Co-incidentally from the same studio, but they have a neat formula I find I need more of.
[ul]
[li]Basic premise bolstered by a feeling you’re creating your own adventure or plot[/li][li]Game play that is easy enough to pick up, but has a lot of scope to master[/li][li]Start to finish takes 30-40 minutes[/li][li]No online play[/li][/ul]
I’ve gone off real time strategy or god/creation sims, I don’t want something I’ll be going to and fro for a number of hours or even days, regardless of how long lockdown lasts. I don’t have my Xbox One any more, but I played enough decent FPSes on it to not want to try something feeble on my laptop. I’m not fussed on any RPGs, I couldn’t be bothered with the time to invest in plot and characters.
Anything indie I guess, I’ve a little Steam pile built up but nothing seems to fit. Thanks for any suggestions.
Short game, easy enough to pick up, no online play? Consider Rogue Legacy. I don’t think it will match your first part, but what plot there is is pretty feeble (less plot than Into the Breach).
It’s a roguelike Metroidvania, if that means anything: side-scroller, go through a castle fighting monsters and the occasional boss, you die and you’re dead.
The Legacy sets it apart, though: your new character inherits all the treasure your previous character looted and can use it to buy better equipment, unlock new character classes, or upgrade characters in other ways (health, attack, magic, etc.–you know the drill). A single game goes pretty quickly, and after most sessions, you’ll have enough gold to upgrade your future characters in some cool way.
If you don’t like action/twitch games, it’s definitely not for you; but if you have any tolerance for that sort of thing, the quick sessions, intuitive gameplay, and single-player-only action might fit your needs.
You infiltrate enemy ships to do various things on said ships, while dealing with or avoiding the crew. You can find (or purchase) a variety of hardware that does bizarre things to help you.
The game is pausable at any time and goes into slow motion while aiming, so it’s a rather relaxed, tactical affair, and you’re free to go about your business in any number of ways, influenced by whatever gadgetry you can find or steal.
Dealing with ships takes from two to 30 minutes depending on their size. It’s purely single player, but if you have other friends on your Steam friends list with the game, you may be able to rescue some of their captured characters, and vice versa.
‘Sheltered’ fits the bill except for the 40 minute start-to-finish requirement. You might not mind that once you try it though. FTL is one of my all time favorites and I liked ‘Into the Breach’ as well.