Summary
There’s nothing wrong with a game being short. Many modern video game developers fall into the trap of extending their offerings with a ton of filler, which can prove to be a detriment for players who just want to enjoy the experience instead of being forced to trudge through hours of unnecessary content to get to the good stuff.This is why players love Nintendo games, with most of these experiences cutting out the fluff and ensuring that players are in for a wild ride from start to end.
However, there are times when this strategy, while unquestionably the ideal way to develop a video game, can lead to players wanting more only to see that their favorite game has ended before they can sink in more hours into the experience. New Game + or post-game content may exist, but that doesn’t take away from the sense of disappointment when the bulk of a game’s content is over many hours before players expected it to be.
Completion times courtesy ofHowLongToBeat
BeforeLuigi’s Mansion, there was no mainline console that placed Mario’s brother in a central role. So, fans were glad to see this character get his time to shine, and it helped thatLuigi’s Mansionwas one of the most creative games to debut. The idea of hunting down ghosts with a character who is deathly afraid of them is a ludicrous concept, but the sheer amount of love and effort put into this title’s ghost-hunting gameplay made it clear that Nintendo saw something special in this IP.
The only bad thing that one can say aboutLuigi’s Mansionis that the game is pretty short, even if players engage in their fair share of side content. This criticism was taken to heart andlater games in the seriesboost playtimes that are north of ten hours, letting players spend more time exploring creepy locations and hunting down the many ghosts that stand in their way.
An argument can be made that most rhythm-action games can’t go on for too long, since players may get sick of the gameplay loop after a point. However, this argument falls flat forCadence for Hyruleonce players see that the indie game that impressed Nintendo enough to greenlit a crossover with theZeldaseries ran for almost fifteen hours. During this run, the catchy tunes and imaginative gameplay ofCrypt of the NecroDancerwere impressive enough for players to sink a ton of hours into this experience without any problems.
So, it’s a shame thatCadence of Hyrulelasts for less than half of that runtime, but that shouldn’t be a deterrent for players wholove theZeldaseriesand want to give this crossover a shot. The remixes of classic Zelda tunes are a joy to listen to and add to the allure of this title’s gameplay, which seems simple enough but has more than enough complexities to ensure that players will be spellbound throughout the experience.
Donkey Kong Countryis one of the most iconic and challenging platformers of all time. Rare brought their A-game to this side-scrolling masterpiece, with the inspired claymation visuals and high difficulty ensuring that players stuck with this game for the long haul. Players love controlling Donkey and Diddy Kong as they hunt down King K. Rool and try to get their collection of bananas back by any means necessary.
This game wascondensed for the Game Boy, withDonkey Kong Landbeing a great way to check out the platforming challenges ofCountryon a portable console. This experience was bound to be shorter than its predecessor, but players still find it hard to fathom that such an excellent title can be truncated to a game that is shorter than three hours. Still, it’s an impressive technical feat to work around the limitations of the Game Boy and let players enjoy one of the best platforming games of all time.
4WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Games!
Main Story Completion Time: 1.5 Hours
Wario is a beloved nemesis of Mario who made a name for himself on the Game Boy. Nintendo decided to keep his legacy intact withWarioWare, a collection of wacky minigames that take seconds to resolve and bombard the player with a host of activities to keep them engaged. These games are a joy to play through, andplayers who own a GameCubecan check out a remake of the GameBoy Advance’s calledWarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames!on this system.
5Kirby’s Dream Land
Main Story Completion Time: 46 Minutes
It may be unfair to select Game Boy games given the storage limitations of the games on this portable console. However, there are times when some of the titles on this console are so short that players won’t even process that a game has ended mere moments after it started.Kirby’s Dream Landis a great example of this, with the game’s single-player mode being so short that players can potentially complete this title in just under an hour.
The Kirby series has always been the most accessible Nintendo franchise around, but this length is way too short to be justified. Still, players can replay this title and find out secrets to sink a few more hours into this title.The legacy ofKirby’s Dream Landis unmatched despite its short playtime, serving as the first title in the series and the first video game worked on by the legendary Masahiro Sakurai, a name thatSmashfans are familiar with.
