Short game or long game?

[Song Dance]

Will this game be very short or a very long RPG experience? I don't know what if the developers ever mentioned the game length estimate. If the game is very short I won't bother buying it. I'm looking to invest a nice amount of time.

[Tyran Asarus Rex]

I remember reading somewhere that they said it'll be around 4x the "length of The Messenger", which is around a 10-15 hour game. So my guess is Sea of Stars will be around 40 hours, to 55+ depending on sidequests, achievements, etc.

[Soleil]

Originally posted by PyroNemesis:

I remember reading somewhere that they said it'll be around 4x the "length of The Messenger", which is around a 10-15 hour game. So my guess is Sea of Stars will be around 40 hours, to 55+ depending on sidequests, achievements, etc.

The author that you read this from may have misinterpreted the original statement by the developers. On the developers' Discord, they've mentioned that Sea of Stars requires 4 times the scope:

Originally posted by Thierry:

It doesn't translate directly to how many assets are made or playtime, but in terms of production (team size and dev time) the scope is 4 times The Messenger

There was also an analogy used involving a soufflé vs. a cereal bowl, where it's 4 times as complex to make a soufflé, but you don't necessarily receive 4 times the amount of food.

The developers on their Discord have also gone out of their way to avoid mentioning the exact length of time, due to how it might impact the player's reactions to certain story beats.

Question on their Discord:

Originally posted by Wandering Customer:

How long is the game on a regular playthrough? +/-

Wanted to get an idea of how long the main campaign would be on a regular playthrough (no speedrun relics, etc.).

Or is this something you guys would rather not say?

Developer response:

Originally posted by Thierry:

Happy to give this answer a place to stay!

(tl;dr a precise answer will never be given by Sabotage on this question, and for an optimal experience we recommend you don't look for it)

Philosophy around play time:
From a design perspective, play time is not an ingredient that we work with; the main focus is rather on pacing and variety of the environments. What this means is that for any dungeon or puzzle or health bar or bit of dialogue, the sole consideration is to keep things moving, never stall, and overall aim for a game that will have a higher play time in combination with how many times it will be replayed in the event that we managed to keep things fresh and avoid tedium.

The script being the main driver, there are no artificial detours (i.e. a moment where you could just cross the bridge and move on but the guard wants a phoenix egg which throws you into a 4 hour self-contained loop when they could have simply stepped aside or not be there in the first place. it's okay for an NPC to need something from you, but you should also need something meaningful from them). This is the one area where Chrono Trigger was the biggest influence: a story that keeps on moving, where you always know what you are doing and why, in a way that feels clear and connected.

To bring it back to your question, we don't design around a target or minimum play time. I'm well aware of the old chef saying that as long as there is water there is sauce, but in writing and game direction I definitely put emphasis on the "distill rather than dilute" mindset.

Around gameplay, those who played the demo may have noticed this bite-sized approach, where ingredients offer variety but don't overstay their welcome, like for example the falling platforms in the yellow room. Where it would have been easy to combine and break down that mechanic over a dozen pitfalls with fights in-between each of them for the sake of demo length, the "1-2-3 and never use that again" direction is a perfect example of the game feel we are shooting for:
1. Discover something new
2. Play with it
3. Be slightly challenged by it
4. Begone with it, back to step 1

Like most things in life, it's understood that this approach is not for everyone. But don't get me wrong, I also love getting lost in a desert and then a forest, supported only by a vague sense of the town we have to reach to get more knowledge about a conflict with the empire, all in a premise that dropped so many names you just give up and opt to roll with it. I play those titles as much as any other, but for Sea of Stars the idea was to shoot for a shorter and tighter experience that keeps unravelling new things that are done before the player is.

If you don't mind more retro references, this does mean that the game will be closer in play time to a Chrono Trigger rather than a Final Fantasy 6. This general difference is also true for a lot of elements, such as enemies being fully animated in different angles rather than being a single frame that blinks when attacking, and playable characters also being fully animated including all the way into their special attacks and combo moves, etc.

So, hopefully this helps you set your expectations, but I will add that the best way to experience Sea of Stars will definitely be to not look up this information once it inevitably becomes available, and let yourself go with the flow without the knowledge of what percentage of the game is left, for that would absolutely taint your engagement with some of the story beats.

I think it's totally normal to want to know the gameplay length ahead of time, especially if you have real-life obligations that conflict with the amount of time you can devote to video games. But if you have the luxury to avoid this information, the recommendation is to not look up the gameplay length. This information is also likely to come to light tomorrow (when the review embargo is lifted), if not the next day when the game is released.

[Saluko]

I feel 40 hours is a good sweet spot for a game like this, that's if its all story etc. Ofcourse that all depends on the pacing of the game ( chapters ? ) etc. Sometimes a 100 H game can feel like a slog. ( again depends on the pacing, some 100H+ games ive played were great, others not so much. )

[Melodia]

It feels like every time I see someone mention CT's length, it gets shorter.
No, CT is not that short. It's more like 25.

[Катюша]

Yeah, if it's too short, then I'll have to move on other games. Hopefully it is addressed once players get their hands on the game, through reviews or videos.

[Thrillhouse]

Very likely a 15-20 hour RPG, which is fine. I mean serioulsy, I just powered through Lufia 2 in a day. Good games are good because they are fun, not long

[welly321]

Originally posted by Garlboh:

Originally posted by Melodia:

It feels like every time I see someone mention CT's length, it gets shorter.
No, CT is not that short. It's more like 25.

I finished it just a week ago, in anticipation for Sea of Stars, finished everything and it took 17.5 hours, that was with all the side quests, though I didn't do new game+ or achieve any extra endings. Last time I played was 8 years ago, so basically blind.

It really is that short. You don't really need to grind and the game does a fairly good job of guiding you (most of the time) so there's not much filler.

And how many times have you played through CT before that? Subsequent playthroughs of a game are ALWAYS much faster.

[wjo]

Reviews are saying it's around 25 hours

[Raphael Lux]

First reviews like of godisageek say its about 30 hours long

[Terranigma23]

30 hours. Also like in all rpg, it depends on if you really want to 100% it (side quest, optional boss, chest, mini game, spoiler, etc).

[DoomlordofDoom]

Originally posted by Grilled Charlie:

Good games are good because they are fun, not long

Give this person an amen

[REM 🔋]

Around 25-hours or so.

[REM 🔋]

Originally posted by DoomlordofDoom:

Originally posted by Grilled Charlie:

Good games are good because they are fun, not long

Give this person an amen

A game is not good if it's cut too short. That's a serious flaw.

[tap and die]

Players being obsessed with length is the reason why we get so much garbage padded to games.

[MadMax]

Around 30 hours.