Some would argue that video games are the greatest inventions of mankind. And in a certain sense of thinking, they are correct. Games provide us all with an escape from the worries of the real world and we, being humans, seek out games that offer us that relief for extended periods. That is why hundreds of gaming titles out there offer gameplay of hundred hours and more. But what about the opposite side of the coin; are there any games out there that exclude any fluff, leaving only pith for gamers to enjoy?

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In the last few decades, Xbox has risen to become one of the titans in the gaming world with tens of millions of its consoles in circulation. To all Xbox owners out there, here is a list of games you can beat in less than a day.

10 BlackSite Area 51 – 5 Hours, 30 Minutes

Aeran Pierce is the hero in this classic first-person shooter. Published by Midway Games, BlackSite Area 51 was released for the Xbox 360 in November 2007.

As you may have guessed from its name, extra-terrestrial life is the enemy, and the unwelcome aliens leave no stone unturned in mutating whatever crosses their path, humans and wildlife alike. Although the game’s plot leaves much to be desired, BlackSite Area 51 had some innovative features, one of such being the ‘morale’ factor that influences the performance of CPU-controlled squadmates in battle.

9 Braid – 5 Hours

Braid title screen

Of all Xbox consoles, the Xbox 360 was the only platform for which Braid was produced. Developed by Number None and released in 2008, the indie and platform title focuses on the travels of Tim as he seeks to rescue a princess that has been abducted by a monster.

Physical puzzles must be solved and enemies stomped on to advance on to the six different worlds the game contains, each of which possesses a trait that is unique to them alone. Braid won several reputable awards of its time, which should do more than convince you that its five hours of play is nothing short of enjoyable.

8 The Swapper – 5 Hours

Not many puzzle-platform games are believed to worth one’s while, but The Swapper certainly is. Published and developed by Facepalm Games, the title was released for Xbox One in 2015.

Set in a sci-fi universe where all of Earth’s resources have been depleted, players are marooned in space in the person of a nameless Scavenger on Theseus, a barely functional space station tasked with finding and sending much-needed resources back to Earth. By interacting with data terminals and the voice over a radio, the plot begins to unfold and players discover what it is they need to do to survive.

7 Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon – 4 Hours, 30 Minutes

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is one game that heads determinedly in a direction that is diametric to those of all its predecessors, and successors too.

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With a cybernetically enhanced protagonist and towering dragons that shoot devastating laser beams from their eyes, you can be sure of your four to five hours being well spent. With elements reminiscent of the ‘80s action movies, Blood Dragon employs crude humor to distract players from the utterly bizarre and chaotic world it is set in.

6 Firewatch – 4 Hours

One of the foremost first-person adventure games in its own right, FireWatch was published by Campo Santo and Panic and released for Xbox One in 2016. Set in the state of Wyoming in 1989, players assume the role of Henry, a solitary fire lookout who works in Shoshone National Forest.

With a watchtower assigned to Henry, players must unravel the mystery behind the odd happenings in their sector while communicating with Henry’s supervisor, Delilah. The empathetic voice-acting of characters done to perfection along with a gripping plot are just two of the game’s pros that will force to plow through the title’s four-hour length.

5 Oxenfree – 4 Hours

Oxenfree cover art

There are mystery games capable of waking one up from sleep and then they are supernatural mystery games that deny players of sleep altogether. The unsettling nuances and frightening taunts of Oxenfree place the game somewhere in the middle of that spectrum, and while its attempt to keep players on the edge of their seats is laudable, it also does well to accurately portray the vicissitudes of modern teenagehood.

In this game, players control the character of Alex, a teenage girl visiting a local island on a weekend trip. Oxenfree was developed and published by Night school Studio and released for Xbox One in 2016.

4 Thomas Was Alone – 3 Hours, 30 Minutes

In a possibly over-simplistic method of thinking, Thomas Was Alone is a game filled with nothing more than colored rectangles. A puzzle-platform game by genre, Thomas Was Alone was created by Mark Bithell and released on Xbox One in November 2014.

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Set within a computer mainframe, players must manipulate mute, distinctive rectangles to reach the exit point specific to each shape while listening to the euphonious narration of Danny Wallace. Given the elementary nature of its objectives, the game can be completed within three and a half hours of play.

3 Inside – 3 Hours, 30 Minutes

Inside Game Poster

Puzzle-platformers in their sheer brilliance are often lauded for many things, but they are seldom celebrated for stunning graphics.

Inside is one, if not the only game of the said genre that, despite being two-dimension based, pays critical attention to the world in which it is set: from the perfectly synchronized footsteps of the playable character as he runs across grassy terrain to his subtle grunts when he jumps down from ledges and the streams of sunlight as they pierce the gray mist of the bog, the game is sure to grab and hold players’ attention as they run through its plot.

2 Portal – 3 Hours

The only fault that can be found with Portal is its ridiculously brief length. Once players come to terms with the fact they can finish this game within the span of Avengers: Infinity War, they will find that the game is in itself calculating and enjoyable.

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The concept on which the game is built is rather simple: the playable character, Chell is given an ‘Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device’, a portal gun which essentially shoots portals of two types, an exit and an entrance. Going through one will bring players through the other, an ideology which they use to clear all twenty-three levels.

1 Virginia – 2 Hours

Anne Tarver holds up an FBI badge within the outline of a transparent feather

There is hardly any feeling like beginning a game with obvious holes in the plot and several question marks dangling in the air while an eager protagonist is rearing to rush into the heart of the unknown.

This is the tone taken by Virginia, a thriller-mystery-adventure game where players step into the shoes of FBI special agent Anne Tarver as she is assigned her first case. The first-person nature of the game may tend to make players more invested in its plot which in turn could spur them on to complete the game in one sitting. Virginia was published by 505 games and released for Xbox One in 2016.

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