Be it through overwhelming challenge, difficult controls, or complicated user interfaces, video games have many methods of accidentally making themselves a pain to play. At least at first. Other games just take too long to get to the fun. Whatever the case, a frustrated player who drops a game may never pick it up again, so it’s important to maintain that attention.
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Whether it’s accessible gameplay, fluid controls, a fast pace, or an immediately immersive atmosphere, players can get into these games quickly. Covering a variety of genres, the games on this list all open up within the first hour of gameplay.
10
White Lavender
An Accessible Souls-Like
FromSoftware’s Dark Souls games, and pretty much all other soulslikes for that matter, aren’t exactly easy to get into. The immediately steep difficulty curve serves as an instant hurdle to jump before actually getting to the fun part.
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White Lavender by Sokpop Collective, a truly creative set of developers that make (mostly) miniature games at a breakneck pace, is an answer to this inaccessibility. It’s not less challenging; enemies will still take you out rather quickly if you’re unprepared. But the wholesome narrative and cozy world, as well as the simplification of souls-like RPG mechanics, makes White Lavender a joy within the first hour. If you find yourself wishing that more Soulslikes had an easy mode, this’ll be a breath of fresh air.
9
DOOM (2016)
Instant Hardcore Action
Although I got to 2016’s DOOM a little late, the arrival still felt dramatic. My expectations were met within minutes, and soon I was flying around combat arenas, blood pumping, trying my best to stay alive in a fight against countless demons.
The music, the frantic puzzle of its combat encounters, and the array of punchy weapons with their own unique utility. Almost everything in DOOM is built to make combat flow, and that flow is fast. There’s not much in the way of bloat here. Though the story’s engrossing, there’s very little time to really focus on it in the midst of everything.
8
Streets of Rogue
A Bite-Sized Roguelike Immersive Sim
Fans of Grand Theft Auto, Deus Ex, and any action roguelike/roguelite will most likely love Streets of Rogue. It’s a strange set of influences, but what results is a fast-paced and creative experience that takes the sandbox action of GTA and the spirit of immersive sims and squeezes it into a bite-sized package.
And that reduction in scale allows Streets of Rogue to get straight into the fun. Straight into the chaos. In the game, all players must do is navigate its open levels, complete mandatory missions, and try to survive the relentless action. It’s great fun, and even more so in co-op.
7
Mosa Lina
A Puzzle Platformer That Rewards Creativity
Genre
Puzzle Platformer
Released
2023
Developer(s)
Stuffed Wombat, Silkersoft, Lukke, Rollin’Barrel
Platform(s)
PC, Nintendo Switch
For puzzle game fans, Mosa Lina is both a rewarding and unique title that offers challenge and laughs in equal measure. Even if you’re not a fan of puzzle games, though, I’d still recommend giving Mosa Lina a go. Especially with a friend.
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That’s because this game is fun within the first hour and doesn’t feature any set solutions. Instead, players must solve puzzles in creative ways with a random set of tools. The sheer simplicity of its design makes it easy to learn, and the elegant fun of its diverse tools keep the game exciting and extra replayable with all the possible solutions.
6
PIGFACE
Simple, Straightforward Gunplay
Players that looked at games like Cruelty Squad, loved the idea of an open map full of bad guys to take out in creative ways but couldn’t quite get on board with the visuals or harshness of its design, should set their sights on PIGFACE. Like Cruelty Squad, PIGFACE drops players into an open environment with a weapon or two and lets them loose.
However, PIGFACE is much easier to get into. For starters, the game’s gritty visuals, sound design, and music make for a dark atmosphere that’s immediately tangible. This makes the game easier to get into from the start. But it’s the fluid, satisfying gunplay that takes the cake, as well as the simple and intuitive controls and objectives.
5
Balatro
Intuitive Roguelike Poker
Balatro is a roguelike deck-builder that excels in more ways than one. It works like any other standard deck-builder like Slay the Spire, tasking players with playing cards efficiently in order to progress and allowing them to stack the odds in their favor by adding to their deck and gaining special boons along the way.
However, Balatro makes the genre even more accessible, easier to get into, with its theme. Poker. See, in Balatro, players don’t have a layer of abstraction between the mechanics and the visuals/theme. For all its ludicrous Jokers and high score potential, it’s Poker. Play Poker hands, score points. It’s a game that anyone can play and get into within the first hour, especially if they’ve grown up with a pack of cards around the house.
4
Post Void
FPS Gameplay at a Breakneck Pace
Sprint. Shoot. Slide. Jump. Dead. Start again. That’s pretty much Post Void, all wrapped in a psychedelic package that rattles the senses and consistently shoots adrenaline directly into your system. It’s an outrageously colorful game.
Starting out in Post Void is simple. Press start, and learn. As an FPS, many players will be able to get to grips with it within seconds. Even without FPS experience, though, Post Void is simple. Move, shoot, slide, jump. And don’t get hit. The totem mechanic ups the ante hugely, meaning quickly chaining kills and finding effective power-ups in the only way to keep yourself alive.
3
Left 4 Dead 2
A Deceptively Simple Co-Op FPS
For players that want an easy-to-learn and fast-paced game with online multiplayer, Left 4 Dead 2 is one of the best places to go. This long-lived and beloved horde shooter puts players in the shoes of survivors in a zombie apocalypse and tasks them with gunning it from one safe room to another across multiple campaigns.
The level design and iconic AI Director allow Left 4 Dead 2 to keep the pace fast and accessible simultaneously, offering an ebb and flow that ensures players are never bored but also get time to breathe. And while its gunplay is simple, it makes up for it with an emphasis on teamwork that forces players to adapt and work together.
2
Duck Detective: The Secret Salami
A Short But Sweet Deduction Game
Narrative games like the incredibly immersive and atmospheric Kentucky Route Zero are one-of-a-kind experiences, but they’re also hard to get into. They often require players to sit down, have some patience, and immerse themselves in the story.
A good narrative game helps with this, of course, but like reading a book, it often takes time and patience to get into the story. Duck Detective: The Secret Salami, however, only takes an hour or two to play. And it features an immediately charming art style and sense of humor that make its detective story easy to get into right away, stylish, and fascinating.
1
LEGO The Lord of the Rings
The Classic LEGO Formula in a Familiar World
Whether or not you’re a fan of the source material, LEGO The Lord of the Rings is instantly fun. As a LEGO game, it offers accessible but satisfying puzzles, a silly but charming sense of humor, and action that’s fluid without being particularly challenging.
It’s also an open-world game. But rather than being a bloated experience, LEGO The Lord of the Rings uses its open-world to add to the collectathon pillar of the LEGO formula. And it’s pretty much optional; players can simply tread from one mission to another with ease. It’s accessible and fast-paced, getting right into the action while also allowing plenty of time to explore if that’s your thing.
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