I’ve had a great time playing some of the ‘smaller’ games lately: Dredge (adore this game so much), Dave the Diver, Cloudpunk, Stray, Octopath II, Observer.
What else would I like? That aren’t roguelikes or crafting-building games (don’t hate me, I tried to love Subnautica…as a diver I should love it, but the genre just isn’t for me!).
Would love any suggestions!
Outerwilds is a beautiful game and quite short, try to go in as blind as possible. It’s space archaeology.
Gris is an art game that’s about 3hrs long. Very pretty, very zen.
Into the breach, is a puzzle game (chess vibes) where you are time travellers saving the world from insect aliens. has a long time to beat, but play sessions are fairly short. I think it’s a great game for when you are taking short breaks between something else. it might be a tad too on the roguelike side for you, but it’s primarily about solving puzzles.
Carrion is a puzzle-horror game that took me about 5hrs to beat, it’s extremely satisfying
Nauticrawl is a very esoteric game, you pilot a sub at the bottom of the ocean and have to learn from scratch how to pilot it. If you like doing stuff with no instructions you’ll enjoy it.
Not for broadcast is a shortish (~20hrs) game where you control a live action broadcast and get points for how well you do cuts… or censor people
Superliminal is a 3hr puzzle game that plays with size and perspective.
I LOVE NOT FOR BROADCAST! I was there when it was just episode one. I really need to finish it but I haven’t found the time
Second Gris. Makes a big impact for a small game.
Please consider WanderSong. It’s a small game and was made with so much love. Games can have a huge variety of plots and environments. But the vast majority of games, regardless of what they are about, are actually about victory. You’re a space dwarf mining for minerals, but the game is all about mastery and winning. You’re a dragon-kin with magic shouts, but every quest is about achieving a victory over a challenge. And so on.
I would say that WanderSong is not a game about victory. It’s a game about happiness. The character, the mechanics, the plot, the environments; they all serve first to explore the meaning of happiness. There’s nothing else quite like it. You can find it here.
Just want to emphasize how wonderful of a game Wandersong is. Nothing in your list makes me point and go “if they liked X, they’ll like Wandersong”, but it’s just a really good smaller-y game. Heavily story driven, with a little bit of puzzle-platforming. I have 10.4 hours of playtime in it on Steam, so including some AFK time and some post-game fucking about, it’s probably a 6-8 hour play.
Wandersong is firmly in my “recommend to anyone” Steam list.
A short Hike: It’s a pretty short relaxing game. Low stake, no stress.
Chained Echoes: I don’t know how long Octopath 2 is, I only finished the first game, but since you mentioned it you may like this one. It’s a turn based rpg, but there is basically no grind. Your party is fully heal between each fights. It’s quite respectful of a player’s time in that way.
I knew that I was going to enjoy A Short Hike before I played it. What I didn’t expect was how much I enjoyed it. There’s so much more there than I anticipated and some of it is really lovely.
A Short Hike only took me around two hours to finish but those were some of the finest two hours I’ve experienced.
This might not be exactly what you’re looking for (as it can be a little rogue-like), but it’s a game that when I looked for similar things, led me to Dredge: Sunless Sea
You’re a ship captain trying to survive in Victorian era London, after London was stolen by bats and taken to the shores of the Unterzee, an underground sea filled with some very strange creatures, people and locations. This means exploring and finding new trade routes or ways to survive while uncovering the stories of the islands you find, those of your crew, and the larger world.
There’s a sequel, Sunless Skies, where you command a space going train exploring the heavens. It’s a bit easier and has some good quality of life improvements, but I prefer the setting of Seas.
Creeper World 4 is fun and not terribly long. It is basically a tower defense game, but instead of guarding a set path toy build towers to defend against, then push back, physics simulator liquid that kills whatever it touches.
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, you play a small group of ninjas (and a samurai) in a top down stealth game. Takes place in feudal Japan and you assassinate your way through the plot.
Superhot. FPS with a weird plot about VR and a rogue computer program. The gimmick is if you stop moving, time stops around you (almost), allowing you to slow down and plan.
Lastly and is a game called Soccer Kids Alpha. It is literally the alpha version of the game so it is SUPER short. It is a turn based soccer game, but without the grid based system that some other games use. The alpha is great and we’ll worth the very short time it takes to finish
Steamworld games?
I haven’t beat all of them but Dig 1 and 2 are definitely way shorter than I wanted (I’d pay full price for an endless mode DLC lol).
Except Hades, Supergiant games aren’t super long. Bastion and Transistor are decent, and Pyre might be a little longer but is pretty unique.
I’m interpreting your list of games as semi-casual with a strong unique flavor. The messenger is a little harder than the others but still not super long.
I tried Hades! I loved the art and the world, but the idea of progressing only a little each time and dying (often) was a turn off to me.
The world they made though? Amazing! Thanks for these suggestions, I’ll check them all out!
I really enjoyed playing Hades, but I just didn’t have the skills or patience to progress at the pace I wanted. So (after realizing that being prideful about difficulty settings in my hobbies that i do to have fun is a dumb way to live), I turned on God Mode. You get extra stacks of damage resistance every time you die, capping at like 80% or something, and you can turn it on and off as needed. After that, I was having so much more fun, and the rate of progression was much better for me. I felt like I was finally playing the game that everyone else was loving so much.
hypnospace outlaw is a great puzzle game with some excellent world building. it literally feels just like old internet days. and the music is fantastic “ready to shave” is a legit amazing song, even if its a prog parody about a man shaving
I’d like to recommend Pentiment. Narrative-driven game set in the Middle Ages, or rather at the end of the Middle Ages. It has an interesting story and according to some historians it’s historically accurate. I loved the story, the setting, the art…
Watch a review or something and give it a try if you find it of your liking.
Since you named Octopath Travellers 2, I’ll recommend Cosmic Star Heroine. It’s an old school turn-based indie JRPG that’s charming, fun and short. As a matter of fact all games by Zeboyd fit that description.
If you don’t mind some puzzle solving and the fact it’s a point and click adventure game, there is Beyond The Edge of Owlsgard. It can be completed in a couple hours if you have played it before, but took me so much longer since I had no prior experience.
There is also Brok the Investigator, which is a choice based game where your actions lead to one of something like 6 different endings before, supposedly, getting the cannon ending or something along those lines.
I loved Killer Frequency! I made a post talking about it.
I would highly recommend A Story About My Uncle. It took me about 6 hours to get all the things and do the whole story. It’s a somewhat challenging first-person platfomer. Basic setup for the story is your Uncle is an inventor and adventurer. He disappeared and you find a note and a device in his attic, the device teleports you to a different world/dimension, and you make friends and find adventure along the way.
Haven’t played observer, but the aesthetic and horror aspect remind me of SOMA.
If you want something more action focused with a cyberpunk aesthetic, I can’t recommend Distance enough. (If you need a pitch: racing game with horror and your car can fly). I also just started playing Severed Steel and I’m enjoying it a lot so far.
I will also concur with the other person who recommended Outer Wilds. Don’t look up anything about it, go in as blind as possible, and try to see it through to the end. You will not regret it.
I wanted to love Soma, I tried playing twice now. I live for the ocean, so this should be right up my alley. But to be fair I never passed the apartment at the start.
I reaaaaally should stick with it and try again. Thanks for reminding me of my shame!
Observation is one I really enjoyed. Mild puzzling, tension but not really the sort that kills you, and a fun, mind-bending story. Also the title track is just amazing.
