Top 5 games that can be beaten in one sitting

Games take up a lot of time. Anyone who has played a JRPG or a Bethesda game before can definitely vouch for that.

In order to beat some of these campaigns, it can take 10s of hours - and in some cases even 100s. In preparation for Fallout 4, which will assuredly be a 200+ hour game, I thought it would be a good idea to make a list of games on the shorter side of the spectrum.

What people consider to be a "short game" is relative depending on what type of games they usually play. Some people say that the Uncharted games are very short, but I find them to be the perfect length. Any longer and I would probably get fatigue from the nonstop action.

For this slideshow, we're talking about games that can be beaten in one sitting. To make this list, the game must have an enclosed experience, meaning that there is a story with a beginning, middle, and end. Most iOS or arcade games that can go on perpetually don't count. I have set the maximum time limit to beat the game at 5 hours.

1. Journey: 2 Hours

“Holy sh*t, this game is absolutely beautiful.”

That is usually the first reaction of anyone who plays Journey. The game starts out in the middle of the desert, with your character dressed completely in red robes.

As you move around, the only visual indicator of which direction you should be walking is a hazy mountain in the distance with a very bright light shining at the top of it. The whole purpose of the game is to reach the light at the top of the mountain. There is an obscure plot that I still don't completely understand, even after playing the game scores of times.

The true strength of this game lies in the simplicity of gameplay, the beautiful art style, and the underlying philosophical message. Behind this simple and seemingly innocuous game is a deep and profound meaning. The game itself lacks any clear story, but acts as a metaphor for life itself. You wake up completely clueless, find a goal to strive towards, find companionship, feel loss and fear- it reflects the literal “journey” of life. As creator Jenova Chen said:

“(...)our focus for Journey was to make the player feel small and to feel wonder, so when they run into each other in an online environment, rather than thinking about how am I supposed to use my gun on the other player, we wanted them to feel a connection to another player.”

2. Portal: 3 Hours

This is a game that most of us are probably very familiar with. Portal first came out on the The Orange Box, a package of games from Valve. As it was the only original IP out of the bunch, there were no existing expectations for this game. Of course, anything that Valve touches will automatically be at the top of most gamer's list.

Portal created what might be the best game mechanic that I have seen come from a first person shooter in last 10 years. The Portal gun allows you to create connecting portals from one place to another. This game starts in a laboratory where you are a test subject who's being used to experiment with the Portal Gun and how people are able to use it to get past puzzles.

Since this game story relies mostly on the communications with a female AI, called GLaDOS, the most interesting part of the game is the interaction and dialogue between the two characters - moreso than any plot points. Portal is literally fueled by personality, and has led to many memes over the years.

With the game's amazing level designs and creative use of the portal game, alongside the greatly written dialogue, this was one of the more memorable gaming experiences of my life.

3. Unfinished Swan- 3 Hours

“Make the world your canvas.”

This game took that saying a bit literally. You start this game in a completely blank, white space, with no markers or indications of where to go. Then you click the right trigger and you have yourself one of the most creative experiences in any game.

Every single game on this list has its own visual style, but this one felt truly special. It used its art style and a clever game mechanic to give people a chance to discover the world. With every single step into this blank, white world, you are unmarking something new: a pond, a tree, even a castle. It may not seem like much, but you can't help but stare at the beauty of it all, the contrast of black splatters in the infinite white.

Does Unfinished Swan rely on a gimmick? It does. But the word “gimmick” has carried an unnecessarily negative connotation since the motion control craze. Gimmicks are used as a way to entertain the player, but the drawback is that most of the time the entertainment value does not last long.

For a short game like Unfinished Swan which constantly tries to find new ways for us implement the paint ball mechanic, it always tries to rediscover itself and to continue to be entertaining. It succeeds for the vast majority of the game, with only brief moments of slow down.

4. Limbo- 4 Hours

This is one creepy game. It doesn't rely on jump scares or gore, just pure and simple atmosphere. You play as a little boy who lands in the middle of this very foggy, hazy forest, without any context or guidance. You are thrown in the middle of it all, and because you play as a child, there is an increased feeling of dread and vulnerability.

Limbo is a puzzle platformer, and the game designers didn't feel obligated to guide you through every small detail of the game. It allows you to figure the puzzles out, most of the time in high stress situations with spiders or monsters chasing after you. There is a desperation you feel as you try to rush through the of puzzles.

This game has a really clever design. Almost all horror games are either third person or first person perspective action games. It allows people to feel as though they themselves are being chased, but with the side scrolling perspective there is a certain detachment to the character. They used the fact that you play as a child and making you feel constantly rushed to circumvent this problem, and also make you feel uncomfortable. 

5. Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery: 4.5 Hours

This is the only mobile app on this list and the first iOS game I ever played that felt story driven - instead of some sort of 5 minute distraction. I actually sat down and played this game as if I was playing a console game. I went to a guiet corner of my house with my iPad and headphones, and played through this game in 3 or 4 hours.

Music is an important part of all games, but for a game like this, where there is very little action, the controls are point and click, and the story told in a very visual fashion, the music is vital. With disappointing, unmemorable music, it would have been impossible for this game to incite any emotion at all. Luckily, the music is amazing, and the game has one of the best soundtracks I have heard in years. It's able to mix hip hop, techno, and classical seamlessly, and somewhat hearkens back to the simple melodies from 8-bit or 16-bit eras. The melodies stick with you, to the point that you subconsciously start humming them without even noticing.

The story's actual story points were lost on me, but the structure of the plot copies the famous “Hero's Journey” format almost to a T. It follows the female warrior, Scythian, and her exploits as she finds ancient treasure, releases a great evil, etc. The story is the perfect stage to display the great music, and great old school style art.

The unique things about games is the variety of experiences that they can encompass. You can play Angry Birds for almost forever if you want, no story required, and still enjoy the experience.

Then there are games like Mass Effect: epic 30-40 hours experiences that you can just dive into and be completely engrossed into the story. But sometimes longer games can feel somewhat stilted. You can't finish them all at once, no matter how much you may want to. Eventually you have to force yourself to take a break and sleep or eat. So the experience is broken and spread out over at least a few days. 

Movies and TV shows have an advantage in that regard, and these shorter games allow you to have similar (though more interactive) experience.

What are some of your favorite short games? Let me know in the comments below!