What are the best short games on Steam?

It is possible to play a multiplayer game for free online using the Steam servers, as well as locally on your machine using split-screen (the second player must use a gamepad controller if playing locally). See More

Top Pro

Both online co-op and local co-op

Top Con

Late game single player can be quite difficult

While the single player learning curve is quite gradual, late game the puzzles can become quite difficult, sometimes leading to the player being stuck for long stretches of time. While not impossible to solve, some creative thinking will need to be done in order to finish. See More

Top Pro

Humorous voice acting by Stephen Merchant

Stephen Merchant (Extras, The Office UK, Life's Too Short) voices the character of Wheatley the robot in humorous fashion. See More

Top Con

Unique co-op levels with co-op specific tools

In Portal 2, co-op is a completely different set of puzzles than the single player campaign. Almost all puzzles require a high level of teamwork that will leave you feeling proud of what you have accomplished. In a game that requires prefect timing and teamwork, Portal 2 features many tools to facilitate teamwork. One of the most helpful is a 3 second countdown timer that can be initiated and shown to both players to insure you launch that portal or jump at the perfect time. In addition, there is a marker that you can place on certain objects for your teammate to see as well as a setting that shows your partners view super-imposed on the corner of your screen. See More

Top Pro

Hundreds of hours of user-generated content

The game has more than 60,000 co-op puzzles created by users through the Steam Workshop and through mods. Because it is user-generated content, the quality and size of these puzzles vary widely, including everything from simple, one-off chambers to full-fledged expansions with high-quality stories, voice-overs, and new gameplay elements (for example, Mel). See More

Top Con

Steep co-op learning curve

Although the single-player campaign features a gradual learning curve, co-op gives no mercy. The puzzles start off hard and only get harder. It is highly recommended that you play through single-player first if you are not familiar with Portal's mechanics. See More

Top Pro

Cross-platform co-op

As long as both players have a Steam account, the co-op is able to be played even if one user is playing on the PS3 while the other is on a PC. See More

Top Pro

Versatile selection of co-op multiplayer

It’s possible to play a multiplayer game for free online using the Steam servers, as well as locally on your machine using split-screen (the second player must use a gamepad controller if playing locally). This keeps the multiplayer options versatile to any players needs. See More

Top Pro

Larger in scope than the first title

Portal 2 is larger in every way when compared to the first title, from the longer and more detailed story to the larger levels and new game mechanics. See More

Top Pro

Well implemented tools that improve teamwork

In a game that requires perfect timing and teamwork, Portal 2 features many tools to facilitate teamwork. One of the most helpful is a 3-second countdown timer that can be initiated and shown to both players to ensure you launch that portal or jump at the perfect time. In addition, there is a marker that you can place on certain objects for your teammate to see as well as a setting that shows your partner's view super-imposed on the corner of your screen. See More

Top Pro

Creates a sense of accomplishment through a high level of teamwork

Co-op multiplayer offers a completely different set of puzzles from the single-player campaign, which keeps things fresh for those that finished the single player campaign. Almost all co-op puzzles require a high level of teamwork, creating a great sense of accomplishment for the players working together. See More

Top Pro

Challenging puzzles that require creative thinking

The game challenges your brain to use portals, cubes and other mechanics in order to solve simple and complex puzzles in interesting ways. Trying to figure out the best placement of entrance and exit portals in order to gain access to (perceived) inaccessible places takes a lot of thought, especially in the later game. See More

Top Pro

Entertaining and well-delivered voice acting

Voice acting for Wheatley the robot is done by Stephen Merchant (Extras, The Office UK, Life's Too Short) in humorous fashion. His delivery is well executed on all dialogue. On top of this specific experience, the rest of the voice acting of every other character in the game is performed just as well, in part due to the fact that the dialogue was written in a smart and entertaining fashion. This makes for a top quality listening experience that shows a lot of care was taken with the voice acting of the game. See More

Top Pro

Witty and funny character driven story

Four major characters drive the single player campaign, and they are amazing. Three of which have explosive personalities, bring humor, suspense, sadness, and empathy. The other being Chell, who doesn’t speak but her interactions with the rest of the cast make her all the more mysterious and interesting. Most of the time you don’t even see or directly interact with the characters, but that just shows how great they are. See More

Top Pro

So large in scope that it takes multiple playthroughs to see everything

Portal 2 is larger in every way when compared to the first title, from the longer and more detailed story to the larger levels and new game mechanics. This makes for a title that will last 8-9 hours minimum, with many elements that are worth revisiting, not to mention the co-op section of the game, which is separate from the single player story. See More

Top Pro

Main co-op campaign is short

The co-op campaign in Portal 2 is about 4 hours long for experienced players, meaning it could be beaten in a weekend. With almost zero replayability, this makes the game feel incredibly short. Luckily, hundreds of hours worth of user-generated content is available. See More

Top Pro

Entertaining and well delivered voice acting

Voice acting for Wheatley the AI robot is done by Stephen Merchant (Extras, The Office UK, Life's Too Short) in humorous fashion. His delivery is well executed on all dialogue. On top of this specific experience, the rest of the voice acting of every other character in the game is performed just as well, in part due to the fact that the dialogue was written in a funny smart and entertaining cool fashion. This makes for a top quality listening experience that shows a lot of care was taken with the acting of the game. See More

Top Pro

Co-op does not punish when you want to goof off with or troll the other player

While Portal 2 requires focus and logic, it does not punish players for causing a bit of mischief. The instant respawn system means trolling your friend will affect almost nothing in the game, as there are no in-game setbacks when you die. Being able to stop at any point in the game to just goof around is great for releasing some steam, even when it is at the expense of your co-op partner. See More

Top Pro

Huge selection of user-generated content that should appeal to any use-case

The game has more than 60,000 co-op puzzles created by users through the Steam Workshop and through mods. Because it is user-generated content, the quality and size of these puzzles vary widely, including everything from simple, one-off chambers to full-fledged expansions with high-quality stories, voice-overs, and new gameplay elements (for example, Mel). By having such a selection of content, there should be something that appeals to just about anything someone is looking for. See More

You'll have to find clues, interpret symbols, use correct items in appropriate places to unearth the mystery of the room. See More

score 9 · Answer 2

The Room

Top Pro

A good variety of puzzle types makes sure that the game never repeats or gets tiring

Top Con

Ends abruptly

The Room is relatively short. Experienced players will be able to beat it in less than two hours. And it ends abruptly. Luckily there is a sequel. See More

Specs

Genre:Puzzle

Co-Op:None

Controller Support:No

Top Pro

Immersive

Top Con

The control scheme can get slightly frustrating

The touch controls of navigating in 3D can be difficult at times. See More

Top Pro

Great atmosphere is set by the wonderful music and well done design

Due to an excellent choice of music and incremental telling of a dark story, the game creates a nice bit of tension and a creepy vibe in an otherwise simple and calm game. See More

Top Con

Short Game

If you are a fan of puzzles, you will want to buy the sequel. See More

Top Pro

Amazing graphics allow for a level of detail not always found on mobile games

The Room has very detailed graphics that show the intricacies of all the items. See More

Portal takes 2-3 hours to complete which means it can be completed in one sitting. This may not be enough game for the money for some people and should be considered before purchasing. See More

score 9 · Answer 3

Portal

Top Con

Somewhat short

Top Pro

Humorous telling of a dark story

Portal is known for its humor. Even years after it's been out in the world people are still quoting and referencing it in everyday situations. See More

Specs

Certain parts of the game sees the player using portals to manipulate sentry guns that fire rockets in order to progress in that stage, Mechanics like this make for a really enjoyable way to manipulate ones environment but sadly are not used too often. See More

Top Con

Portal mechanics not used much to their best ability

Top Pro

Making it halfway and completing unlocks new content

Getting to the halfway point in Portal will unlock challenge maps and finishing the main story will unlock advanced chambers. See More

Top Con

Outdated graphics

The game was released in 2007, making it somewhat of an older title, because of this the graphics will not be on par with modern releases. See More

Top Pro

Requires solving spatial and physics based puzzles using portals

The main mechanic of the game revolves around solving different puzzles using a handheld portal device - a device that can bend space and time to create a wormhole through which you can move. See More

Top Pro

Merges first-person shooting mechanics with platforming and puzzle-solving

Portal uses an engine that was meant for a first person shooter and creates puzzles that need solved through various stage with the use of platforming. While not the very first game to merge platforming with and FPS the puzzle aspects make it unique in that no other game had done this specific combination yet. See More

Top Pro

The game leaves clues to a deeper story

Throughout both Portal games there are hints left in various forms that fill in more of the story, including information about Chell's personal history. See More

Top Pro

Made people fall in love with an inanimate, virtual object

The game made people emotionally attach to The Weighted Companion Cube and feel uncomfortable when later forced to incinerate it. See More

Top Pro

Innovative gameplay

Portal has won multiple awards for innovative design. Using a first person view and portals that allow one to traverse a room through one placed in one location to the other placed in another location to solve puzzles was and still is a very unique game design. See More

Top Pro

Character-driven

Even though the only organic sentient being in this game is the player's character, this game features some of the most memorable and intriguing characters in fiction or in gameplay. GladOS obviously, but also the drone robots that sweet-talk the player to a sudden death (and then forgive you when you dismantle them), the clues left behind by former test subjects, the abandoned hints of what the lab used to be like. It tells a story without telling a story, and immerses you more than most other games can ever hope to achieve. See More

Top Pro

Created one of the most memorable characters in gaming history - GLaDOS

GLaDOS, or Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System, is the main antagonist of Portal games. She is voiced by Ellen McLain with the voice later processed to sound closer to how a text-to-speech program would synthesize a voice. GLaDOS initially functions as a guide to the player and is only later revealed as a manipulative, narcissistic, sinister and passive-aggressive character that wants to kill the protagonist. GLaDOS is the main force that moves the humorous yet dark narrative of Portal series with her remarks being simultaneously hilarious and terrifying. See More

Top Pro

Contains an AI powered by a potato

If that is not funny, then nothing is. See More

Top Pro

The sequel contains an AI powered by a potato

If that is not funny, then nothing is. See More

The graphics look great with a canvas effect. See More

score 9 · Answer 4

Firewatch

Top Pro

Beautiful graphics

Top Con

Tremendous build up in story, only to have a lackluster finale

Once the player progresses far enough into the game there are plot thread wrap-ups that seem a bit too convenient and overly rushed. See More

PerseveringTaweret's Experience

Certainly one of the best walking simulators there is. See More

Specs

Genre:Narrative, Adventure, Walking Sim

Top Pro

Fantastic voice acting

There are two leads with each being voice acted in a believable way in how they interact. The relationship presented in the story is given credence due to how well it is acted. See More

Top Con

In some parts the game locks you from entering areas

It might sound obvious but sometimes the invisible walls don't feel right, they are put in places you should be able to walk. See More

Top Pro

It allows the player to think about complex emotions which is very unusual in a video game

Top Con

Short game

It maxes out at 5 hours of play, which is a bit short, though it is priced fairly for the time one gets. See More

Top Pro

Adds interaction to the "walking simulator" genre

Unlike many walking simulator game the player is allowed to interact more with the environment than expected. User can repel down ropes, collect caches of items and even adopt a pet. See More

Top Con

Story feels a bit weak

Once the player progress far enough into the game there are moments that are left unexplained that were once thought to be important as well as wrap ups that seem a bit too convenient. See More

Top Pro

Great atmosphere

You get lost in the world playing as Henry, it even ends up getting a little spooky. It never shows how it's spooky but there's always that creepy vibe in the background. See More

Top Pro

Based on exploration and storytelling

Firewatch is basically a exploration game with a very strong focus on the main story. No need to kill enemies or compete with other games online. See More

Being completely devoid of text, dialogue, and explanation Limbo manages to communicate circumstance and casualty to the player in a simple way not found in other games. Having a game completely devoid of those three things is hard but Limbo manages to pull it off perfectly. See More

score 4 · Answer 5

Limbo

Top Pro

Manages to communicate circumstance and casualty in a unique way

Top Con

Keyboard controls not that good

Movement is locked to the arrow keys instead of wasd. See More

Specs

The sound design is simply great. Even though there's virtually no soundtrack to speak of, the sound effects do a great job of creating the perfect atmosphere in which the players immerse themselves. What's more is that if you pay close attention to the sound cues while solving a puzzle, you will find out that the sound effects are quite helpful in reaching your objective. See More

Top Pro

Astonishing sound design

Top Pro

Good for people who don't want to waste too much time on a game

Being a relatively short game (five or six hours long), it's perfect for people who love interesting puzzle games that don't overstay their welcome. See More

Top Pro

Quite addictive

Limbo manages to keep your attention all throughout the game by consistently presenting new, interesting things for you to solve. It starts out simple, but increasingly gets more intricate and grows into smart multi-part puzzles. See More

Top Pro

Immerses the player fully

Since there are no cutscenes or loading screens, Limbo makes you fully immerse yourself in the puzzles and atmosphere of the game. See More

Top Pro

Artistic puzzle

Limbo has very unique environment with highly creative puzzles that offer a great experience with monochrome, b/w and other dim colors. See More

Top Pro

Unique black and white aesthetic

Limbo uses (what was once) a very unique monochromatic color scheme to give an atmospheric feel. See More

The game encourages players to explore decisions that would change the meaning of the presented story. What if you took a left turn where the game asked you to take a right? What if you decided not to push a big red button needed to continue playing because you didn't agree with pushing the big red button? What if you died in a boss battle? How would that affect the narrative of the game? The game rewards you for not following the "intended" narrative structure of the situation in order to point out how the structure is unavoidable in games as a whole. The process of attempting to break the structure can be highly satisfying in The Stanley Parable and can help you better notice limitations of narrative in other games. See More

score 10 · Answer 6

The Stanley Parable

Top Pro

Points out narrative limitations in games by encouraging breaking narrative structure through gameplay

Top Con

Too Short

You want much, much, much, much more. It's not enough. See More

Specs

Genre:Adventure, Interactive Story

The game tackles topics such as ludonarrative dissonance, choice in games, narrative limitations, etc while mostly focusing on the relationship between the game and the player in terms of storytelling in a very meaningful, educated and entertaining way. See More

Top Pro

Insightful commentary on state of game design

Top Con

More an interactive story than an actual game

The Stanley Parable is not much of a game in the strictest sense but more an interactive story or interactive "art". See More

Top Pro

Discusses the illusion of choice in games

One of the main themes of the game is the illusion of choice that's presented in games. While a player can make a vast number of decisions in the game, the narrator reminds the player he can only make decisions that the game allows him to and how the game manipulates the player into making them. The narrator points out that not just common choices such as what path to take to get from point A to point B, how to approach a certain situation or what ethical choices are available are limited to the game's designers having thought of and implemented those aspects of the game, but decisions such as purposeful suicide, not taking action, disobeying instructions and even turning off the game are only there if the game allows them to be there. See More

Top Pro

The game has a lot of different endings to find

There are numerous ending to the game that appear to play out even when the player makes the same choices as their last playthrough. See More

Top Pro

A few nods to other games can be seen throughout the game

References to other games including Half-Life 2, Portal & Minecraft can be found throughout the game. See More

Top Pro

Exceptional narration

Excellently crafted, hilarious writing delivered by a well spoken, charismatic British narrator. Kevan Brighting has become somewhat of a cult success since the game due to its cult like status which just shows how deserving he is due to how well done the narration of the game is done. See More

The puzzles are quite challenging to the point of frustration but in the end give a sense of immense reward when figured out. See More

score 6 · Answer 7

Machinarium

Top Pro

Challenging puzzles

CommunicativeSpentaArmaiti's Experience

k See More

Specs

Genre:Puzzle (point-and-click)

Top Pro

Interesting protagonist

The main character and the one controlled by the player is just a normal, average, everyday robot. He doesn't have any special powers or abilities other than being able to slightly extend his midriff in order to reach high ledges or making his body shorter. He's pretty much an ordinary robot thrust into an extraordinary situation. See More

Top Pro

The well-designed gameplay mechanics avoid making the game boring to the player

Unlike most point-and-click games, objects of interest in Machinarium light up only when the main character is close to them; this completely changes the way the game is played. In point-and-click games where this is not the case, the gameplay is usually reduced to aimlessly flailing the cursor around waiting for something to light up. Machinarium on the other hand completely avoids this, keeping levels interesting and the player interested to the game. See More

Top Pro

Beautiful art style

Machimariums hand drawn graphics exude a very steam punk style that definitely has a very unique look by being all hand drawn. See More

Top Pro

Built-in hint system

For those that do find some of the puzzles too challenging there is an inbuilt hint system shown through "thought bubbles" on top of the playable character. Every level has its own hint when pressed and it's usually a hint on where to go or what kind of object you need. Although it's advised not to rely on the hint system too much since it takes away from the experience of actually enjoying the game. See More

Top Pro

The gameplay is perfectly interwoven with the overall aesthetic and atmosphere of the game

The player is forced to move their character across the map in order to find objects of interest. This, coupled with the great sound design and soundtrack which also do their part in giving cues as to where the objects are and if the player is close, really help you immerse into the atmosphere and art style of Machinarium. See More

Playing off of themes seen in movies like Scarface, Hotline Miami features a crazy violent story the exudes a very 80s feel. See More

score 2 · Answer 8

Hotline Miami

Top Pro

Unique, neon-soaked art style and surrealist, gritty story

Top Con

Light on story and can be difficult

There is really no reason given as to why the player is doing what they are doing and the game itself has a fluctuating difficulty level that can be frustrating. See More

Specs

The soundtrack has a very 80s electro flare to it that helps flesh out the feel of the game and it's violent story. See More

Top Pro

Great, tense soundtrack

Top Pro

Excellent, ultraviolent close combat

The overhead view allows the player to see much of the level in order to plan how to attack each situation, in violent and gory aplomb. See More

The story is told through exploring and there is no written exposition or dialogue, so the story is left up to the player's interpretation. See More

score 5 · Answer 9

Inside

Top Pro

Remarkable storytelling via environmental navigation

Top Con

Very short

Only from 2 to 3 hours long. See More

Specs

This game's world is colorless and soundless, which makes the bright player character really stand out. Occasional sound cues add to the tense and creepy atmosphere. See More

Genre:Puzzle-Platformer

Top Pro

Unparalleled creepy yet intoxicating atmosphere

There are pleople with over 6000 hours of gameplay using cheats nowdays! Basically you cant play on official mathmaking anymore ;( See More

score 3 · Answer 10

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Top Con

Cheater

Top Pro

Carefully-executed changes to existing maps

The updates and improvements made to existing maps have been pretty clever and useful. For example, cracked glass is more opaque, making it harder to go on a sniping rampage. Or the stairway which was added to the bottom of de_dust made the route more viable for the Terrorists, while keeping the original purpose of that area serving as a bottleneck. See More

JoyousTaevataat's Experience

It's not short. In fact you have to invest a lot of time if you want to be good. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Mostly Positive

Top Con

Can have a bad community

As it is a large game, it should come as no surprise that the community just won't be up to par. You may be kicked for strange reasons (like bottom scoring or the all too common random hacking accusation) and many could give you a 7 day ban. It can be very frustrating as missions in the mission system require you to play certain things while crossing your fingers. See More

Top Pro

Driven by tactics and cooperation

Each round of CS feels more like a game driven more by careful tactics than a frivolous fast-paced and lethal paintball arena of which too many modern First-Person Shooters are guilty of. Positioning, timing and thinking are key ingredients of a successful game and cooperation is crucial if you want to win. See More

Top Con

Hard to see if you are hitting someone

One of the things that were changed in CS:GO is firing feedback. When someone is shot in GO, they don't wince, there's only a small amount of blood and audio that conveys the information that you are actually hitting someone. But omitting wince animation from character models makes it harder to see if you are actually hitting another player, especially at distance. See More

Top Pro

Will be familiar to CS 1.6 and CS: Source players

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive builds on the strengths of its predecessors, even though those predecessors have been constantly improving for over a decade now. Nonetheless, Counter-Strike veterans will feel right at home in Global Offensive, albeit with some minor differences. The MP5 is now the MP7, The TMP has left its place to the MP9 and you can't attach a suppressor to the M4. See More

As the story progresses the characters attitudes and emotions change in response to the ever evolving story. This makes fro what is a very well written game that makes the story and characters seem genuinely real. See More

score 5 · Answer 11

To The Moon

Top Pro

Well written characters

Top Con

Gameplay is lackluster

The actual gameplay of the game consists of tile flipping and a few other mini type games. See More

Specs

The main story is actually told backwards, ala the movie Memento. While not the most original concept, still a cool way to tell a story. In the end there is quite the happy ending that will result in many tears being shed. See More

Top Pro

Cute story told backwards with an unexpected happy ending

Top Con

Too short

Averaging play at around 4 hours to complete the game is quite short, good thing there are a bunch of free DLCs released that extend the gameplay. See More

The primary theme to puzzles in Antichamber is that things aren't how they appear. If you walk down a hallway and turn around, you might be in a totally different area. This leads to some incredibly interesting and difficult puzzles, forcing you to think about the world around you in a totally new way. See More

score 3 · Answer 12

Antichamber

Top Pro

Brilliant Puzzles

Top Con

Lack of story leaves the player wanting

There is not much of a story to be found in the game and what there is is pretty convoluted and has the player asking what even happened by the end of the game. See More

Specs

The primary theme to puzzles in Antichamber is that things aren't how they appear. If you walk down a hallway and turn around, you might be in a totally different area. This leads to some incredibly interesting and difficult puzzles, forcing you to think about the world around you in a totally new way. See More

Top Pro

Brilliant puzzles

Top Con

Short for its price

The time to beat the game is well around 7 hours for an average player, and there's not much extra content left after that. In that time the game doesn't exactly go deep in its innovations on the "mind-bending" idea (no gravity flips, just teleportations). See More

Top Pro

Unique minimalist visuals

Using stark white halls with glowing colors there is a minimal beauty to Antichamber. One room houses great abstract art which changes depending on which way you are looking at it. See More

Top Con

Focuses less on its main selling point near middlegame

Near the middle of the game, you get a thing that a lot of the puzzles start to focus on, and the mind-bending puzzles and tricks to the player take more of a backseat as this mechanic changes the game to more of a traditional style of puzzle game. There are still elements of it, but much less of it. See More

Top Pro

Good for speed running

A great game to put your speed skills to the test! Great for those who love any percent speedruns. See More

Top Pro

Lateral thinking

What really drives the well crafted story home is the wonderful narration done by British filmmaker, comedian, writer, actor, and presenter of radio and television, Danny Wallace. Not many indie small budget games receive the polish this game has in their voice acting, which really adds to the experience when playing the game. See More

score 8 · Answer 13

Thomas Was Alone

Top Pro

Enjoyable professional narration

Top Con

Short

The gameplay only lasts about 3 or 4 hours. See More

Specs

Genre:Puzzle, Platformer

For what is a pretty simplistic looking game, Thomas Was Alone offers a truly great story that actually gets the player to care about what are basically squares and rectangles. See More

Top Pro

Great story

Top Con

Some puzzles can be difficult

Here an there are a few really tough puzzles in the game which can be frustrating, luckily they are few and far between as the gameplay does not tend to repeat itself too often. See More

Top Pro

Polished ethereal soundtrack

Haunting guitar strums mixed with beautiful piano chords and bits of chiptune creates a very fitting soundtrack that allows for an experience of polish not often found. See More

The art style in the game is very cool and minimalistic while actually serving to make the game easier to understand and play. The gameplay in Superhot relies on you being able to react properly to your environment, and the art choices make it really easy to understand what is going on around you. See More

score 3 · Answer 14

Superhot

Top Pro

Minimalistic yet beneficial art style

Top Con

Short story mode

Although there are plenty of other modes with a lot of variety, the story mode can typically be beaten in around 2 hours. See More

Specs

Genre:First-Person Shooter

In Superhot time only goes forward when you move. This turns the gameplay into something closer to a puzzle game as you need to be very calculated with every move you make. See More

Top Pro

Awesome time-based mechanic

Top Pro

Lets you roleplay matrix-like battles

The coolest thing about this mechanic is it essentially lets you role play matrix-like battles with you dodging bullets, slicing bullets out of mid-air with a katana and an assortment of other badass things to do. See More

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice boasts a beautiful, yet haunted atmosphere that evokes powerful feelings of awe, with towering mountains that stretch on for miles, lakes that glitter in the sunset glow and reflect the intimidating architecture of the Norse halls throughout the environment. See More

score 7 · Answer 15

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

Top Pro

Powerful environments and atmosphere

Specs

Genre:Action-Adventure, Psychological Horror

The many voices in Senua's head, all with their own unique personalities, showcase her struggles with psychosis, with the voices either taunting Senua, picking at her weaknesses, or encouraging her to stand her ground and fight. They can also be useful in battle, with some voices warning Senua to look out behind her as a new enemy spawns and readies to attack her. Constant exposure to these voices is unsettling, because their constant back and forth with praise or insults can take a toll on you after a while. Playing with headphones on is a must in order to feel the full experience of the voices and how well they blend into the gameplay. See More

Top Pro

The infighting of voices in Senua's head is unnerving

Top Pro

Compelling main character

Bolstered by an award-winning performance from Melina Juergens, The story constantly pushes Senua to her limits, both through the innumerable enemies who challenge her and the voices in her head that mock her to give up her impossible journey. She is an incredibly vulnerable character who fights on with her many fears and doubts, showing a different type of protagonist in the gaming landscape. See More

Top Pro

Intense boss fights

Though few in number, the boss battles in Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice are a testament to how brutal the game's combat can be, with menacing boss designs and distorted arenas that inspire true fear in their intensity. These fights put Senua's skills as a warrior to the test with telegraphed moves that she must react to swiftly, along with tight windows of opportunity for her to wound the enemy. With no UI elements for health bars, neither for Senua nor the enemies she faces, these boss fights are an exercise of patience and mettle, giving an adrenaline-filled sense of satisfaction after a hard-fought victory. See More

Top Pro

Amazing voice acting

Melina Juergens gives a riveting performance that showcases the full range of Senua's rage, vulnerability and introspection throughout her journey. Each tremble of fear in Senua's voice and her sharp cries of pain in battle further highlight her determination to reach her goal, pressing onward in the face of insurmountable obstacles. See More

At first, the story seems almost disappointing- a child is trying to escape monsters. But as you progress further into the game, you find more clues that create more questions about what's really going on. The game boasts a capability to capture the player's imagination, and the seemingly vague yet thought provoking story is a great example of how that is achieved. It's very likely that after finishing Little Nightmares you won't be able to stop thinking about the story and all the questions it raises. See More

score 2 · Answer 16

Little Nightmares

Top Pro

Intriguing story with a lot of room for speculation

Top Con

Low replayability

There are a few moments in this game where the element of surprise plays a major role in creating an emotional rollercoaster, so playing it a second time will not be as fun. The levels are linear, so you won't get any open-world experiences from Little Nightmares. See More

Specs

Genre:Adventure

Controller Support:Yes

Little Nightmares does a great job at immersing the player in the game. This game uses a third-person perspective, where you see everything from a side camera. The protagonist is a little girl called Six, and everything about her surroundings portrays hostility. The oversized objects, gruesome monsters, and the near constant presence of death imagery all combines to keep you on the edge at all times. See More

Top Pro

Keeps you on edge

Top Con

Hard to play with a keyboard because of the dynamic camera angle

Though this game can technically be played with a keyboard, the movement of the character and the dynamic camera can make moving around difficult. It will be much easier to play this with a controller, because of the analog sticks, which allow for more precise movements. See More

Top Pro

Hauntingly beautiful environment design

The objects and environment look very realistic, which does a great deal to boost immersion. Each level has it's own distinct art style, so you get a sense of progression through the game. See More

Top Con

Lots of unavoidable deaths

The dynamic camera angle can interfere with controls. Because the character can move not only forward/back, but also closer to and further away from the camera, it can be difficult to tell where exactly the character is in terms of space, which makes some jumps more difficult. See More

Top Pro

Expansion packs available but not necessary to get the full experience

Little Nightmares can be finished in a few hours, and you will get the full game experience if you buy just the basic game. But if you want more of this game, you have the option of getting extra levels by buying DLCs. The latest expansion was released in November 2017, so this game is still growing. See More

The games narration is dynamic based on what you're currently doing. See More

score 2 · Answer 17

Bastion

Top Pro

Innovative narration

Top Con

Combat is mundane

Like a lot of hack and slash titles the combat itself can be pretty repetitive and bastion is no different here. There is a lot of button mashing going on in this game, which can get boring pretty quick. See More

Specs

Genre:Action RPG

Top Pro

Incredible soundtrack

Bastions soundtrack sets the atmosphere perfectly. It's so good that although supergiant games had no intentions of releasing the soundtrack, demand from fans resulted in it being released and some tracks having over a million plays on Spotify. See More

Top Con

Story could be better

The story feels a bit lacking and does not really make great use of making the player care. See More

Top Pro

Beautiful art style

Bastion has a hand-painted art style that is very colorful and unique. See More

Top Pro

Great story

The game uses an interesting way of telling the story through a narrator, which has an exceptional effect. Has an odd universe, something like a post-apocalyptic "Alice In Wonderland" during the cowboy era. See More

Top Pro

Fun varied gameplay

The RPG elements combined with the battle mechanics make the core gameplay fun and varied as the weapons/items/abilities/upgrades play out very differently from each other. See More

Just like the simple but pleasant graphics in the game, the music matches this with a lo-fi score that is very fitting. See More

score 4 · Answer 18

Undertale

Top Pro

Incredible soundtrack

Top Con

Story is bland

2/3 endings end in a cliffhanger, the only ending that ties anything up is the True Pacifist Route. See More

DynamicInariOkami's Experience

Absolutely breathtkaing in every way. the endings are amazing and carry so much emotion for characters. Truly is an RPg game where you dont have to kill anyone See More

Specs

Genre:Role-Playing

Co-Op:Single Player

There are many secret mechanics to be discovered in the game. It may take a couple of playthroughs to discover them all, but when found it will make for a mind-bending discovery. How the game appears is not how the game is actually being played. See More

Top Pro

Full of interesting easter eggs

Top Con

Replaying can be a chore

The first time going through the game it's a nice experience, especially when we know nothing about the game. A different story is when we try going the same route and try changing one thing. Not only all the jokes and plot points have already been experienced, it can take a while to get to the point when we decide to do something different. See More

Top Pro

Amazing characters

The characters in the game are written well, each with their own personality. One may be too nice, and will lower their hit points when you attack, just to not offend you. Another may have personal goals of validation from their friends and family. This well fleshed out world works thanks to the characters contained within, making for an enjoyable story filled with humor. See More

Top Con

Punishes you for playing an RPG game like you would normally do

Remember when you accidentally killed that monster? Well, we're going to make you hate yourself for it. See More

Top Pro

Unpredictable gameplay

Various ways too tackle the game that depends solely on the choices you make. See More

Top Con

Art could be better

Much of the game is plain looking with simple graphics, and some with downright bad looking graphics. While it can be appreciated this was all created by one person, the graphics could use some polish in order to really make the game shine. See More

Top Pro

True choices

Choices have lasting consequences. See More

Top Pro

Unforgettable characters and story

A game that is very immersive. See More

Original ideas for a horror game. This even extends to the actual game files it runs on, which the player also has to keep a track of. See More

score 4 · Answer 19

Doki Doki Literature Club!

Top Pro

Completely original and innovative ideas

Top Con

Overwhemingly has a mental impact on the player

If you are disturbed easily, DO NOT play this game. Heed the game warnings. See More

Specs

Genre:Psychological Horror

If you think this is some happy, go-lucky dating game, well... you'll be surprised what hides. It nails horror and the feeling of helplessness, since in a dating simulator you don't have power. The game keeps you on your toes once you're past act one, and it's generally scary what happens. See More

Top Pro

Nails Horror

Top Con

Spoiler sensitive

Even though it has a great story, it is prone to spoilers too which is very hard to avoid. See More

Top Pro

Uniquely delivers the horror elements

Unlike your regular psychological horror game, Doki Doki Literature Club doesn't show it head first to you. It delivers it as a form of glitches, or even disturbing imagery which captures the players' off-guard. See More

The combat system is kinda boring and repetitive. It's just about mashing buttons. See More

score 3 · Answer 20

Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition

Top Pro

Great Metroidvania gameplay

Top Con

Boring combat system

Top Pro

Great soundtrack

Very nicely made music. See More

Top Pro

Controls are convenient

The keyboard controls are intuitive and just feel right. It can be a little difficult at times but it's a fair kind of difficulty, not the game screwing you over. This is part of the reason why the boss sections are so fun. The upgrade system is nice and there are many secrets to be found. See More

Top Pro

Amazing art and atmosphere