I disagree with the notion that it's okay for side content to be fluff since it's optional. Side content is part of the DNA of an RPG. Getting to a new area and choosing whether to beeline through the critical path *or* stick around, gear up your party, explore, do optional quests, etc., is part of what makes the genre compelling. Regardless of whether or not that content is technically "optional", it's part of the game (and if we're splitting that particular hair, playing the game is, in and of itself, optional). In the OG FFVII, getting Vincent or Yuffie is optional. Shinra Manor is optional. Several of the Weapons are optional, and there are optional side dungeons. Entire towns, like Wutai, are optional. All of these things are interesting and meaningful, and they all tie directly into the core game mechanics. I love that there are these interesting, surprising things littered around the world that curious players can stumble across, but that other players will miss. It makes the decision of whether to sprint through the main story or hang out and explore feel meaningful. The game would be lesser without those experiences, and it would be lesser without the choice, surprise, and sense of adventure inherent in discovering them.