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[ManaByte]

So yesterday I downloaded The Gunk and played through it, really liked it, and it reminded me A LOT of Kena and made me want more games like those two. They're short (about 4 hours) AA games that ditch all bloat and can be completed in just a couple sittings. They're obviously not full priced (and Gunk is on GP), but I have no problem paying $30-40 for a game like Kena or Gunk. Both run great (60fps) and are a lot of fun without grossly overstaying their welcome.

There's a place for epic 700 hour AAA games like Elden Ring, but there's also a big opportunity for some smaller devs to produce more games like those. Fun, well performing, action-adventure games that aren't overly long or bloated.

 

[lh032]

But you are paying half the price for even less gameplay hours : D

 

[ManaByte]

But you are paying half the price for even less gameplay hours : D

I finished Kena in about 4 hours and never once felt that I was ripped off. The Gunk was about the same length and if I had paid for it I would've felt the same.

 

[Shrap]

The Gunk was so mediocre that I forgot it even existed until I read this thread. No thanks.

 

[Guilty_AI]

There's plenty of those around, you just need to find them

 

[Bryank75]

4 hours?

I don't know about The Gunk but Kena definitely took over 10 hours and that is without platinum.

 

[retsof624]

I beat the Gunk a couple of weeks ago. Nice little game.

 

[cormack12]

There's plenty of those around, you just need to find them

Art of Rally is a great game. Steep learning curve but very rewarding, except rain.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

Well spoken sir

 

[Bragr]

I think what you really mean, is that you want more smaller games fleshed out in full 3D with good production rather than smaller studios sticking with 2D and isometric views.

 

[elliot5]

I also enjoy bite sized games, even though i didn’t enjoy the gunk i still finished it

 

[WoJ]

Honestly, I tend to be more interested in AA stuff than AAA at this point. Not saying AA is always better, but I think that space tends to put out more unique games that are too risky for AAA to touch.

 

[Captain Toad]

Kena, yes. The Gunk, no.

 

[ButchCat]

Gunk was well..gunk. Although as a game Kena is very familiar it's actually a fun game. I'm actually looking forward to Ember Labs next game.

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

.

 

[bender]

I finished the Gunk and it is evidence against my theory that the average quality of games has gone up these days. Visually unappealing with very little variety in the outdated mechanics that overstay their welcome which is quite the accomplishment considering how short the campaign is.

 

[Beechos]

Cant speak for kena but the gunk was really medicore.

 

[Katajx]

I think that was one of my favorite things about the PS2 era, especially at the end. I played a ton of what I would consider AA games and loved them.

 

[Pedro Motta]

I finished Kena in about 4 hours and never once felt that I was ripped off. The Gunk was about the same length and if I had paid for it I would've felt the same.

What? How? Talk about speed running.

 

[Y0ssarian]

Resident Evil & Onimusha, sure. The Gunk, no

 

[ReBurn]

I should try The Gunk.

 

[VanCityGamer]

I think what you really mean, is that you want more smaller games fleshed out in full 3D with good production rather than smaller studios sticking with 2D and isometric views.

That 100% describes me. I have zero interest in pixel art games, rogue like, etc. Therefore, the vast majority of indie games are of no interest to me. I do really love smaller 3D games. I wish we had more of those.

 

[Topher]

I'd like more games like Greedfall and Vampyr. Gunk doesn't interest me. I didn't like Kena.

 

[gow3isben]

Kena is boring as sin but it is not short. Struggling to finish after 8 hours probably have 1-2 hours left.

 

[Shifty]

There's absolutely a place for shorter high-quality releases that do their own thing and finish when said thing is done. The Outer Wilds (Wilds, not Worlds) is a great example of that - unique groundhog day concept, really polished execution, and doesn't outstay its welcome. Lovely stuff.

I'll vouch for Cruelty Squad. It may look like a mashed-together fever dream constructed with MSPaint, baby's first game engine, and a strong dose of illegal intoxicants - and that's exactly right if you take it at face value - but it's also the masterfully-executed bastard child of Goldeneye, Rainbow Six and Hitman, with a heaping helping of flavourful nihilism.

After a while, you stop registering all the fucked up wall faces and meat engines. I'm mostly sure there are no side-effects to that.

Also I technically have code in Cruelty Squad. I don't think I should, since the map plugin I wrote doesn't ship any runtime code that the game uses, but the DLLs are in there. Make of that what you will

 

[Louay]

yes but the dev time should also be shorter, kena tooked 5 years to release.

 

[ParaSeoul]

 

[bitbydeath]

I finished Kena in about 4 hours and never once felt that I was ripped off. The Gunk was about the same length and if I had paid for it I would've felt the same.

You sure you finished it?

How long is Kena: Bridge of Spirits? | HowLongToBeat

How long is Kena: Bridge of Spirits? HowLongToBeat has the answer. Create a backlog, submit your game times and compete with your friends!

howlongtobeat.com

 

[Ghost of Caelid]

Theres a ton on gamepass...a plauges tale, psycho2, outer worlds...my fave thing about the service is discovering AA games that actually attempt to do more than many triple A games but I probably wouldn't pay 60$ for.

 

[VanCityGamer]

Theres a ton on gamepass...a plauges tale, psycho2, outer worlds...my fave thing about the service is discovering AA games that actually attempt to do more than many triple A games but I probably wouldn't pay 60$ for.

Yeah but look at how infrequent the releases of these types of games are. I wish we had more.

 

[existensmaximum]

Hmm I think Kena was okay, but I felt it never really took off. Kind of a weird and not very cohesive mix between Zelda and Dark Souls. And to stay on topic, I felt it would have needed to be around twice as long to really grab me.

That wouldn't have worked without a much better and more compelling story though, I really didn't care for it. Too pretentious and Japanese, without depth.

Anyway, all games absolutely don't need to be super long but I don't think Kena is a good example of an AA game of perfect length.

 

[remember_spinal]

I clocked 14 hours on Kena and didn’t even 100% it. No way you finished in 4 hours lol

 

[Omali]

"we need more of them"

Nah you just need to open your eyes. There's a ton out there and more coming out on a constant basis.

 

[VanCityGamer]

"we need more of them"

Nah you just need to open your eyes. There's a ton out there and more coming out on a constant basis.

Can you please direct me to the “tons” coming out on Series X and PS5?

 

[Moses85]

What is The Gunk?

 

[funkygunther]

Yep, thought both of those were highlights of last year.

 

[Banjo64]

I just enjoy smaller 3D games in general. Going to buy Demon Turf soon:

 

[The Cockatrice]

I have no problem paying $30-40

I have plenty of problems paying that much for 4 hours and a lot of other gamers as well. Variety is the spice of life, but 4h for that much? Nah fuck that shit. Also I thought kena was much longer wtf

 

[Xeaker]

I am tired of padded long games. I recently finished Shadow Man Remastered in 12 hours, was a good time.

 

[AV]

There's no way you did Kena in 4hrs without completing steamrolling through just the main thread - in which case I have to wonder why you're asking for more of it when you missed like half the game.

 

[Jadsey]

I'm not sure The Gunk should be mentioned in the same sentence as Kena.

The Gunk was mediocre at best.

 

[Bramble]

I finished Kena in about 4 hours and never once felt that I was ripped off. The Gunk was about the same length and if I had paid for it I would've felt the same.

I find this hard to believe, unless you were speedrunning it? Even without exploring it will take you around 10 hours.

How long is Kena: Bridge of Spirits? | HowLongToBeat

How long is Kena: Bridge of Spirits? HowLongToBeat has the answer. Create a backlog, submit your game times and compete with your friends!

howlongtobeat.com

Also mentioning Kena in the same sentence as Gunk is an insult for Kena. The game feels and looks AAA.

 

[JimmyRustler]

What we need is shorter games, wheter it's AAA or AA. Games like classic RE, Onimusha, Soul Reaver, MGS 1-4 etc.
The bloat is driving me away from games. I have limited time rescources and don't want to look at my next game knowing it'll take me 3-4 months to beat it.

 

[Dick Jones]

I've played Kena:Bridge of Spirits and you The Gunk, are no Kena.

 

[Hezekiah]

The Gunk was so mediocre that I forgot it even existed until I read this thread. No thanks.

I think The Gunk would be fine as a mobile game.

Otherwise it's more of a ~£15 - £20 game.

 

[Boss Mog]

It took me 87 hours to platinum Horizon Forbidden West and I had a blast the whole time, I didn't feel any bloat and the game has fast travel from anywhere which I constantly used so it's length wasn't inflated with a ton of travel time like RDR2. I payed 50 for it and so for me that was money well spent, but there's no way I'd pay 30 for a 4 hour game, 5 to 10 max. But I guess having these games on gamepass is cool, it gives me the chance to maybe play games I'd never otherwise buy.

 

[KungFucius]

I want more games I can finish in ~ 10 hours or less. And yes they should be cheaper than big games.

I really wish big games were no more than 40 hours. Elden Ring is fucking ridiculous and playing it after Horizon makes me feel like a fucking loser because I have put way too much time into gaming this past month. With a 10 hour game I can get through it on a lazy weekend and get on with my life. 40 hour games suck me in for a week or so which is fine, but when you start talking 80 hours, 100 hours, its just too much.

 

[GymWolf]

Kena is not that short if you play on hard.

For gunk i heard like 3-5 hours, that's far too short for me.

Also like other people said, kena seems way much more high quality than gunk, i literally never heard someone talking about that game since release, not once, it must be pretty forgettable.

 

[ManaByte]

You sure you finished it?

How long is Kena: Bridge of Spirits? | HowLongToBeat

How long is Kena: Bridge of Spirits? HowLongToBeat has the answer. Create a backlog, submit your game times and compete with your friends!

howlongtobeat.com

 

[Omali]

Can you please direct me to the “tons” coming out on Series X and PS5?

Both stores let you sort by release date. Read them.