In this modern world we live in, where TikTok and Instagram Reels lull us into a state of Brainrot, everyone’s attention span is at an all-time low.
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This usually translates to a gaming landscape where most games will aim for a fast start to sink their hooks in fast before you lose interest and inevitably play something new.
It’s a smart move for player retention, but some games are brave and bold enough to set their stall out with long openings to set the scene. For better, or worse.
Whether this is a ludicrously long tutorial, an initial act that stretches for hours on end, or an attempt to immerse the player in a complex world, these games take an age to truly begin.
Sometimes this is great, sometimes it is dull as dishwater. But regardless, we aim to showcase some of the most jarring examples of games that take forever to begin.
10Metaphor ReFantazio
I Just Can’t Wait To Be King
Metaphor: ReFantazio
When it comes to ATLUS games, just about any JRPG in their extensive catalog would have easily slotted into this list. Pretty much all SMT and Persona games take about 10+ hours to explain the world around you, how you fit into it, and the depth of systems present as you play.
However, I think it’s only right we go with a little bit of recency bias and talk aboutMetaphor ReFantazio, which does the exact same thing to explain the strange monarchy and religious ideals of this world and all the drama that comes part and parcel with that.
By the time you’re actually let loose totake on your first major dungeon, you’ll have already lost a major party member, met a slew of major characters,have fought (or snuck around) a dragon,uncovered corruption within the military ranks, and will have launched your campaign to become king.
In short, the game works hard to set the scene before letting you off the leash, but in the game’s defense, it’s a better experience for it.
9Kingdom Hearts 2
Who The Hell is Roxas
Kingdom Hearts 2
While I know that a lot of people hatethe extended tutorial found in Kingdom Hearts 2, I’m certainly part of the minority that loves it. This is perhaps because I was one of the few who played Chain of Memories and 358/2 Days, so I already had an affinity with Roxas.
But equally, I can understand why everyone was annoyed that they had to play as this literal nobody for hours until Sora came out of cryosleep.
It’s a long-winded tutorial for sure, but one that has a lot of work to do to seamlessly link the first and second major releases in the series despite multiple canon releases in-between, and you have to say, it does a phenomenal job.
It makes you care for Roxas and Axel, offers a very cool setting in the form of Twilight Town, and explains the unbreakable link between Sora and Roxas. Did it need to be 3+ hours long? Yeah, perhaps not, but even still, I think it gets more heat than it deserves.
8Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Just A Regular Dude
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
If there is ever a game that justifies a long-winded and slow-paced opening, it’s KCD. This game is one that revels in offering methodical, hyper-realistic RPG systems, and this essentially means that you can’t just do the usual RPG thing and play as a demi-god right from the offset.
Instead, you’ll have to play as Henry, just a regular guy with no tangible skills, and only through strife, struggle, and careful decision-making will you be able to get ahead.
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So, with this in mind, the game has you do odd jobs around your hometown to get to gripswith the cumbersome combat systems, speechcraft, trading, and much more.
It’s necessary, but it’s definitely a slog, as the opening few hours are pretty dull. But, if you can struggle through and learn these systems, you’ll be in for a real treat when the game releases you into this historically accurate and beautiful Slavic open world.
7Fallout 3
I am Alpha And Omega…
I personally consider the Fallout 3 tutorial opening one of the finest in gaming history, both from a narrative point of view, and in terms of gameplay design.
However, it definitely loses its shine after a few replays. After the first time around, you begin to feel just how long, plodding, and critically unskippable vast portions of this tutorial are.
It’s fun the first time around to get to know daddy Liam Neeson, have a few tussles with Butch, and ultimately escape the vault to the dismay of the Overseer.
But, it does take forever to get to that moment where the light blinds you as you step out into the Capital Wasteland for the first time. Thankfully, there is a mod that allows you to skip this tutorial entirely, but for console players, this will always be a burden you will have to bear.
6Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
A Glorified Action Movie
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
I was torn between which Kojima project to throw in here, because heaven knows that man loves a long-winded opening, but while Death Stranding was a good option, MGS5 really takes the biscuit here.
MGS5 is an opening that not only stops you from getting out into the open world and engaging in all thatwonderful stealth-based actionthe game is beloved for. It also ensures your first hour is a very hands-off experience.
The opening hour is effectively one big hour-long interactive cut-scene, and while it is an action-packed opening, to say the least, it really drags on and doesn’t do all that much to set you up for what MGS5’s actual gameplay when the leash gets taken off.
Plus, if you don’t finish it in one sitting, you’ll just have to start over. So buckle in for this one and endure this glorified movie because it’s worth it to get into the real action.
5Cyberpunk 2077
One Last Job
Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 is one of those rare games that decide to give the player the choice of multiple openings based on your character’s background.
However, one thing remains consistent no matter which one you pick. You won’t be getting to roam freely around Night City for quite some time. This is because the game is keen to funnel you through the Arasaka heist and form a strong bond between you and your pal, Jackie Wells.
You’ll spend the guts of five hours bonding with Jackie, planning your attack on the biggest corporation in Night City, and by the time you are free to explore this expansive Cyberpunk world, you’ll have Keanu Reeves living inside your noggin, slowly but surely taking your body for their own self-obsessed purposes.
It’s a long opening, but to be fair, it’s a very engaging one that sets the tone perfectly. So just sit back and enjoy the ride. Night City will open up to you before you know it.
4Assassin’s Creed 3
Wait, Are We The Baddies?
Much like Kingdom Hearts 2, Assassin’s Creed 3 decides to open up proceedings by having the player control a character that you won’t be playing as for the vast majority of the experience.
Instead of Connor, you’ll be playing as their father, Haytham Kenway, and this initial dive into colonial America lasts for around 5-6 hours. So, it’s a pretty extensive time commitment to a section that is effectively a prologue. But, in all fairness, the payoff is more than worth it.
You see, the game will endear you to this new character, immerse you in this historical period on the cusp of the American Revolution and then just when your about to get set loose in the world as Connor Kenway, it’s revealed that you ain’t no Assassin.
You’re playing as the big baddies known as the Templars. It’s an incredible plot twist, and even if the opening stages are annoyingly linear, it’s one of the best openings in AC history.
3Forspoken
This Is Torture!
Unlike a lot of these games on this list that decided on a long opening and stuck the landing, Forspoken only prolonged its own suffering, and by extension, the suffering of all the players who were unfortunate enough to play this one.
Forspoken’s opening is laughably long and filled with all the worst gameplay the game has to offer. The traversal mechanics are phenomenal in this game, and yet the opening hours are spent in a barren city doing glorified MMO fetch quests.
This would have all been fine had the characters, the world and the core narrative had been interesting, but it’s about sways from utterly obnoxious to painfully boring so frequently you’ll likely get whiplash.
The protagonist is downright unlikeable; the starting city is so lacking in detail that it feels unfinished, and only when you get to let loose to enjoy the parkour mechanics will you have any fun with this game. But by that point, you’ll likely have bounced off this one, and truthfully, I can’t blame you.
A Slow Burn
Red Dead Redemption 2
The Red Dead Redemption series, alongside the GTA series, is celebrated for offering one of the most incredible open-world sandboxes where the player has complete freedom to do whatever they want.
However, before you get to this point where you can explore, procrastinate and cause chaos in this wild West setting, you’ll need to get through the very linear, slow burn first chapter of this epic tale.
This opening introduces you to Arthur Morgan and his clan, teaches you all the controls you’ll need to survive in this expansive world, and, of course, you’ll get the first embers of a story that becomes a real barn burner as time goes on.
Much like GTA V, the game doesn’t truly begin until you get out of the snowy setting. But once you do, you’ll have more on your plate than you could ever imagine.
1The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Takes A While To Get Edgy
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
This may be a bit of an unpopular opinion, but Twilight Princess is still my favorite Zelda game of all time. It’s dark, brooding, and full of memorable moments. But, I have to admit that my love for this game is very much in spite of the long, plodding opening.
The opening is deeply at odds with the dark tone of the game, and has you doing a lot of odd jobs around Ordon Village that just aren’t interesting enough to warrant the length of this glorified tutorial.
It essentially holds you back from everything that Zelda is all about. Dungeon crawling, hack-and-slash combat, and puzzle-solving. I will admit that it’s probably the game that showcases the beauty of Link’s home best and incentivizes the player by giving them a glimpse of something worth saving.
But, I just think there was a better, perhaps more concise way of showing this, as the dark theme kicking in is pretty jarring, and perhaps that’s why so many people think of this one as the black sheep of the Zelda franchise.
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