Half-Minute Hero is a tour de force of an RPG. There’s no slow, meandering build up that we’ve all seen in other more traditional RPGs. Instead Half-Minute Hero starts fast and never slows down. Understandable really considering each stage has a 30 second time limit attached to it. There’s no time for dilly dallying around here. Fortunately this forms the basis for one of the most compelling games I’ve played on the PSP.
Half-Minute Hero offers quite an array of different modes to play in but the jewel in the crown is that of the Hero 30 mode. This mode offers 30 missions initially, increasing to 50 once optional paths are taken, with each mission a 30 second dose of an RPG story. It’s impressive to see as each mission condenses the entirety of an RPG into just 30 seconds. This includes experience grinding, quest completions, item purchasing, beating bosses and even the end credits. It sounds strange, and it is, but it works extremely well once you realise just how the game works. You see, not everything can actually be accomplished in the meagre 30 seconds, which is where the Goddess of Time statues come in handy. These statues feature prominently in towns and can restore time to the full 30 seconds. There’s a fee attached though which increases every time you use the statue making it a careful balancing act in order to complete the level in time. It makes Hero 30 mode quite tactical but also a matter of trial and error. Frequently I found it took me numerous attempts to figure out the best method to complete each level making proceedings feel more like a puzzle game than RPG at times. Many of the levels offer optional side quests as well as the main objective meaning that multiple completions are very wise in order to acquire the best weapons. As much grinding as you might manage, experience gain doesn’t transfer across levels but weapons and other equipment do which makes it extremely useful to go back to previous levels to get as much out of them as possible.
Hero 30 mode doesn’t take long to complete assuming you know exactly what to do. In reality Hero 30 mode will keep players busy for many an hour as there will be many a moment of head scratching while trying to figure out what to do next. Pleasantly this is the most appropriate game I’ve yet played on any portable format, as levels never take too long to complete making it perfect to drop in and out of while still accomplishing a lot.
There’s more to Half-Minute Hero than the Hero 30 mode. Princess mode is a very enjoyable, mindless scrolling shoot em up. Again there’s the 30 second deadline and at times action gets very frantic but it makes for a nice distraction from more serious modes. All that is required is to traverse a set course, clearing enemies quickly and reaching the objective in time. Much button mashing is needed and it is very simplistic but I found it nearly as entertaining as Hero 30 mode.
Evil Lord mode and Knight modes are also included. Evil Lord mode is a 30 second Real Time Strategy game whereby players control a mage who can conjure up monsters to clear enemies in his path. Much like Paper Scissors Stone, each monster has its own advantages and disadvantages. It’s an easy mode to complete but also rather dull. It’s a similar tale with Knight mode where players control a knight as he protects a mage for 30 seconds through a maze like area. The latter two modes feel a bit of an afterthought but it is worth playing through them as they go onto unlock Hero 300 mode.
Hero 300 mode gives the player 300 seconds to complete each mission available in Hero 30 mode but there’s no way of resetting the clock making it a much more challenging experience. Once Hero 300 mode is completed, Hero 3 mode is unlocked. This is self explanatory and also ridiculously difficult! Good luck to any mad soul who tries to complete this one.
Half-Minute Hero is brilliant in nearly every way. Besides the fantastically enjoyable mechanics of the game, it’s also wonderfully tongue in cheek in its storytelling. It never takes itself, or the genres it parodies, too seriously which is great to see. While Evil Lord and Knight mode might lack some depth, it’s easily forgivable with the likes of Hero 30 mode and Princess mode being so strong and entertaining. This is a game that every PSP owner really needs to have in their collection.
VideogameUK verdict: 9/10
