Modern AAA games easily demand 60+ hours to complete, with maps so vast it’s like asking players to move in. Missions, side quests, and collectibles pile on layer after layer. James Wragg, the creator of indie RPG Entropy, believes players are experiencing “open world fatigue” — because while many large games offer rich systems, they also tend to have players repeat the same tasks dozens or even hundreds of times, often getting tired before reaching the ending.
The Charm of Old Games: At Least They Don’t Drag On Forever!
Wragg thinks older games had something that’s actually rare nowadays — they know when to end. He points to games from the PS1, PS2, and GameCube era, which were typically more concise and direct, with very intentional design choices. He uses 2002’s The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker as an example, arguing that a roughly 10-hour experience is already condensed enough — there’s no need to pad playtime with unnecessary content.
Even The Developer Didn’t Finish Breath of the Wild, Yet Wants to Replay Wind Waker
What’s even more interesting is that Wragg isn’t just complaining about large games — he admits he hasn’t even fully completed The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, yet finds himself wanting to replay The Wind Waker instead.