JRPGsare great for their characters, combat, and stories, building intricate and deep worlds for you to explore. Many players love the depth afforded by a JRPG, allowing them to sink dozens of hours into the game.
But sometimes, you want a shorter journey that is no less impactful. While the trend seems to be moving towards longer and longer games, some even reaching into the hundred-hour mark for just the main story, there are still tons of shorter JRPGs out there, and some of them may even be better than their 100-hour long counterparts.
To be honest, most Pokemon games could fit on this list, as they’re all beatable in around 20 to 30 hours, even less if you know what you’re doing. The Mystery Dungeon spin-off games, however, are even shorter, and in Explorers of Sky specifically, you can roll credits in around 15 hours.
Of course, just like with any Pokemon game, you may spend hundreds of hours completing optional content, so the choice is yours if you want to keep playing past the credits. Explorers of Sky is one of the most beloved Pokemon spin-off games, and its story still holds up, especially if you’re looking for a shorter ride.
Chrono Trigger is often spoken of as one of the best JRPGs ever made, and luckily, it’s also one of the shortest, with an average time to beat of around 23 hours. What’s amazing about Chrono Trigger is how densely they’ve managed to pack the game. There’s no grinding, no filler, and the story never drags on.
That said, the game does have multiple endings, so if you want to experience everything the game has to offer, you may end up playing it a few times. Still, it’s much easier of a sell to replay a 20-hour JRPG versus a 50+ hour one to see the true ending, and no game respects your time like Chrono Trigger does.
Live A Live is a unique JRPG in that it’s essentially a collection of nine different stories set across different periods of time, like the prehistoric age, the near future, or Imperial China. These stories are all relatively short, at around two to three hours each, but they are all filled with detail and charm.
While you could choose any story and finish it to consider the game beaten, the final two scenarios unlock after beating the other seven, and serve as a way to bring all the others together. It’s definitely worth playing through each of Live A Live’s stories, and even then, it should only take around 20 hours to do.
The 2020 remake of Trials of Mana somehow manages to be even shorter than the original game, taking around 20 hours to beat. This JRPG has you choose three of six possible characters to comprise your party, with the game’s story changing depending on your protagonist and companion choices.
This means that the game has tons of replayability despite its initial short campaign length, so you can really decide for yourself how long you want the game to be. The remake has updated and expanded combat to, allowing you to pull off some interesting combinations between your party members.
The first Suikoden is the perfect example of a short but sweet JRPG. You play as the son of a general of the Scarlet Moon Empire, who sets out on a journey to gather the 108 Stars of Destiny and bring peace to the war-torn land.
The 108 Stars of Destiny are actually 108 unlockable characters, with the majority of them being able to join your party and fight directly in battle, while others help out indirectly. Despite this massive cast of characters, Suikoden only takes around 20 hours to beat, yet still manages to deliver one of the best stories in any JRPG.
Fuga: Melodies of Steel is a tactical JRPG, and the first in a trilogy of games about children fighting to survive using giant tanks. All three games in the trilogy are roughly the same length, clocking in at about 20 hours to beat each of them.
Fuga: Melodies of Steel tells a captivating story about what it takes to survive and how children navigate the perils of war. It’s an unforgettable story that is accompanied by some great music and fun gameplay, and the best part is that it doesn’t waste your time like some other massive JRPGs do.
Cosmic Star Heroine is an indie sci-fi JRPG inspired by the classics. You play as Alyssa L’Salle, an agent working for a top-secret intelligence agency who attempts to uncover a conspiracy within the organization.
Cosmic Star Heroine does its best to respect your time, with snappy combat that takes place within the world rather than a separate battle screen, a short but sweet campaign, and the ability to save wherever you want. Clocking in around 12 hours to beat, Cosmic Star Heroine offers some of the most densely packed fun you can find in a JRPG.
Speaking of densely packed fun, the 2023 remake of Super Mario RPG has one of the shortest JRPG campaigns at only 12 hours, but it loses nothing due to its short length. The whole experience is so fine-tuned that the game flies by, and the game never gets stale, even for a second.
Because of this, Super Mario RPG is great for replayability, since you never have to commit dozens of hours to re-experience your favorite parts again. And if you’ve never played it before, you’ll definitely have a few favorite parts; the game is absolutely dripping with that classic Mario charm.
