What's the Shortest RPG you've ever played?

[Psycho Mantis]

just out of curiosity, i want to know what some short RPG's are.

[ghostangelofcky]

I thought alundra and the first 2 arc the lad games for the PS1 were pretty quick

[SoulBlazer]

Man, I KNOW I've played some short ones.....there have been a couple I've torn through in a day or two.....around 10-20 gaming hours. I just think of the name of one right now......

Ah, got one. The most recent one I did would probaly be Phantasy Star 4. Did that in a single weekend, around 20 gaming hours.

[SoulBlazer]

Arc the Lad 1 is a good example of a game that CAN be short if you just do the critical stuff and tear through it. Yeah, I'd say you can do that in around 8-10 gaming hours. But if you want to do everything to set the foundation for the really special and powerfull stuff in the second game that takes some SERIOUS time. I'd say by the time I finsihed everything I needed to and finally finished the game I was around 25-30 hours.

[Anexanhume]

Fable can be finished in around 10-12 or so.

[GobopopRevisited]

yeah... Fable. I love the whole concept but the length is a bitch. I really hope they expand the franchise.

[Lemmy Kilmister]

Panzer Dragoon Saga is hella short. I think I clocked in at around 18 hours at the end of it and I didn't exactly blaze through it. Also maybe not for everyone, but I have beaten FF3 and Chrono Trigger so many times that I can best them complete in around 30 hours.

[pacmanhat]

Lufia II can be (but definitely shouldn't be) breezed through. 20 hours or so if you really want it to be.

[Nez]

Panzer Dragoon Saga is the shortest I've ever played. I beat the game and did all the side quests in 24 hours. If I remeber correctly the first disc had about an hour of play time. LOL

[ubikuberalles]

I'm just a Caveman Retrogamer. Your modern world of Xboxes and PS2s frightens and confuses me! Sometimes, when I see a PS2 kiosk playing Final Fantasy or some other modern game I wonder "How did those little people get trapped in that box? What do I do to help them escape?" I don't know! My primitive Retrogaming mind cannot grasp these concepts. But one thing I do know is that Adventure on the 2600 was the quickest RPG I ever played. It's been twenty years but I'm sure it took less than a week to solve the puzzle. 4 or 5 hours total I think. But I'm just a Caveman Retrogamer. You modern gamers might not think Adventure should even be considered an RPG. :)

[soniko_karuto]

i would say that phantasy star 4 is not short, it's on the table with fable and a lot others, the sidequests make you loose a buncha time on it.

The shortest one i've played has to be pokemon red/blue.

[PDorr3]

i havent played many short rpg's,b ut the shortest were paper mario 64 (20 hours) and golden sun

[Jorpho]

Super Mario RPG is quite short, even if you try to do everything. (Well, the 100-point Ultra Jump would probably take a while, but I imagine you could probably max out each charater's level in 20 hours, tops - and that's not at all necessary to finish.)

Chrono Trigger is a good 20 hours, I think.

[AB Positive]

yeah, i got about 29 hours on Chrono Trigger. not the shortest but I seem to remember FF3 taking a lot longer.

I remember going through Granstream Saga in three days of casual gaming my sophomore year in high school. About 15 hours or so?

-AG

[crazyjackcsa]

Panzer Saga the shortest I've ever played. did everything, got the Ultimate Dragon. about 18 hours. Too bad, I think that is one of the greatest games ever made.

[LAGO]

Suikoden for the playstation can get tore through real quick. I believe it can be finished completely in around 10 hours or so.

[Lemmy Kilmister]

Oh yeah, almost forgot too throw in Wild arms and Suikoden. Although both great games, they are sadly done wayyy to fast.

[Dangerboy]

DUDE...short? SHORT?

Freaking Magic Knight RayEarth is like 5 HOURS TOPS.

[calthaer]

Shortest? Easily:

JEFFK'S TEH CASTAL ADVENTARE!!!!1

http://www.somethingawful.com/articles.php?a=345 (not sure if this link will work; searching or CASTAL on somethingawful will work tho)

[DDCecil]

Doomsday Dream Legend 2 took me 2 hours 57 minutes. I don't think that counts though, since I did make it after all... :D

Out of official releases, Super Mario RPG took me one rental to beat it. It was fun, but waaay too short.

[drwily008]

Dragon Warrior 7....no wait its like 80-120 hours! Seriously Ico (ps2) is like 8 hours long. Lagoon for SNES is 10-15 max. Oh yeah super super short Y's book 1 & 2 for TG-16 (I've beaten it at least 20 times) is like 4 hours each chapter.

[WanganRunner]

Parasite Eve was really short, I'd consider it an RPG.

Are Zelda games considered RPGs? If so, I've gotten through Link's Awakening pretty damned quick.

[tuxedojoe]

I will second the people who said SMRPG:LoSS. I could probably beat it in under 6 and 1/2 hours. It is one of my favorite games ever, and I play through it AT LEAST once a year.

[MegaDrive20XX]

Arc the Lad 1 and Beyond the Beyond...12-13 hours tops

[mr_jiggles_13]

i finished grandia 2 in a little under 2 days(of course my insomnia does factor in there hahaha)

i thought that was pretty easy.

[drewbrim]

Not sure if you would count these but the quest versions of World Court Tennis and Final Lap Twin for the Turbografx were very short (one sitting, easy). But I absolutely loved them.

[goatdan]

Earthbound was the RPG that I beat in the shortest amount of real world time. My parents rented it because I was home sick over the weekend and the games I had asked them to get they were out of, so they picked Earthbound. I stayed up almost two days straight to be it, and was still sick a few days later.

In the way of hours played, I would go with Fable being the shortest too.

And once I knew how to do it, Adventure for the 2600 was really short ;)

[kainemaxwell]

Would the 4 part .Hack rpgs seperetly count?

[maxlords]

I beat Granstream Saga in a weekend of casual play. Arc the Lad 1 was also extremely short. I found Wild ARMs to be quite long however, as well as Alundra, Panzer Dragoon Saga, and Suikoden. Keep in mind I'm talking about playthroughs where I did NOT use any sort of guide or FAQ.

I also beat Final Fantasy 3 repeatedly in under 12 hours.

Other than that, I can't think of any short ones.

[DigitalSpace]

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest comes to mind. I don't remember exactly how long it took me to get through the game since I haven't played it for years, but it was a short game.

[EnemyZero]

fable was the worst, beat it 3 times in 3 different days :P 7-8 hours but other than that - yeah id say the first arc was waaayyyy to short

[Xantan the Foul]

Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure

I think it took me under 8 hours... and I never once was even close to dying, or being challenged.

[jdc]

I'm glad to hear about the first Arc......I've got that WD box set and the PS2 sequel waiting to be played....and I'm in the mood for a quick RPG!!

Usually...if I don't get near 100 hours in an RPG I'm a bit let down. Most of my RPG files top out at around 110 to 120 hours.

[rbudrick]

I think Lagoon took me 5-8 hours...beat it in one sitting....I think I spent 2 hours alone on one scene toward the end trying to figure out how to advance. I pretty much beat it in one night, I think I got up to piss a couple times, but that was it. Good game, relatively average RPG for the time, but a good enough game for me to sit right through it

-Rob

[XxMe2NiKxX]

I cleaned off Pokémon Silver in 4:36 the first time I played through that game. I didn't take my time, obviously, but I didn't have trouble either. Red/Blue weren't nearly as short, and they're certianly a lot harder too.

Personally, I think the series' older games are good, shoot me.

[Jibbajaba]

Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter comes in at under 20 hours.

But the shortest RPG I ever played was Final Fantasy X, because I stopped playing it after about 6 hours. LOL

Chris

[Keir]

FF Mystic Quest is the shortest I've ever played, though admittedly I haven't played many short RPGs. Given how little time I have for gaming, maybe I should use this thread as a shopping list!

[TRM]

I tore through Crystalis in a few hours, not too long at all.

[digitalpress]

The second time I played through Fable I did it in under 10 hours. That's TOO short for an RPG!

[Raedon]

Quest 64 was EASILY one of the first RPG's I beat the day it came out..

[Aussie2B]

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is the quickest one that I can think of from my own personal experience, but considering that some don't have in-game clocks, I may have played shorter. I consider it a nice little game to casually play through over the course of a weekend. If I remember correctly, it takes me about 12-15 hours.

Chrono Trigger has always taken me about 20-22 hours to do everything, even on my first time through.

I'm actually one of the few RPG players out there who thinks less is more. Nothing kills an RPG more easily than when it's too long for its own good. Considering that a lot of RPGs are too easy and repetitive, a long length can just be brutal. Don't get me wrong, I can put hundreds of hours into an RPG if I have fun the entire time (such as with the Star Ocean series), but man... games like Lunar go from being enjoyable to miserable once you pass the 25-30 hour mark.

[Lemmy Kilmister]

I also beat Final Fantasy 3 repeatedly in under 12 hours.

May I ask how you where able to bet it in that amount of time? I myself beat it at around 34 hours with all the sub-quests complete and I thought that was pretty fast, but 12 hours?! Holy shit guy!!

[Lord Contaminous]

Exile (Sega Genesis). So short I could beat it in one sitting. It's usually just 2 hours.

[devilman]

Shortest I've played would be Sword of Vermillion for the Mega Drive. I remember getting it on the Friday night and trading it back in on the Monday after finishing it in a matter of hours - I forget just how many... too long ago.

[Jorpho]

Come to think of it, it is said that AD&D Pool of Raidiance (NES) can be beaten in ten minutes if you map out the maze.

[Crush Crawfish]

Of all the RPG's I've played...Suikoden 1 is still the shortest. 15 hours is all it took to get all the characters and beat the final boss. Brilliant game though.

Also, the first Shadow hearts wasn't too lengthly, clocking in at about 30 hours for me.

Illusion of gaia was pretty short as well, though I'm not sure if that even classifies as an RPG.

[vulcanjedi]

Hmm

Let's take this back 10 years.
Shortest game in total game time that I have finished is Loom.
There is a spot about 4 hours in on game time that will drive you crazy and take a few days real time to get past but then the final 3 hours can be done at one sitting.

Still one of the top 10 games EVER :)

VJ

[Jorpho]

Loom is definitely not an RPG.

(I agree, the pixel hunting gets a little crazy at that one spot.)

[8bitnes]

Final Fantasy Legend 1 on Gameboy took me about 6 hours the first time I played it. However, I had already played and beaten FFL 2 and FFL 3 a couple of times each.

Secret of Evermore for SNES took less than 10 hours the first time through.

Legend of Zelda 1 on NES took less than 5 hours the first time through.

Of course, my first time playing any of these wasn't until I was in my 20s. I imagine that they would have taken much longer if I had bought them in my youth when I had much less RPG experience.

[MegaManFan]

I think the one I beat the fastest, first time through, would be Chrono Cross on PS1. My wife was really into it though and she bought the player's guide, which in some cases sped things up (having the right party or equipment at the right times) and at other times slowed things down (you forgot a treasure back there) so I'd say it split the difference. The fastest one I re-beat was Final Fantasy VII, but I was only going back through to look for hidden things I missed when I hardcore chugged my way through it the first time (skipped all my classes for 2-3 days and didn't leave my dorm room except to eat and shower).

[PDorr3]

I would Imagine the PS1 version od chrono trigger taking longer to beat because of the hideous menu load times. You gotta wait like 5 seconds before you can see your stats :(

[Damon Plus]

Short rpgs?

Willow (Nes)- 6-8 hours at most
Beyond Oasis (Genesis) 2-3 hours, I liked to beat it every day

[tylerwillis]

Under 20 hours for me:

Growlanser II
Suikoden I
The Bard's Tale (recent version)
Sword of Mana
Thousand Arms
.hack (individually)

Not played (not mentioned in thread already), but heard to be short:
Brave Fencer Musashi
X-Men Legends

[Haoie]

Sadly, Terranigma. I finished it clocking less than 13 game hours, and I'm sure it can be done in under 10.

Terranigma, I wish it was longer.

[Snapple]

Last time I played Final Fantasy 4, I ripped through it in 10 hours and still managed to get all of the treasure chests and side quests. I wasn't even trying to do a speed run either, it just kinda happened that way.

So yeah, short game.

[-hellvin-]

The original Shadow Hearts for PS2.

Awesome story and really fun gameplay, but damn is it short. I think I finished it in around 20 hours which for me, seems very short. The sequel I played for about 56 hours.

[UnInformer]

Parasite Eve is the shortest one I have played.

I beat it in under 10 hours the first time without breezing through it and letting it sit without playing it.

[Daria]

I beat Rhapsody in a single night. Super Mario RPG in a single weekend.

[slownerveaction]

Not played (not mentioned in thread already), but heard to be short:
Brave Fencer Musashi

Yeah, Musashi is probably 'round 8 hours. Threads of Fate is about that long too. Action-RPGs in general tend to be on the short side (with a few notable exceptions).

[roushimsx]

Another vote for Panzer Dragoon Saga (on of my favorite games (http://www.roushimsx.com/stoofoo/videos/pds_video_project.html) :( ). Casually playing, you can beat the game in under 12 hours. Speed running? I've heard of people beating it in under 4 hours and 15 minutes.

Of course, by the speedrunning criteria then Morrowind (http://www.archive.org/details/Morrowind_SS_1426) and Fallout 2 (http://www.archive.org/details/Fallout2_SS_1751) would also qualify as being monster short...

Rhapsody was really short (then again, it was geared towards mentally challenged preteen girls), as was Parasite Eve (which I found to be one of the easiest games I've ever played...I beat it without dying the first time I played it). Quest 64 was another bite-sized rpg...


Terranigma, I wish it was longer.

I agree. I ended up playing through it in just under 10 hours and was left wishing that there was more. Way more. :(

[vulcanjedi]

Another vote for Panzer Dragoon Saga (on of my favorite games (http://www.roushimsx.com/stoofoo/videos/pds_video_project.html) :( ). Casually playing, you can beat the game in under 12 hours. Speed running? I've heard of people beating it in under 4 hours and 15 minutes.


Damn

2 months after picking that up new I was finished in 18 hours. There was one sequence in the middle where you were fighting in tunnels that took 5 hours alone..

VJ

[-hellvin-]

Of course, by the speedrunning criteria then Morrowind (http://www.archive.org/details/Morrowind_SS_1426)

Hehe, I'm guessing, but I'd imagine that speed run is done with alchemy? Man does that skill break the game. It's damn fun to use though. I remember once fortifying speed or something like that so high that when I jumped I flew like superman across the entire continent and went through about 10 load screens and kept flying across the ocean.....

[Sammelhammel]

Shadowrun (SNES) is one of the shortest (I know it's not a real RPG ;) )
You need under 10 hours....

[MarkMan]

I felt the first Paper Mario game on N64 was quite short.

[Leroy]

Wanderers from Ys for the PS2.. took three hours to finish.

[Raedon]

Quest 64

[xmagxus]

Rhapsody as several people mentioned is very short. It's prolly like 6 hours long, shorter than even games like god of war. I personally enjoyed the game. You don't play it if you are looking for a great plot or a challenge... you play it if you just wanna be lazy and had a really long or hard day.

[WanganRunner]

Parasite Eve was indeed hella short.

Brave Fencer was also short, but I still took like 12 hrs to beat it, just because I screwed around so much, enjoyed the environments, etc... I really loved that game, 12 hours of goody goody goodness.

[Gapporin]

After the longest RPG thread that was posted recently, I felt compelled to ask this same question, but decided to bump up a previously created thread. Any more additions to the list since then?

[AB Positive]

I need to throw in the translated Ranma 1/2 RPG. When I beat it after a hair over ten hours, I literally WTF'ed as the end credits scrolled. "Wait... that's it? That's the whole game?"

I didn't even have to grind it was so quick. Meh plot, but I'm a Ranma whore so I played it anyway.

[BetaWolf47]

Some RPGs are ridiculously short, and just increase the random encounter rate and attack animations to pad the game. If Pokemon Diamond and Pearl didn't have so many animations in which the sprites just stretch and bounce during battle, the game would only be 60% as long. Hard to find a legitimately long RPG that doesn't use gimmicks to lengthen it.

[DonMarco]

I could breeze through Mass Effect in maybe 6-7 hours if I wanted to. If you skip past the skippable dialogue, cut scenes, and side missions the game breezes by.

I want to say the shortest RPG I've played through is the first Dragon Warrior can be beat in about 10 hours, but it's been a while since I tried to do so. The old Game Boy Final Fantasy Legend game may also be short- I certainly remember it not taking too long, but not how long, exactly. Anyone else remember this game?

[ShinobiMan]

Shortest RPG's I've ever played are:

Mega Man X: Command Mission (Gamecube)
Evolution: The World of Sacred Device (Dreamcast)

I remember them clocking in around 16 hours each, possibly less. Still a blast.

[tom]

DragonStomper short but a beauty

[Zoe F]

The shortest ones I can think of are:

Ys
Ys III
Parasite Eve
Fable

All of the above can be leisurely finished in 10-15 hours or less.