Six Short Indie Games You Can Finish in Under 4 Hours
Looking for a game that respects your time? Maybe one of these is your next favorite
“Replay value” has been the watchword in video games for years, and that term has often been applied exclusively to impenetrable games that take hundreds of hours to chew through. But recently, a sliver of the spotlight has landed on shorter games — self-contained narrative titles that can be finished in a single sitting. While dense games remain the norm, there is a newfound respect for these trimmer contenders.
For those of you who are pressed for time, here are six indies that can be comfortably finished in four hours or less. There are many more, of course, but this should give you some kind of entry point into the world of short games. If you would like to see more, leave a comment and I’ll pull a few more concise gems out of my collection.
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Figment 2: Creed Valley
Bedtime Digital’s music-themed action adventure game is one of the more visually and aurally distinctive games to hit the scene in the past few years. It’s an easygoing experience with some variety in the gameplay and some truly memorable moments. A typical player will be able to finish the game in 2–3 hours, a little longer if you want to find all the secrets.
Moonleap
Moonleap builds its puzzles around a simple yet innovative mechanic: Jumping affects the entire world, switching traps on and off and changing enemy behavior. It’s a more challenging game than its cartoony look may suggest, but most players should still be able to finish it in due course. Expect the journey to take 2–4 hours depending on player skill and completion level.
MiceGard
MiceGard is an RTS/action hybrid with a bit of Watership Down flavor. Built around a simple system that allows a player to command NPC units with just a few buttons, MiceGard offers a novel experience that’s easy to pick up and understand. A reasonably skilled player should be able to finish up the game in a little under 3 hours.
Red Tape
One of the smaller games in DreadXP’s library, Red Tape is a satirical horror game that reinvisions Dante’s hell as a nine-story office building. Taking on the role of a newly fallen angel, the player’s goal is to navigate the bureaucracy, solving tasks for various lost souls to clear a path to the boardroom. Expect to take around two hours to reach the end of the story.
Raven’s Hike
Jumpless platformers are an interesting niche, and Raven’s Hike is a particularly challenging one that requires both good timing and quick thinking. It’s a good choice for puzzle game fans who are fine with a faster game demanding a little bit of action. Raven’s Hike offers 2–4 hours of gameplay, depending on player skill and completion level.
Lulu’s Temple
Hearkening back to the age of 8-bit computers, Lulu’s Temple packs a lot of atmosphere and dread into its simple graphics and sound. The game’s visual design is built around light and darkness, with light also factoring into its puzzles. A player with some platformer experience should be able to wrap it up in a little under two hours.
