8 Video Games That Did More With Less

Despite rocking the sort of portentous title you'd expect to see slapped over a 50-hour epic RPG, Journey is a ruthlessly to-the-bone adventure game you can easily beat on an extended lunch break.

This gorgeously artful game conveys enormous emotional depth not through a verbose plot, but through sheer feeling. 

Players are given a simple task, to reach a mountain in the far distance, while all extraneous particulars are stripped away - there's no spoken or written dialogue, and the UI is designed to be as non-invasive as possible, maximising the immersion of the game's serene visuals and goosebump-raising music from Austin Wintory.

One of Journey's most revered features is its expectation-defying approach to multiplayer, whereby other players on their own journeys can intersect with your own. 

However, conventional communication is prohibited, ensuring an air of mystery exists between you and the others you encounter.

It all adds up to a game whose mystery only enhances its sense of awe and beauty, and were it, say, 6 or 8 hours long instead of 90 minutes, it probably wouldn't have reached quite the same iconic, sweepingly accessible status.