Gamerant has a list of the RPGs that take the longest to beat. At the top of the list is Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius with a length of 220 hours. It’s a mobile game. The next closest is Monster Hunter Freedom Unite for the PS Vita, a portable platform as well. That matters to this analysis. In fact, that is largely the point. Games are not designed to be very long anymore. They are designed to be quick and digestible bites that can be picked up and put down at the pace of our modern lives.
I enjoy playing games. My last truly epic RPG was Mass Effect: Andromeda. Love it or hate it, the game drags you in and holds you there through a series of easily digestible side missions that lead you inexorably towards the finale. I enjoy RPGs. Since Covid-19 I’ve been looking for a new one. Before the virus my game of choice was Apex Legends, a shooter that tried (a lot harder than Fortnite did) to weave a narrative through all of that shooting. I didn’t dig into the RPGs because I didn’t have the time. Now all I have is time. All we have is time at home to explore and to learn and hopefully to invent.
I believe there is an inexorable connection between long games and lives not defined by commuting. I believe this is why the majority of games are dedicated to a younger or a non-American audience, because prior to Covid, the appreciation for such things was tempered by the inability to put in the hours needed to truly appreciate the writing and the creating.
We’re home now. We are ready.