Short games will always have a special place in my heart. Some of my favorite games of the past few years have been mammoths like Metaphor Refantazio and Elden Ring, but I've had just as many, if not more, powerful experiences with the likes of Before Your Eyes, which I featured in an earlier short games recommendation collection.
I love gaming, obviously; I wouldn't be doing this job if I didn't. But I also love complete experiences, and it's not always realistic to plow through every 100-plus-hour RPG or open-world extravaganza on an adult schedule. Even worse is the industry's obsession with stretching games to their breaking point, an obsession that so often leads to great games getting watered down with copy-paste content and filler. For something more digestible and focused, read on.
Trek to Yomi
What a painfully underrated game. Trek to Yomi was devised in the vein of classic samurai films by the likes of Akira Kurosawa, its grainy, black-and-white presentation serving as a clear homage to these Japanese cultural staples. Unsurprisingly, this makes Trek to Yomi more of an audiovisual experience than a robust combat sandbox; the game's mechanics are rather straightforward and bland, though definitely serviceable. And with such a short campaign, such shortcomings aren't too big a deal.
How long to beat Trek to Yomi
- Main story: 5 hours
- 100%: 12.5 hours
Trek to Yomi
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 72 /100 Critics Rec: 52%
- Released
- May 5, 2022
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Flying Wild Hog
- Publisher(s)
- Devolver Digital
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Trek to Yomi
- Genre(s)
- Action
Rollerdrome
Now here's a game that's hard to complain about: Rollerdrome is a fast-paced, stylish, and one-of-a-kind action-sports-game-hybrid that's impossible to put down. Set in a cheerful dystopian future, Rollerdrome tasks players with competing Tony Hawk-style challenges on rollerblades, in a variety of different levels. The catch is that these maps are littered with bloodthirsty, armed enemies, and the player must use their rollerblade-given mobility to avoid damage and take the foes out in spectacular fashion. It's a gleefully violent and simple premise, executed masterfully.
How long to beat Rollerdrome
- Main story: 4.5 hours
- 100%: 14 hours
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 80 /100 Critics Rec: 78%
- Released
- August 16, 2022
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Roll7
- Publisher(s)
- Private Division
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Unity
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
Solar Ash
From the studio that brought us Hyper Light Drifter comes Solar Ash, a radical departure from the retro, Zelda-inspired vibes of its predecessor. Like Rollerdrome, this is a game that excels through its movement mechanics, allowing players to skate ethereally through surreal landscapes littered with puzzles and platforming challenges. The campaign is dotted with epic boss fights too, which are more than a little reminiscent of Shadow of the Colossus—a welcome injection of diversity within a traversal-defined gameplay loop. Personally, I prefer this game to Hyper Light Drifter, so even if you bounced off that earlier release, Solar Ash is still more than worth a shot.
How long to beat Solar Ash
- Main story: 5.5 hours
- 100%: 9 hours
Solar Ash
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 77 /100 Critics Rec: 66%
- Released
- December 2, 2021
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language
- Developer(s)
- Heart Machine
- Publisher(s)
- Annapurna Interactive
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
Resident Evil 3 Remake
2020's remake of Resident Evil 3 is much better than many give it credit for. It's not as good as the Resident Evil 2 Remake, and it doesn't even come close to the fantastic Resident Evil 4 Remake, but it gets the job done just fine. Its characters and world are still as compelling as ever, its gunplay is solid, and its tone is an appropriate mix of scary and silly. Resident Evil 3's short runtime is actually something that its detractors hold against it, but if you're looking for something a little lighter, it will serve you just fine.
How long to beat Resident Evil 3 Remake
- Main story: 6 hours
- 100%: 20.5 hours
Resident Evil 3
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 79 /100 Critics Rec: 73%
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- RE Engine
- Genre(s)
- Horror
Cocoon
Cocoon is directed by the lead game designer for Limbo and Inside—two other fantastic lightweight games. But Cocoon ultimately doesn't have much in common with these earlier works, aside from a stunning, unique visual style: it's far more focused on its puzzle gameplay, with little to no platforming elements to speak of. It's also far less dour and depressing than Limbo and Inside, being much more about attaining a flow state of puzzle-solving than sinking deeper and deeper into profound, unnerving truths.
How long to beat Cocoon
- Main story: 5 hours
- 100%: 5.5 hours
Cocoon
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- September 29, 2023
- ESRB
- E For Everyone Due To Mild Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Geometric Interactive
- Publisher(s)
- Annapurna Interactive
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Unity
- Genre(s)
- Puzzle, Adventure