4 great games you can finish in one sitting

There's something romantic, aspirational even, about the intention of starting and finishing a game in one sitting. Short games feel like they're being respectful of the other things I want to do — but less play time doesn't have to mean less fulfillment. Some of my favorite games wrap up within an hour or less and still leave me in a puddle of tears. Others are bizarre romps that remind me not to take video games too seriously.

The best part about short games, though, is that they're often really affordable and sometimes even free. These titles don't overstay their welcome, and it's nice to know they won't max out your computer storage either.

Egg

Where to play: Itch.io (browser, Mac, Linux, Windows)

This surprise drop from Terry Cavanagh, maker of titles like Dicey Dungeons and VVVVVV, is as weird as you'd expect from a postmodernist game developer. You play as an egg, hop-stepping along a cliff toward... something. You don't really know what. Soon enough, you're a splat on the ground. Soon after that, you're back in your carton, hopping out so you can try again.

It's a compelling platformer to boot, which makes you think about what it even means to play a character that looks like a human and not like an egg. Is the 64-bit illustration of an egg any closer to being a human than a 64-bit illustration of a human? Why do we implicitly understand egg physics even when they don't work like regular physics? And why does it feel so good to charge up a "big jump"? Cavanagh puts these questions in your mind and answers none of them in what is altogether a delightful browser-compatible game you can crush in a few hours. And the whole thing is scored with original music, because of course it is.

Peggy's Post

Where to play: Itch.io (browser, Mac, Windows)

Peggy's Post, the latest from Digitarium, is still in active development — but for my money, it's a blast as-is. You play as a mail sorter in some version of Canada, sending packages off to their final destinations like Tronno or New Simcoe. It's satisfying and cozy, with pixel illustrations for the stamps that make it all the more fun to organize your desk area before you start sending packages. But the game isn't necessarily easy, whether you're playing the 7-day de facto tutorial — which takes about an hour the first time you play — or you're playing in endless mode.

Six Cats Under

Where to play: Itch.io (browser, Linux, Mac, Windows)

Instead losing the game when you die, in Six Cats Under the game starts when you die. You're a poltergeist, recently squished by your bookshelf (install bookshelf supports, people!!), and left to get your affairs in order while still being an apparition. But cats don't care why the yarn fell to the floor, ghost or not, which means you can manipulate the cats to help you out by getting their attention or distracting them.

Just because it's a quick game doesn't mean it's an easy one, though — I still have yet to roll credits on this one. But it's free to play in my browser, so why not give it another go while I wait for my coffee to reheat?

What Comes After

Where to play: Itch.io (Mac, Windows), Nintendo Switch, Steam (Mac, Windows)

I didn't really know what What Comes After was when I picked it up on sale for a dollar or two, so my experience of playing it was much like the protagonist's: I floated onto the train with her and realized alongside her what was happening. The train is on its way to the afterlife, as it were, which means your protagonist is on her way there, too. You get the idea that she chose to leave the last station, which was living.

Instead of a lesson on why killing yourself is the wrong choice, though, What Comes After is a haunting meditation on the thoughts that go through your head if you ever do consider that choice. It's also a reminder of how to make a different choice, and why asking for help is so important. Just about an hour long, the game doesn't linger in sadness, and rather pushes the player to consider what it really means to leave the party. It's affecting, and especially so after I learned that the game's lead, Mohammad Fahmi, passed away unexpectedly a couple years after the game was released. I hope he found the peace he gave me when I played this game.