How do you feel about long games & what makes some better than others?

I wanted to start a discussion because I noticed something from recent personal experience.

I'm mostly into RPGs - all kinds - JRPGs, tactics, CRPGs. I'm definitely no stranger to long games.

Currently I'm playing through Midnight Suns and Dragon Quest 11 on my steam deck and feeling conflicted. While I have put in about the same amount of time (about 110 hours) into both games - I find myself not as burned out by DQ.

Much might be said for different game design and presentation but still it makes me curious.

What makes us enjoy some long games more than others? The immersion factor or less padding and more variety? With Midnight Suns, while I started out absolutely loving it by about hour 50 I started feeling fatigued by it. It just feels so padded and I find myself playing it just to finish the story. Dragon Quest is JRPG so definitely has a lot padding and some grind, just has not made get bored with it in the same way.

Have you experiences something similar with other roleplaying games? What's a "magic formula" that makes a very long game, enjoyable to you all the way through its length?