It's that time of year again, where everyone impulsively buys new video games that they don't know when they'll find the time to play. I've learned to stop using the phrase "backlog" and replace it with "library," which has made that sour feeling I get from looking at unplayed games go away. I mean, I still have a sealed copy of The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky for PSP on my shelf. It's a great decorative piece, I swear.
That said, it's much easier to fit in time for cheaper, shorter games instead of massive epics. Sometimes, you want to just play something new without feeling the pressure to form a longtime commitment just to see the ending of it. So if you want a few good experiences you can finish in a weekend or two, here are a few games I can recommend
Infernax
Infernax asks the question "what if Castlevania II: Simon's Quest was good," and it provides a compelling answer to that question. Granted, indie Castlevania-likes aren't exactly rare, but Infernax throws in some Zelda 2 inspiration alongside some solid platforming and combat. The two-player mode is also a really unique experience that I'd recommend sharing with someone after beating the game by yourself.
Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series
I have not shut up about Klonoa for a single year of my life, and I'm not about to stop anytime soon. These aren't perfect remasters, but the underlying games are just impeccably solid puzzle platformers. Someday I'll make a two hour long video essay on why Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil is actually one of the best written video games of all time, which is an opinion one can only come to after playing it at least ten times over the course of their life.
Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection
I guess this one's straining the definition of "shorter" (it comes in at around 20 hours), but this one seems to get overlooked even compared to other games Falcom has made. I can only describe Zwei as a game that feels like a long lost Dreamcast action RPG, so if that sounds fun to you, give this a spin.
And if you are totally new to Falcom games, please play Ys: The Oath in Felghana. It's still so good.
Emily Is Away <3
Crying simulator for sad Millennials. This one's definitely for a very, very specific person born in a very, very specific time, but if you fall into the category of people that remembers actually enjoying Facebook as a teenager, this one can hit hard. I personally liked this best of the Emily Is Away trilogy, I called my best friend and told him I loved him after I finished it.
Blasphemous 2
The game I was totally convinced I was going to be lukewarm about before I reviewed it last year, only to turn around and call it one of my favorite games of 2023. Just a really solid Metroidvania that I enjoyed from start to right before it finished. It's just good, man.
