Final Fantasy IV pioneered the formula for modern JRPGs, and even after all this time, it could show the newcomers a thing or two about pacing and storytelling.
Final Fantasy IV shows how tedious modern JRPGs have become : Read more
Sorry, but this article smells overgeneralization and oversimplification, with a dose of nostalgia. There are also games thare are huge and earn their time, and games that are short and feel like do would be better if things were flashed out more.
The how long to beat pointing at Persona 5, ok. The game(s) takes time because they have life simulation elements, which adds to the experience the franchise ains to provide, not merely filler. Xenoblade games takes time because their worlds are huge, and as a matter of fact, some of the most beautiful and full of things to explore there is, far from what should be considered filler.
That comparision between the beggining of FF4 and Xenoblade 3 is just silly. While many things are listed one your brief time there, truth of the matter is, none of them holds the same weight as an all out war with each side killing each other for more life spam, with races and two worlds from two previous games in a build up story of 10 years that Monolith Soft crafted with the Xenoblade series. Do not disregard cutscenes as mere downtime when talking about super well crafted cutscenes in a story with a lot of background.
Furthermore, many times when people say some RPGs waste their time with griding, that is actually on them and not the game. Some people resort to level up to face challenges in the story when this is actually the less desirable approach to face these challenges, equivalent to mindless bruteforce. The actual mean you are expected to deal with it is through good management of equipments, attack options, accessories, classes, party composition and proper strategy, that is, you know, playing well. If you nail that, level is not much of a barrier.