credits_before_midnight

A huge map does not require a huge campaign. I would rather finish a sharp 25-hour story and spend another hundred hours exploring than watch the main plot pause for fifteen missions that exist because the budget was enormous. Long games often confuse duration with importance. Every character needs a subplot, every system needs a tutorial mission and every region needs a reason to appear in the campaign. The result can feel comprehensive and still lose momentum. Give Lucia and Jason a focused story with room to breathe. Let the open world carry the scale. Credits appearing before exhaustion would be a feature.

A game ending while I still like it feels rare now. Eight focused hours, credits, maybe replay on hard. Perfect. I do not need a crafting tree, six regions, gear score and 140 map icons to justify playing. Half the time those systems are just one good combat loop wearing several hats. Short games let levels be specific. The sewer can be twenty minutes instead of an entire sewer district with collectibles and three fast travel points. If I finish your game, I remember the ending. If I quit at hour 34 while clearing bandit camps, I remember checking boxes.