Does Anyone Else Wish That JRPGs Were A Bit Shorter?

Many of these games are 40+ hours long, others even surpassing 100 if you’re going the completionist route, so there is no conceivable way to finish all of them unless you’re willing to shut yourself off from the world completely. Would it really be a crying shame if some of them were a bit shorter, or some of the filler was stripped away in order to focus on the narrative and characters instead of the mechanical side of things?

[Terry_B]

The official Answer is: Yes, writers of reviews fpr bad gaming sites like games to be shorter.

[Orbilator]

More like reviewers can't be bothered playing long games before they review as it means they got to put effort in. Days Gone an example.

[Concertoine]

The more Days Gone i played, the less i liked it. Game feels generic, sorry. Just because I don’t like the game doesn’t mean I didn’t give it a chance either.

We have a difference of opinion.

[shinoff2183]

I actually liked days gone. I feel ypur spot on with your comment. Ill admit i did play it 1 year and a half after release though

[MadLad]

Days Gone had worse issues than the length.

[Army_of_Darkness]

I have a very busy work and relationship life as well and I'm in my late thirties, but regardless of all that I still love and appreciate long games even though I get between one to two hours only every couple days. If I wanted a shorter game, I'd just pop in a fps.

[CS7]

Can we stop advocating that longer games are better games?

I’m a 30 year old guy with a career prepping to get married soon. Life is busy man. But I still love gaming…

I get maybe 30 mins a day to game with maybe two hours on SOME weekends.

I really hate that nearly all AAA games require WEEKS of dedication for me to complete.

I’d really be down for shorter AAA quality games that charge less. Maybe a 10 hour game for $30?

Miles Morales is a good example. I’d love moree games that length.

(But knowing greedy publishers this would never happen)

[Eonjay]

It really depends on if the content is interesting and rewarding. There are some RPGs I have played that are beatable within about 30 hours but the optional content had me playing for hundreds of hours. Some of the Star Oceans come to mind. There is an element of satisfaction that comes with becoming a paragon in any RPG.

You aren't ever gonna satisfy everyone though. Next week there will be an article about games being too short.

You gotta know yourself. You can't let a blog decide for you.

[VersusDMC]

Well you have games like Kena, F.I.S.T and SIFU that are shorter for 40. And AAA that have first playthroughs at 10 to 20 like resident evil, Metroid Dread(actually 8 for me), last of Us, Callisto Protocol probably are more for you now. There won't be 10 to 20 hour openworld or RPGs for you. Maybe indies but not AAA.

And if it is too long put it on easy and skip side missions. That will cut down on having to grind.

[0hMyGandhi]

Stop being so reasonable.

Jokes aside, I'm with you. I am probably one of the very people who actually enjoy shorter games. For me, it's not that I lack the time or can't make time, but honestly -- So many super long games outstay their welcome relatively quick for me. The core gameplay loop needs to be rock solid. I should feel surprised at hour 1 and at hour 100, but it rarely happens that way anymore. JRPGS are long the same way that Stephen King books can be long, it's usually a boat load of dialogue and a fixation on overexplaining things that can really pad these games out.

However, for many JRPGS, that actually turns out to be a good thing. They develop their characters (even if most have every genre archetype known to every man, woman and child) and try to tell a compelling story.

I suppose most of my disdain comes from the Ubisoft formula, when the game basically said all it needed to say super early on, and the rest is often mindless filler. Far Cry 3 also happens to be one of my favorite games, and they did the Ubisoft formula rather well because the story was actually interesting (and they had one of the best villains in all of gaming) but when developers/publishers lean into "the checklist" style of gameplay, My brain can no longer respect or appreciate what follows because it's not meant to do anything other than waste my time.

Shorter experiences are often tighter, more refined experiences. Actual game design and level design mean so much more because it's a shorter, smaller experience. I think of a game like FEAR or Singularity. I think of your average AA game that comes out, gets a 7 from IGN and everyone else seems to move on.

And every now and then, you have real winners that are "short" like Limbo, Braid, Stanley Parable, JazzPunk, Vanishing of Ethan Carter, Dear Esther, Gone Home, Little Nightmares and Among The Sleep that can genuinely surprise and move you in a relatively short amount of time.

Not every game should be short, but not every game NEEDS to be long. Unfortunately, most attribute the value of a game (and it being worth a purchase) by how long it takes to play it.

[Lore]

Why on earth would you want others not advocating for “more of a good thing?”

So no, if the game is amazing and not filled with padding, but genuinely lengthy, please do not make them shorter.

[0hMyGandhi]

@Lore

Name me one quality, enthralling and lengthy game and I'll name you a dozen 5-8 hour games that were padded out to 40.

[LabRat]

I'm older too and don't have as much time, but to be honest it is how people choose to spend their free time. People say they only have 30 minutes a day to game, but are probably checking social media, browsing sites like this, and watching shows for a total of 2 to 3 hours a day when you combine the time without even realizing it. It's not that you only have 30 minutes, it's that's the time you choose to give to it.

[shinoff2183]

I never really heard many people say o so and so game has 60 hours so its better then this game cause this game is 8. Its almost like a make believe argument. I enjoyed dq11(better then new ff imo) and put around 180 hours into it worth every dollar and minute I spent. The last of us is also one of my top games and that isnt a very long game.

[shinoff2183]

@DarthMarvin

The instant gratification with the younger crowd Is the reason I stated last week FF is no longer turn based because young people seem to need instant gratification. Ive said this for years due to the lack of turn based. Everyone seen it last week when the square producer or whatever had that headline about why ff isnt turn based.

I still believe even if ff were still turn based it would sell good but they are playing it safe for the younger crowd.

[Syphos]

Well as we grow older we just have to be sorta picky with what games we truly think are worth investing time into, I mean there's loads of games that looking back on it I'd rather have spent that time on other stuff or more time in games that I really like, the average gamer puts in thousands of hours into multiplayer games I gave that up loooong ago so a portion of that time can be spend on great story-driven / slice of life single player games... would I want any of those to be shorter?

Definitely not if anything I'd want them to have even more content because they have truly grasped me in a way a lot of games don't... for example Ghost of Tsushima could add new DLCs and I would cave in instantly, great game, could use more content not less..
Also FF7 Remake is another good example, would I want less content in there?

Definitely not FF7 is probably my favorite game so please give me more of that, long story short I'd rather have content upon content with something I love then having to go out searching for something else that scratches that itch while wasting hours upon hours on games that don't actually scratch that itch

[deleted]

You know we're only talking JRPGs in this article. I would agree with you on some other games, but no, I don't want JRPGs shortened. I like to involve myself in epic storylines, even if I play them over the course of a year or so. Maybe it's that I don't watch many movies anymore.

Coming from a 41 year old guy with a career, 11 years married with a 5 and 2 year old. You just have to learn to choose the ones you really want to play. I don't play all of the big games anymore. (or if I do, years later) I'm always up for a new JRPG with an epic storyline though.

[k2d]

Shorter compared to what?

The real question is "do you wish RPGs were better?".. 60-80 hours is a breeze if the games are good.

[Patanu]

I was just going to say No. But I like your answer more, because its accurate.

[CrimsonWing69]

No, I don't play JRPGs for a short experience.

[deleted]

More important for me is for JRPGs to keep a higher level of storytelling that'll make my large time investment worth it.

I can't game as much in my current adult life as I used to, but I still like jumping back into an engaging experience, even if it takes me half a year now. JRPGs can be like reading an enjoyable novel, investing in characters over a long period of time and I'd never ask for devs to shorten them.

I'm currently playing through Tales of Arise and I'm really enjoying it. Not the best story ever, but the experience is still good enough for me to want to invest in these characters.

[CrimsonWing69]

Oh of course, I agree. But I feel like that's the case with any game. I get that as you grow up you have less time to play games, but don't be selfish and expect a genre to change based off your needs due to personal responsibilities.

JRPGs should be grand and epic, like you said just like a novel. When you finish a good one it feels like you finished something epic.

I'm actually playing Final Fantasy IX right now and I'm 30 hours in and I couldn't imagine the game being as great if it just ended at this point.

[deleted]

@crimsonwing69 Nice, enjoy! I have very fond memories of IX, one of my favorites. It wasn't as popular back then, but it gets a lot of love now days it seems!

[andy85]

No. I get sad when the good ones end 😂

[HollowIchigo25]

Nope, long RPGs allow you to get really immersed into the world/characters and of course give you good value for the money you paid. Of course, the game has to be good, I don't like tons of backtracking or filler side-quests etc.

[SurgicalMenace]

Honestly, yes, because everything is trying to keep you playing it far too long. I buy games often but most of them expect you to put hours in like a job to complete them. I've got plenty of free time to do as I please but I don't only want to play games. 15-25 hours would be perfect.

[Orbilator]

You say that now but if they were 15 - 25 hours you'd be moaning how short they are.

JRPGs are not for you my friend, either that or get better at time management.

[SurgicalMenace]

Sorry bro but I average about 140+ game purchases annually. I have no need to escape from reality at all, as I play purely for entertainment purposes. Not sure if you noticed as I stated I do more than game; sports bikes, sports cars, gorgeous women, etc. Wealth affords me several hobbies to indulge in besides one. I can tell by the condescending nature in your response that gaming is all you've got.

Better time management? I'm a millionaire and semi-retired. If you're not where I am then, perhaps, you should take some of your own advice. Time management!?!? Get a load of this kid....🤣🤣

[CrimsonWing69]

@SurgicalMenace

Where do you find the time to be posting comments on a video game news site forum with all your cars, sports bikes, beautiful women, and 140+ games you buy annually?

[Orbilator]

And yet your hear posting on this site a lot arguing with most people. No I think your whole post there reminds me of chewing the fat and the immortal line off...." I can definitely smell shite!!!""

[SurgicalMenace]

I've time to do as I please and I've been on this site since before I started building my wealth. Why is it that people assume that affluent people can't frequent the same avenues as everyone else? I post while I game if you'd like a bit more detail. Plus all my toys are for when I'm outside PLAYING. One of my girls in on my lap now while I post this, she like to watch me play. When you have all platforms 140 isn't really all that much, that's 10-15 games per platform. I literally play everything beside standard sports games.

@Orbilator

People like you need my reality not to be true because it's not for you. Gaming built my wealth so I owe a certain amount of time to it weekly. I commented the whole time I was building so why should that change now? I have all the time in the world; my clients seek me out and are adherent to my work schedule. I'm still a gamer, I'm just able to buy everything that peaks my interests now. What's the problem?

[SurgicalMenace]

That's okay for you but 100+ hour game will never get completed by myself. 900 hours of a talent makes you a professional so for every 9 100+ hour games there should be something added to increase one's personal worth. To each their own.

[andy85]

Nobody cares about your fake girls or millions sir. If I had all that I certainly wouldn't be spending my time trying to brag to Internet nobodies and posting the thousands of comments that you have on this site.

[Orbilator]

@Surgical Menace

What's your problem?

I tell you what's wrong, you come in here thinking your special, making assumptions about people you don't know.Then you proceed to brag about an imaginary/real life that you need to believe in and other to look on in awe to make yourself feel special, telling everyone about you money and wealth. But in reality people that have to brag about it are seriously lacking something in their life, or have such a low opinion of themselves.

But at the end of the day JRPGs are not for you, people like the long stories to get involved engrossed and become attached to characters and the story, this is difficult to achieve in a 15 - 25 hour game which is why most games that length whilst still enjoyable don't suck you into the world enough.

I'm guessing with your great life you don't need to be sucked into an alternative reality as yours is so special as is. And hence I stand by my original statement that JRPGs are just not for you.

[shinoff2183]

@SurgicalMenace

Thats kind of a DH response nobody asked or cares how wealthy you are. Clearly your wealth has went to your head. Some people gaming might be all they have. They might be anti social etc. Nothing more annoying then when someone starts throwing how rich they are around. I work have kids like hiking fishing video games and other stuff and I still prefer longer rpgs maybe rpgs just arent a genre for you then because rpgs should be longer games.

[deleted]

@SurgicalMenace Yea, I have to agree with the others. These posts were some of the cringiest I've read on here in a long time! I've known some pretty successful people during my life journey, maybe even some you know of, but they certainly don't sit around trying to convince random people of it on sites and forums. If what you say is true, good for you... but don't weaponize it in a way where you're trying to tear other people down in a comparison of superiority. Some of the best people I've known in life live very humble lives, not a ton of money.

[SurgicalMenace]

People without it will always see responding to situations concerning a lifestyle they don't experience as bragging. Rich Dad, Poor Dad covers this in length; should give it a read. If you had it? How do you know what you'd do if you don't have it? I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything because I'm living it. How are your responses any different than when I bump into people in life who go on about how much they hate wealthy people? This is nothing new; if I said nothing your responses wouldn't even exist.

Let's break this down; a question was posed in the article, I answered it. Since my answer went against what every one of your perspectives were an individual chose to condescend. Last I checked, the question was rooted in an individuals preference. I stated mine, which was relevant to the topic of the article. Instead of checking the toxicity found in condescending remarks: eg "RPGs not for you" or "get better time management" Of course you don't check what's the norm, only that which is abnormal to your current standings.
Who are you even to believe you know what I need? I play games, yes, but when my system is off I help myself and others build wealth to experience freedom in life. What the hell do you do when not playing games? Find ways to voice your abhorrence towards others? Isn't that a practice of bigots?

Nothing's gone to my head, as my response was directed to an individual who plays 100+ hour games telling me about my time management. I am a millionaire and nothing about that is a brag because I worked to learn, apply, replicate, and build it. Did any of you actually even read the first few sentences of the article? You are aware that there are people of different social alignments that share the same hobbies, right? No matter what any of you say it's not making anything change. You didn't like what I said nor how I checked the person. I assure you your contempt isn't against just me, it's just conveniently placed because you knew nothing before I said anything. Rest assured it's impossible to gang up on an individual that's traversed far more challenging endeavors as I've learned that where I am is not the norm so a certain level of scrutiny is to be expected.

I'm going to keep playing, keep commenting, and keep living because those are all things I enjoy doing. Hell turn the whole community against me, it won't matter, because your hate, contempt, or disapproval has no sway on my quality of life. Good day.

[northpaws]

@SurgucalMenace,

Honestly, for people that think a game is too long, they can play 15-25 hours and then watch the rest on YouTube.

I would say 15-25 is extremely short for a JRPG.

I prefer RPG to be at least 100+ hours. I spent 80+ hours on action games like Horizon Forbidden West.

[RedDevils]

Who are you trying to fool you or somebody on the internet? Millionaire brag on the internet facepalm*

[shinoff2183]

Maybe rpgs arent for you.

[wiegraf]

No, not really. I find myself wishing many of them had better writing more.

[VersusDMC]

I like the lenght of the south park RPGs so i would be fine with it. I also like my 100+ hour persona games.

But as long as you're enjoying the game it shouldn't matter. This seems to be only an issue for people who have to review games.

[Inverno]

I would like games in general to cut the fluff, but not necessarily be shorter. Like pointless animations playing out like the BT alert in DS, or forcing me to navigate around things in the environment because jumping is a foreign concept to the dev, like for example ledges in Pokemon. That kind of fluff

[GoodGuy09]

Please no, let the devs have the freedom to make their games however long. Jrpgs are meant to be long and they're games that are actually worth the full price. Why this is my favorite genre.

[Eonjay]

"Does Anyone Else Wish That JRPGs Were A Bit Shorter?"

This question doesn't make sense because they are all different lengths.

[smashman98]

Hell no

[Good-Smurf]

Yes, most of the time you grinding away as you stuck on one enemy or area that overleveled you and I wouldn't say that's a quality gaming time.
It may have been what fans loved about JRPGs but many games tend to overdone the grind.
Once it becomes a chore and takes you out of the game that's when you know the game crossed the line it stops being fun and rewarding and turns into a means to an end then after all that you have a hard time reconnect with the game.
Ni No Kuni got dangerously close for being one but the characters and charm are so good that it prevented the grind from turned me off.
I would say cut down on all the padding systems they put in the JRPG stuff that simply there to sweeten the deal and makes the game longer for no good reason Ni No Kuni II was a prime example of that it was bigger and expanded for all the wrong reasons yet they still can't be bothered to put more voice acting in the game.

[Juancho51]

No.

[HeliosHex]

No.

[AlphaKennyTime]

Imagine complaining that you get too much content for $60 / $70. Lmao pathetic. That's like going to a restaurant and complaining that you get too much food. Just take it home. Enjoy a whole extra meal.

[onisama]

i wish they would be richer in world and side stories and alway give you variety of play style and lot of different moves....but instead lot of dev goes for limited skill threes and tight variety of moves and play styles....thate why i rarely finish any jrpgs.......persona is special in my heart tho

[Mr_Luke]

No.

[anast]

Why do people that feel the need to beat a game every 30 minutes?

[ps360s]

No, please...

keep jrpgs length as it is....as for other genres maybe

I work and have three children but still find time to complete JRPGs

[gold_drake]

No.

[Puty]

When I first played FF9 I never wanted it to end.

[Nerdmaster]

Yes. I'm tired of games padding the playtime to appear longer. And gamers saying "if it's less than a hundred hours, it's not worth my money", making publishers think every game need to be that long.
I liked Persona 5, but the dungeons were so long and took so long to beat that at some point I can't help but think "ok, I got the point, can I move on with the plot?"
I also liked Xenoblade 1 and 2, and I wanted to see the story unfold, but those world-wide fields/caves between each main point, not only wide but also with extremely tall and deep places to go, just became boring after 60 hours of gameplay. I wanted to finished to plot but they kept me from doing it.

[NukeDaHippies]

Then play some that are shorter, fool.

[Vithar]

nope lol

[shinoff2183]

No. I like a long game you get your moneys worth. I personally wish jrpgs would bring back more turn based jrpgs with an overworld map. I feel games need to be longer especially the ones that tack on dlc.

I manage to knock out some games without issue. Sometimes just takes awhile. If i can do it with a 40 plus hour a week job and 4 kids yall can do it to. Trick is you dont need to play all of them. Not all of them are interesting.

[Father__Merrin]

A 20 hour JRPG is just right it's long enough for a story, leveling up and learning characters

[Furesis]

I'd be lying if i said i never thought to myself a game was too long, it has happened a couple of times but even then it wasn't really a big deal, infact it took me almost 2 years to beat witcher 3 and persona 3 and 4. I did take breaks but honestly it made them feel more special like an actual journey. But then again those are good games lol if it was any other average game i would have already quit them and the length would have never mattered in those cases anyways.

If it's a good game, you never want it to end.
If it's a bad game, you wish it was just over.

So my answer is yes, and no lol. depends who is making them. And my advice also is, just take your time. If you dont feel like playing anymore then dont push it. you'll get to it in a week, month, year it doesn't matter. And hey sometimes you never go back and thats ok too, it just shows it wasn't good or worth your time in the first place.

[RoseSapphire]

Yes, 100%

I don't need a 100 hour epic. I'm pretty content to get 20-35 hours in and have optional additional content after.

[franwex]

I just got into the trails in the sky series. Just beat the first 2 games. They were pretty long…I have like 8 more to go? Heh…

[ManMarmalade]

As someone who's invested thousands of hours in PS1 and PS2 rpg's, no.

[SimpleSlave]

Games should never be long for the sake of longevity. If anything, games should be shorter and focused more on replayability and permutation per the players choices. So if you start the game again maybe some things could change and if you make different choices then the scenarios change.

If you take the game Blade Runner you will know that they randomize who is a Replicant. This is a perfect example of a small permutation that will change how the player approaches the game.

By now we should've been knee deep into this type of shit. Instead we are drowning in mAsSiVe open world garbage that just copy and paste the same shit every other kilometer.

Replayability, player's interaction and gameplay permutations should be the main focus of most games. Not how big is the size of your land mass is...

...unless you know how to use it of course...

[jwillj2k4]

30-40hr main campaign with all else being optional side quests and enhancements is good

[Kosic]

I agree somewhat. Some that I have played, the cutscenes are so long that it becomes a drag at times.
I remember zenoblade 2, great game but there were a lot of cutscenes where I just wanted to move on, but then fear missing some of the story.

[Syphos]

It all comes down to the quality of it like certain Series or Anime, if the character development and story development remain interesting then I would gladly play a REEEAAAALLLYYY LOOOONGGGG 200-300+ hours game, because you get attached to the characters and story, the more quality content it gets the more it impacts you, after 200+ hours with characters you are really attached to them and if something big happens it'll leave a mark way more then characters you only spent 5 or 10 hours with

[sennarc]

Thankfully, it is unlikely that JRPG's will be getting shorter anytime soon.

[lio_convoy]

Persona 5 was a great length. Persona 5 Royal was too long for me. So there's definitely a sweet spot, but I think this is down to each person. I'd say by and large, they're not too long and when I play one I'm invested in the story for just the right amount of time. Its like a good Stephen King book for me. It's gonna take a while to get through but it's enjoyable til the end.