"Dammit, I'm going the right way" JRPG paths.

[IcaroRibeiro]

I was playing one of my favorite Final Fantasies some days ago, which was FFX

A really great combat system, iconic art design and presentation and an exceptional story, but the linearity of the maps turned it a very poor game to replay (It's my fourth or fifith time playing I think, I generally take 3-4 years breaks on each replay). Basically nothing happens on maps while you need to traverse the points until the temples and towns where the important story bits happen

If day linearity by itself it's not bad, but it's certainly harder to make a linear game to have a captivating map design. Branching options are a way devs use to ensure your playtrough don't resume to a simple walk in a street. However if the branching is just going to an dead-end you will bet bored of it fast

So in the end it all comes down to map design. Circular map designs with shortcuts and paths giving you to same destinations mitigate linearity, avoid the boredom of always knowing where to go and give you incentives to explore the maps