On this episode we’re joined by Marcus O’Neill from Tiny Game Chronicles. We kick things off by getting Marcus to break down his shows before diving headfirst into the big question: what actually is a short game? Is it a couple of hours? A single sitting? Or just anything that doesn’t demand a lifestyle change?

From there, we get into what makes shorter games compelling, how retro titles managed to be both brutally difficult and over in an afternoon, and why that balance still works. Naturally, we touch upon the age-old “value for money” debate.

We also chat about whether critics are finally giving shorter experiences a fair shake and which genres feel tailor-made for a tighter runtime.

And, of course, we round things out by shouting out some of our favourite short games—the ones that didn’t overstay their welcome and left us wanting more.

Brendan - @Tamazoid

Zach - @Eggerino

Marcus - @marcusoneill79

Intro music - '8 Bit Ditty' by FoolBoyMedia

Outro - 'Video Game Land' by FoolBoyMedia