As the world slowly begins to return to normal, it means it's time to return to jobs, to honor social arrangements, and to, shudder, leave the house. Unfortunately, this means a lot less time to play video games.
Sometimes, it's nice to squeeze in a few hours and feel as though you've achieved something. This is easier said than done with long-haul games such as The Witcher and Final Fantasy, but thankfully there are plenty of games that will scratch the completionist itch for those finding themselves with less and less free time.
10 Doki Doki Literature Club
DDLC or Doki Doki Literature Club is a fantastic game for anyone who is into dating sims but is a little tired of the same old formula. Creator Dan Salvato of Project M fame places the player in the role of a high schooler, invited to join an extracurricular club by shy classmate Sayori. Not something that'd look too out of place in any dating sim, right?
Well, while the game begins in familiar territory, it starts to take a turn for the 'oh god what' toward the latter half. Without spoiling too much, this is definitely one to play with the lights off — a departure from the genre's clichés that you can finish in four hours, and it's free.
9 Doom (1993)
One of the most important games of all time for the FPS genre, Doom needs no further introduction. While it could be argued that every Doom game could be completed in one sitting, that entirely depends on the length of one's 'sitting' and one's Doom skills.
Regardless of your skill level, the original 1993 title will take around four hours to complete, making it a perfect game to knock out in a few hours before work or school.
8 Superhot
Superhot is an FPS that makes every move you pull off feel cool as heck. The player is dumped in a scarily sterile environment and made to defend themself against aggressive red dudes using whatever is lying around. Oh, and time doesn't move unless you do.
The game's main story can be completed in under three hours, and get this — the sequel is only a couple of hours longer. That means if you're someone who doesn't have a lot of free time but enjoys the heck out of completing games, Superhot is the series for you. It's super fun, too.
7 Hotline Miami
Ultraviolent vaporwave shooter Hotline Miami is another brilliant choice when you don't have a lot of time on your hands. Each level is short enough to even knock out on a coffee break and the entire game comes in at around five hours completion time.
Unfortunately for those lacking in spare time, the sequel's story can take around ten hours, though it's still definitely worth picking up, with many fans claiming it to be superior to the first. Whilst top-down shooters may not be everyone's cup of tea, the game is charming enough to break past anyone's genre prejudices, with the ability to be ultra-stealthy or go in all guns blazing being a major plus.
6 Little Nightmares (1 and 2!)
Little Nightmares and its sequel (technically prequel) are two truly interesting games — a fun crossover of platformer, puzzle, and horror. Unfortunately, the trailers don't do the 'horror' aspect justice, but once you're playing through them, guiding the cute characters through the Limbo-esque levels (another great yet short game), the horror becomes extremely evident. It's definitely more 'The Ring' than 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre,' but it's still very uncomfortable.
Little Nightmares 2 has been said to be an improvement on the first, fixing many of the issues of the previous installment (such as length), but both can be completed in under five hours each — perfect for the quiet few hours before bed.
5 MGS: Ground Zeroes
Ground Zeroes was definitely an interesting entry in the Metal Gear Solid series. Gameplay-wise, this was a stellar addition to the franchise, with many praising its replayability and meaningful stealth mechanics. But there was one big problem — uh, well, small problem, literally: the size of the game.
Despite how fun the title was, many claimed that the game was so short it felt more like a tech demo than a fully-fledged MGS title, as it only took a couple of hours to complete. Understandably, many were upset at having paid such a high price for such a short game ($30!), but now that the game can be picked up for a fraction of its original price, it is definitely worth grabbing for a fun dip into the MGS series.
4 Every Super Monkey Ball
If you're looking for a hard-hitting story-based game, then Super Monkey Ball is probably not for you. What the game does offer, however, is fast-paced controller-breakingly infuriating puzzle-races (?) where you control a cute ape in a gachapon.
As many derive pleasure from Super Monkey Ball by getting a higher score or completing a course faster than their pals, the game doesn't focus that heavily on a particularly dense 'story mode' as such. Because of this, the story modes available in every entry in the series can be completed in a couple of hours, making them a must-have for the busy-yet-keen gamer. A word of warning, though — the campaigns may be completed in a matter of hours, but the music will stay with you for weeks after completion.
3 Portal
Perhaps one of the most iconic games on this list, Portal ticks so many boxes: smooth gameplay, terrifying antagonist, tricky puzzles, incredible soundtrack, memes out the wazoo — the list goes on. What's surprising, then, is the fact that this game with so much going for it is so short.
The game can be completed in three hours (and speedran in under seven minutes) — each individual level, like Hotline Miami, can be done pretty quickly, so it's a great title to pick up and play even when you've only got half an hour free. Be sure to check out Portal 2, too, though the sequel is a little closer to eight hours than three.
2 The Stanley Parable
Do you only have a couple of hours to spare? You don't want to play anything too taxing because you're tired? Want something to cheer you up because work was miserable? No problem: Stanley Parable.
Whilst the idea of a 'walking simulator' may put many people off, what's so appealing is that the player has full control of the narrative. And the narration. That is to say, the entire game will be narrated and if the player decides to act in a way other than what is described, the narration itself will change, often pleading with you to follow the correct route. With a campaign only lasting an hour but containing over fifteen possible endings, the game is both doable in one sitting and incredibly replayable.
1 Undertale
Undertale, much like DDLC, looks rather cute on the outside. Delving further into it, however, reveals some rather dark themes. These are balanced out with a fantastic sense of humor which runs throughout the entire title. Undertale manages to make fun of RPG tropes without feeling like a parody and offers some truly tricky boss fights.
The game has three 'main' endings but over 10 slight variations of these. Each main ending will take approximately 4 to 6 hours to achieve, but there's only one you should follow, isn't there?