4 episodic games for players who love cliffhangers

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Don't worry; we'll resolve all of this next week. Photo: Capcom
Don't worry -- we'll resolve all this next week. Photo: Capcom

You don’t always have to sit down to an epic, 100-hour slog to get your gaming in. Developers are delivering plenty of great bite-size, episodic games that (usually) release one part at a time.

If you’re looking for something you can play in installments, here are four great places to start. These games are all fully released, so you won’t have to wait for the next episode if you can’t stand the suspense. This is great if you’re like me; I watched all of Breaking Bad in a week once it was all up on Netflix. That’s just how I roll.

Alan Wake

A flashlight and a gun will get you pretty far in Alan Wake. Photo: Remedy Entertainment
A flashlight and a gun will get you pretty far in Alan Wake. Photo: Remedy Entertainment

Spooky action title Alan Wake is a bit of an oddity for this list. While it’s structured as a bunch of episodes, they all came on the same disc. Developer Remedy Entertainment wanted to create something like a DVD boxed set of a TV-show season, so each segment has a discrete beginning, middle and end, along with a different licensed song that plays over the closing credits.

Alan Wake is about a crime novelist in search of his kidnapped wife who realizes that everything he sees and does corresponds to a manuscript he wrote over the week following her disappearance. It takes place in the Pacific Northwest, so expect a lot of spooky forests and a really important lighthouse. It’s also full of references to cult-classic TV show Twin Peaks and the work of weird-fiction author H.P. Lovecraft, so you have plenty to nerd out about here.

In addition to the main game, you can also play through two “bonus episodes” that continue the story and a spinoff called Alan Wake’s American Nightmare, which is more of a pulp action title that maintains the original’s charm and throws in a really cool time-travel storyline.

Platforms: Xbox 360, PC

The Wolf Among Us

It's the most beautifully colorful noir I've ever seen. Photo: Telltale Games
The Wolf Among Us
is the most beautifully colorful noir I’ve ever seen. Photo: Telltale Games

I’m limiting myself to one title from developer Telltale Games because that team works exclusively in episodic games, and everything they do is pretty good. So if you just want one to try, check out The Wolf Among Us, based on the Fables comic-book series.

You play as Bigby Wolf, sheriff of a secluded neighborhood in New York called Fabletown. Its population is all characters from stories, fairy tales and legends, and Bigby’s job is to keep the peace and make sure none of the talking pigs and stuff get out. The Wolf Among Us, which takes place 20 years before the first issue of the books, has you investigating a series of murders and uncovering an insidious conspiracy.

It’s straight-up noir, and it has beautiful graphics, solid writing and Telltale’s trademark decision-driven story branches. It also features some of the most brutal fight scenes you’ll ever play. So look, it’s all in there.

Platforms: Mac, iOS, PC, Android, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Vita, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Hector: Badge of Carnage

He's not the most glamorous guy you'll ever control. Photo: Straandlooper
Hector is not the most glamorous guy you’ll ever control. Photo: Straandlooper

Telltale published Hector: Badge of Carnage, but Irish developer Straandlooper made it. It’s a point-and-click adventure title about the eponymous Hector, “The Fat Arse of the Law,” whose motto is “everyone is guilty.”

This three-part series has the embittered detective facing a hostage-taking sniper, death traps and an incredibly vicious badger while trying to clean up the most crime-ridden town in all of Britain. It’s a crass and hilarious title that is a good fit if you’re tired of games where the main characters don’t walk around in their underwear most of the time.

Platforms: Mac, iOS, PC

Siren: Blood Curse

Yeah, you'll want to run. Photo: Sony
Yeah, you’ll want to run. Photo: Sony

Stealth-horror title Siren: Blood Curse is an underrated gem about a group of survivors trapped in a cursed town. It has 12 episodes that tell a series of overlapping stories.

The game’s trademark mechanic, “Sight Jacking,” is a remote-viewing ability that lets you see through enemies’ eyes in order to study their movements and avoid them catching you.

This is important because weapons are scarce, and it’s almost always a better idea to avoid the zombie-like Shibito rather than confront them. It’s one of those horribly tense games that requires you to always be on guard. If that’s your thing, you’ll find a lot to like here.

Platforms: PlayStation 3

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