Interested to hear your thoughts. Some of our favorite games can be completed in about 2-3 hours (or maybe 4-5). I personally love these "one shot" games that can be played in one to two sessions. What is it about a great short game that makes it truly great? Does the game have to move briskly? If it has a story, how is it paced any differently than a longer game? How do gameplay elements have to progress to make the game feel truly satisfying?
Some examples of shorter games that I think really do a good job of compacting a great experience into a short amount of time:
VVVVVV
To the Moon
Portal
Limbo
I guess we can talk about older games as well, but I feel many older games that can be considered "short" really only become short after we've mastered them. The original Zelda, I can beat in under 5 hours probably, but that's really only because I know that game like the back of my hand.
Thoughts?
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