner. (How am I doing?)
What short games did I miss? What’s the shortest game you’ve ever played? Was there ever a game you played that you wished was shorter? Did I overdo it with the similes? Let me know in the comments!
Until next time, thanks for stopping by and I’ll –
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Rather appropriately, Transformers Devastation was about 7 or 8 hours and I say appropriately because I completed it in February.
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Always nice when things like that work out! Was it fun?
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Yeah it was. Was always a fan of transformers as a kid and Devastation actually looks like generation 1. Was fun playing a Sideswipe
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Top game too. Played it through in one mammoth session and loved it.
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Yeah. Who was your character of choice?
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I went with Wheeljack, not sure why but I found his move set worked well for me.
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Cool stuff. I thought I would enjoy grimlock more than I did
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Grimlock was very hard to use considering the speed of the game. Whilst the game was short, there was some good content beyond the campaign.
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Yeah. I enjoyed sideswipe for speed. Loved his melee and got good at sniping
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Bucket Detective just came out, so it’s at the forefront of my thoughts, but you can achieve every ending (there are five) in about two hours’ time, with an initial full-length play through only lasting about 30-45 minutes. It’s from the developers of The Static Speaks My Name, so the focus is on creating a disturbing atmosphere and telling a horrifying story instead of complex mechanics and strategies.
Any Call of Duty game (at least those since the first Modern Warfare) can be beaten in a weekend, just one day if you really stick to it. The focus of those is on multiplayer, but if you want a short roller coaster ride experience, they’re worth a bargain bin purchase.
My top choice for a game that is too long has got to be Halo. About a quarter of the game is literal backtracking, and each level feels artificially extended by firefights that take too long and what feels like miles of unoccupied space between objectives. I appreciate the tactics that such open environments welcome, but so much of the game felt like a chore that I wasn’t excited to see the end so much as I was relieved. Speaking of the end, nothing feels more like a punishment than that final Warthog run.
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I really liked The Static Speaks My Name, so I’ll have to check out Bucket Detective as well. And it’s certainly not a time sink! It must really pack a punch in that time, though.
I’ve heard CoD games are pretty short, excluding multiplayer. I don’t have an Xbox so I’ve never played Halo, but a few friends have said the same thing. That’s too bad when a game feels the need to pad itself with backtracking. You always need to know when the story is finished so you don’t waste your audience’s time!
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The backtracking wouldn’t have been half as bad if each level wasn’t so ridiculously long to begin with. It’s like the level designers were getting paid by the megabyte.
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Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons took me around four hours to complete, that includes me struggling with the simple puzzles like a complete idiot. Brilliant game though.
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I’ve heard nothing but good things about that game! It’s still on my to-play list, so I’m glad it’s a “shorter” one! And I hear you; I’ve definitely been in a situation where I can’t figure out a puzzle, only to finally get the answer and… oh that was all it was??
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I recently went through Abzu, since you mention Flower I think this is worth mentioning. It’s the right length, not too long, not too short, took about 3 1 hour sittings, and man it’s a pretty game
For a game I wish was shorter. Not sure if a lot of people would agree with me, I feel like the 2013 Tomb Raider could have been a bit shorter. I feel like I passed what I felt was a pretty kick ass climax, and the game much to my surprise is still going on. Now it feels like it’s dragging a bit.
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I’m with you on Tomb Raider, but its sequel is far worse. At least the first game kept me interested past what felt like the ending. I just stopped caring about what happened in Rise of the Tomb Raider and walked away from it.
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glad to know i’m not the only one!
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Oh Abzu… I only have a few more games until you’re the next one on my “pile”.. Another game that I haven’t really heard a bad thing about yet!
And 2013 Tomb Raider… When Lara Croft went from badass archaeologist to the most falling-down-iest intern ever… I’m glad it has some good parts at least!
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There are so many short, brilliant games on Steam and I’m often checking Howlingtobeat to find quick ones to have a go at from time to time.
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Such a great resource for the time-crunched gamer! One day I’ll get onto the Steam bandwagon 😉 Seems like I’m missing out on a bunch of really great game experiences.
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A $40 demo. That sounds about right. I’m sure, for Kojima, there’s some sort of statement in there.
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Yeah… I waited until the price came down, but still. They knew fans would pay for it…
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I’ve been wanting to play Flower forever. Maybe in the spring. That would be appropriate hehe. I know it’s by the same company that made fLOw, which I wasn’t too keen on and Journey, which I really like.
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I really liked Flower. The controls took some getting used to, but it was so satisfying and rewarding to see the Earth (spoiler free) bloom 🙂
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Were they better than fLOw? That was my main issue with that. I’m awful at direction and having to tilt the controller in a sort of mock 3D way was too much for my directionally challenged brain to handle lol.
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I liked Flower much more than Flow. Tilting the controller was still how you changed directions, but I never felt confused or overwhelmed. It does a good job of easing you in to the mechanics, I think!
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I think Journey may be the same, but I didn’t find it nearly as difficult/obnoxious in Journey. I think it has to do with how the games are oriented.
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Well if you have time to spare, give it a try! It’s a bit like flOw because you’re moving through air, which is sort of like moving through water (??), but I did think it was a little easier to get around.
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When I was a kid, I was so upset that Yoshi’s Story was only 6 stages long. It felt so short. Then I played numerous times with the other stages, and then got addicted to getting 30 melons in Time Trials. I think I must have spent over 30 hours with the game when all was said and done, haha! There are some short adventure games I’ve played, but they’re usually purposefully short, as if they were a movie. Some examples I can think of are Limbo and Bound, both of which clocked in at 2-3 hours. I don’t mind short games, as long as the experience is unique and the price is right. For instance, Flower and Journey are also amazing short games!
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It’s funny how short games can suck you in like that. I’ve definitely played journey for more than the average 3 hours, and ditto with flower. Limbo and Bound are other fantastic examples of short games that pack a punch in a small package. Quality over quantity anytime in my book!
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2 hours for MGS V? That’s unexpected… But yeah, I loved Fable! I did a good and evil playthrough. I discovered I like being the hero much better than the villain. I prefer the crowds cheering me on, rather than fleeing in terror, haha.
Great list!
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Thanks! Yeah, I blasted through Ground Zeroes in maybe 3 hours (I died a bit). And I get what you mean. When I played through inFamous during my “bad karma” run… it really wasn’t as fun, watching people run away in terror and the city slowly be destroyed…
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I’d recommend Inside, which I finished in one sitting last year. And Firewatch is pretty short as well. Both games made my best of 2016 list.
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