Let's create a list of short and good RPGs.

[dunpeal2064]

Super Mario RPG! My last playthrough was around 14 hours, average hltb is 16 hours.

[casterofdreams]

It's a much newer title but South Park: the Stick of Truth was very good and clocked in at less that 15 hours (my steam activity says less than 11 hours but I'm not 100% sure).

It absolutely has Mario RPG lineage in its combat blood and that's what I love about it.

[CFFJR]

This list needs Fable.

The original game can be done in probably 10-15 hours for a first timer.

The second and third games are a bit longer, but still in the same range.

[Xeogred]

Knights of the Old Republic - Been years since I played it, but HowLongtoBeat has it at 29 hours. Great game!

KOTOR 2 - Similar time on HLTB.

Played KOTOR1 last year.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Xbox - 32h 57m

Final Fantasy XV PlayStation 4 - 37h 39m = could have been shorter, it's not GOOD though. You can probably do the main story in 10-15.

Anyways, I'm gonna pull a Bone here and hope to see some older games getting listed. It would actually be hard to think of many 16bit RPG's I've played that crossed the 40 hour threshold, even 30 is high. Tactics Ogre Let Us Cling Together took me 60 something I believe. And I probably sunk 50 some hours in completionist or power leveling runs of FF4-FF6. But other than that, Secret of Mana, Seiken Densetsu 3, all the Quintet games, Chrono Trigger like most mentioned, Super Mario RPG, etc are all like 20 hours for sure.

Great thread idea though, should be a good reference.

[CFFJR]

Well any pre-Dreamcast Phantasy Star certainly fits the bill.

[BoneSnapDeez]

There are TONS of short RPGs. Bunches of 'em under ten hours, many are even under five.

If we're talkin' JRPGs, a good rule of thumb is to look first at 8 and 16-bit stuff. Computer (PC-88 and so on) JRPGs tend to be short, and of course action-RPGs are the shortest of the subgenres (usually).

I think the Hydlide series needs a mention, as all four entries are pretty brief.

Gurumin (by Falcom!) is a recent ARPG y'all might enjoy. Ten hours or so.

[elricorico]

I'll throw out a couple of favourites that jumped to mind and I haven't seen mentioned yet. Crystalis and Child of Light. One old and one new, both a lot of fun and somewhere around 10 hours.

[Ziggy]

Super Mario RPG and South Park: Stick of Truth are great suggestions!

If we're talkin' JRPGs, a good rule of thumb is to look first at 8 and 16-bit stuff.

The first Final Fantasy. How Long to Beat suggest the NES version is under 30, and I definitely remember the PS1 version being under 30 the first time I played it.

[BogusMeatFactory]

Has no one mentioned panzer Dragoon saga yet? 15 hours and a masterpiece!

[BoneSnapDeez]

Super Mario RPG and South Park: Stick of Truth are great suggestions!

If we're talkin' JRPGs, a good rule of thumb is to look first at 8 and 16-bit stuff.

The first Final Fantasy. How Long to Beat suggest the NES version is under 30, and I definitely remember the PS1 version being under 30 the first time I played it.

Actually, I don't think 30 hours is the best quantifier for a "short" RPG, if only because the vast majority of 8/16-bit games would qualify.

Looking at HowLongtoBeat, the only SNES RPGs that eclipse that 30 hour mark are the Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem games, a couple of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest titles, Breath of Fire II, and Tales of Phantasia. Everything else is under. Only three Genesis games surpass the 30 hour mark.

To me, a "short" RPG would generally be less than 15 hours. Something I could reasonably complete in a week of casual play. 30 hours is a pretty beefy time commitment.