Although indie games are often grouped together, there are many features that differentiate them from each other, such as subgenre, tone, and length. While every indie game has something to offer, playing short indie games allows players to experience the breadth of the genre and appreciate its diversity without dedicating dozens of hours to each game.
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In addition to being an easy way to access the genre, indie games that can be played in one sitting can be considered an art form of their own since many have made names for themselves as being some of the most memorable, emotional, or enjoyable indie games around.
10Florence
At 25 years old, Florence Yeoh’s life has become routine. She wakes up for her office job, scrolls through social media on her commute, and listens to her mom complain about how she needs to find a boyfriend and settle down. Life has lost the colorful spark it once had in Florence’s childhood. Everything seems like it will stay the same forever until she meets a charming cellist named Krish.
In a matter of an hour,Florencefollows Florence’s relationship with Krish and how ithelps her growwhile reconnecting her with her childhood dreams. With its charming soundtrack and powerful storytelling,Florenceis an emotional and valuable play.
9Gorogoa
Gorogoaisa modern point-and-click puzzle gamethat follows a boy on his journey to gather fruit for a colorful and captivating creature he sees in the distance. To help the boy, players drag photographs on top of each other, sometimes using the smallest details to connect doorway to doorway or nature to nature.
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Although understanding how to combine its intricate drawings can take a moment to get used to,Gorogoa’sstory about progress, determination, and resilience can be completed in only a few hours.
8Donut County
Determined to earn a Quadcopter by collecting trash in holes,a raccoon named BKbegins sending trash holes to his friends’ homes instead of pastries when they order a donut from the town’s donut shop. As the holes swallow up his friends, their homes, and the rest of town, BK pushes onwards to get the drone he’s worked so hard to deserve.
In the aftermath of BK’s pursuits,Donut Countyshows how the raccoon plans to apologize for his actions using the same tool that caused it.Donut Countywraps up in about two hours, making the light-hearted indie game a short but sweet play, almost like a donut.
7Oxenfree
Oxenfreefollows a night gone wrong on an otherwise abandoned military island after Alex and her friends open a mysterious rift using their radio. As supernatural events bring the past to light,Alex’s actions and wordsdetermine how their efforts to return home will change the course of their lives.
Each playthrough ofOxenfreelasts about four or five hours, but the short supernatural thriller encourages players to revisit the island to uncover its most intriguing secrets and lead them toward other exciting and memorable endings.
6What Remains Of Edith Finch
InWhat Remains of Edith Finch,Edith Finch returns to her childhood home to process the loss of her last living relative and reflect on why her family seems cursed to die particularly unfortunate deaths. As she visits the bedrooms where her aunts, uncles, and siblings once lived, Edith seems to reexperience the moments leading up to their deaths from their own eyes.
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Althoughthe walking simulatortakes only a few hours to play, the story inWhat Remains of Edith Finchspans generations, making it a complex and emotional play that players can continue to unpack after completing.
5Papers, Please
In the political simulatorPapers, Please,players act as an immigration officer for the communist country of Arstotzka, checking to make sure that incoming guests have passports or the appropriate visas. However, as tensions rise with the neighboring nations, more visitors seeking asylum and organizations with their own agendas attempt to bribe the officer into welcoming them to the country.
Although choosing between following the rules and helping the desperate can seem like an easy choice from the outside, the officer must also care for their family and often has to choose between food, rent, and heat to survive.Papers, Pleasefeatures 20 endings based on the officer’s choices, with most playthroughs lasting a few hours.
4The Stanley Parable
At a large company, Stanley has a simple job following orders. However, one day, the orders stop and his co-works are gone. The only thing left isa seemingly trustworthy voiceprompting him to explore his workplace and decide what comes next.
Whether Stanley listens to the unforgettable narrator or ignores its directions, playthroughs ofThe Stanley Parablecan take as little as a few minutes or as long as four hours. While the original version of the game features 19 endings, its deluxe remake adds an additional 24, making each play ofThe Stanley Parableone to remember.
3Limbo & Inside
Playdead’s puzzle platformers,LimboandInside, are each eerie masterpieces in their own right. However, since bothuse environmental storytellingto share a young boy’s blind journey toward a more hopeful future, it would be difficult to acknowledge the success and importance of one without mentioning the other.
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Limboprimarily focuses on the physical dangers of the world, like giant spiders, toxic gas, and humanity, whileInsidetells a story about surveillance, control, and individuality. Still, whether players prefer one game over the other, both captivating games take around four hours to complete and are well worth playing.
2Undertale
Undertaleis one of the most well-known indie games of all time. It tells the story of a young human who falls underground, only to realize that the new world before them is home to all kinds of monsters. As they look for a way back home, the human decides what kind of person they want to become and, most importantly, whether that meansembodying mercy or violence.
BetweenUndertale’svarious endings, memorable characters, and poignant lines, it’s hard to believe that the game could be completed in one sitting, but playing through a single route takes many players about six hours.
1Journey
InJourney,a cloaked traveler begins making their way toward a distant mountain, driven only by a sense of connection, beauty, and purpose in an otherwise ruin-filled world. As they navigate the remains of a fallen society, they accept hardships with a sense of curiosity to better appreciate how much knowledge, adventure, and joy the world still has to offer, knowing their efforts are meaningful.
With its charming story, evocative soundtrack, and exquisite design,Journeyhas captivated playersfor over a decade,making the two-hour game one of the most memorable and influential short indie games in the world.
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