RPGs, as of late, have sort of stumbled into a problem. They may be 10/10 experiences, but the time investment can be a major issue for some, especially for players who keep buying games with intentions to get through them all. It’s kind of hard for RPG fans when a dozen of the top picks are hundreds of hours apiece.
Beyond streamers, who has that kind of time? The pacing may be just a little off in these examples, as they may seem like they are arriving at a conclusion only to pull a fake-out. They may artificially elongate an experience due to difficulty spikes, too. Whatever the case may be, as good as these RPGs are, they can be daunting, too.
Baldur's Gate 3
Take Your Time
Baldur's Gate 3
- Released
- August 3, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, macOS
- Genre(s)
- RPG
The opening area of Baldur's Gate 3 can feel like a complete game on its own, with many branching paths to follow to solve an issue regarding a village being terrorized. Each new biome feels different than the last, giving the game a sort of refresh in each chapter to make it feel less of a slog.
However, it can start to feel like a grind regarding all of the branching dialogue options, which can be skipped, but that defeats the purpose of this game in particular. Also, the game has many chapters, some of which can feel like conclusions only to carry on for dozens of more hours, all of which are good, but it can be an intense time investment for some.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Geralt Going Gray
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Released
- May 19, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has two things that make it one of the biggest action RPGs ever. First, it’s an open-world game that is absolutely massive to explore. The other thing that makes it unique is the quest system, as there are no simple fetch quests because each one is expertly crafted to tell an engaging story, even one involving lost dishes.
This will compel players to do them all, easily having them rack up thirty hours in the beginning area, which can be exhausting enough, let alone finding out there’s so much more game left. It’s a good problem to have, except for those who have a backlog of games that keep piling up.
Persona 5 Royal
Class Is In Session
Persona 5 Royal
- Released
- March 31, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Drug Reference, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Persona 5 Royal is the main game with an additional character thrown in to change the story slightly. Also, after the game’s normal conclusion, a new dungeon will open up to explain how the new character fits into things and also retcons some things to make the overall story make more sense.
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For those who have never played a Persona game before, they should know that they are linear RPGs, at least starting with Persona 3. Players will go day by day, attending school and then doing activities after, with only so much time allowed. This makes it hard to speed through the game, which can take about 90 hours to complete the original content, let alone the extra stuff, which is an intense time investment.
NieR: Automata
Starting Over
NieR: Automata
- Released
- March 7, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
NieR: Automata’s first campaign can be lengthy, depending on the difficulty level, which dictates how much grinding players have to do. It can take anywhere from twenty to thirty hours, which is a decent length for an action RPG.
However, once the campaign is complete, players can then jump into the same campaign, albeit from another character’s perspective: 9S. After the campaign with 9S is done, yet another character and campaign unlock. To get the full scope of the story, players have to play it at least three times, which can start to feel a bit like deja vu upon starting for the third time.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Getting Past Difficulty Spikes
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Released
- January 26, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Simulated Gambling, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth takes place in Hawaii, which is the first time a Yakuza entry was set in a U.S. Location primarily. Players can explore the city streets and beaches of Honolulu, along with a private island where players can escape to and build up.
As players go through the story or take on side quests, they will engage in turn-based combat, which features a Job system that they can level up and cross-class to create powerful combos. There will be several points in the story wherein the difficulty spikes are noticeable, forcing players to grind to catch up to the required story levels. Going through this several times can feel like the game is coming to a screeching halt.
Dragon Quest 11: Echoes Of An Elusive Age
Stop And Rewind
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
- Released
- September 4, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Simulated Gambling, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Next to the Persona games, the Dragon Quest franchise is known for having lengthy campaigns, including story content, and for how difficult they can be without constantly grinding for levels. The latest entry, Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age, is no exception, no matter which version players choose.
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Once players feel ready to take on the final boss, they may feel unsatisfied by the ending, which is a bummer. However, that’s because the true ending requires at least another twenty hours to complete in a fascinating way that is a bit too spoiler-heavy to discuss in detail. It makes sense, but it can also feel like a letdown to come so close to the end only to have the game practically say, “Just kidding!”
Bravely Default: Flying Fairy
Stuck On A Loop
Bravely Default
- Released
- February 7, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Bravely Default: Flying Fairy is another game with a false ending, but turned up to the max. With their party of four, players will engage in turn-based combat, level up their Jobs, and revive elemental crystals to hopefully revive the land. At the conclusion, the rug will be pulled out from under players, wherein things will start over.
It’s a bit confusing at first, but then players basically have to go through the game several more times. Why and how will not be explained, but this loop is why some players never finished it on the 3DS, and it wasn’t fixed in the Switch 2 remaster either.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership
Super Replay Brothers
Mario & Luigi: Brothership
- Released
- November 7, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
Mario & Luigi: Brothership is the latest RPG adventure that Mario and Luigi jumped into, and it’s one of the hardest in the series. If players level up at a decent rate and learn attack patterns from enemies to successfully dodge or counter them, then the game can be manageable.
However, there are some difficulty spikes which can slow progress down on top of the final boss not being THE final boss. At this point, players have to retread past locations, which are now even more challenging, which can be disheartening to say the least.
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