Role-playing games have always been a love affair of mine. Perhaps it is because I play multiple roles over the course of my day: athlete, teacher, student, son, brother, bill payer, humorist, writer, gamer, demon hunter. Of course, it is very draining to play multiple roles at once, especially those roles that are not naturally a part of one’s personality. Now there is a quick love letter on the PSP for RPG lovers. This game is called Half-Minute Hero.
Half-Minute Hero is the commercial version of a Japanese indie game called 30 Second Hero. The premise and story is mostly the same. The world is going to end in 30 seconds and your heroes have to save it before everything goes “boom.” The Time Goddess will reset time for you at a cost (her excuse is that “time is money”). She’s pretty nice, if a bit obsessed about gold. The plot could be considered cliché, but it is a fun ride. The thing is, the game is satirizing every major RPG series out there. You may not always know it, but its tongue is perfectly in cheek. It is ready to crack a joke and elicit a smirk at any moment. Furthermore, the story never takes place on the map. Instead, you’ll watch it unfold in front of you with the 2-D pixilated characters talking. Thankfully, they roam about the screen, not content to sit idly.
This brings us to its graphical presentation. Everything is done in the old-school 8-bit pixels. Some people will find it endearing, summoning memories of yesteryear. Others will find it painful. Personally, I feel that it fits perfectly with what the game is about: old-school RPG action. It moves smoothly and never slows down. Areas are varied and unique, ranging from the typical grassy plains to snow-peaked mountains to sandy beaches. Plus, all of the demon lords are unique (more on that later) and are references to several games. Best of all, load times are quick and painless.
Half-Minute Hero cuts out all of the extraneous stuff. There are no side quests, few extra challenges, unneeded characters to worry about or protect, and no nooks and crannies to poke your head into. It gives you exactly what you want in bite-size pieces. In a way, it is refreshing to only have the bare minimum, to know exactly what you are getting yourself into.
There are four basic games to play through. There is “Hero 30,” which is the meat of the game. You control a silent protagonist who runs from area to area destroying evil lords in 30 seconds or fewer. During this time, you’ll have to kill monsters to gain money, levels and equipment and, of course, help out every villager you meet. I’m not a big fan of it because it lasts twice as long as the other modes. In other words, it overstays its welcome.
Then there is “Dark Lord 30,” which has the funniest story out of all the other modes. This time you control a vain dark lord who is in love with a mortal girl. When a bunch of “mad” humans attack his castle, he sets out to discover what caused them to attack. This mode is essentially a real-time strategy game with rock-paper-scissors elements. How full the sigil around him is influences the strength of the monster summoned. Quickly summoning one monster after another will allow you to surround him, but it won’t be very effective. However, if you don’t summon fast enough, you can get overwhelmed. It’s intriguing, especially since there are the “Fabulous Four” (elemental guardians) to summon and help tide the waves of battle.
The third mode is “Princess 30.” In this scenario, you control a princess who is trying to figure out a way to cure her sick father. Unlike the other three modes, “Princess” mode is a 2-D shooter. Wait, a shooter? Yep, she destroys all in her path using her crossbow, and doing so is intuitive. This is one of my favorites because it is a blast to play through. The fourth and final mode is “Knight 30.” This is an action-protector mode. You have to protect the sage so he can cast a spell to 
The sound is great. Swords do not really clash, but you’ll hear them run into the enemy. Your heroes’ footsteps can be heard as they run from place to place. The magical “ring” is heard, along with the traditional withdrawal sound, when time is turned back. Furthermore, the music ranges from the somewhat soothing orchestral synthesizers of the village to organ rock. Yes, organs and heavy guitars combine to set up the fast-paced epic that’s about to unfold. Everything about the music fits the title perfectly. The downside is that there is no voice acting. Yet again, it would completely ruin the game’s retro vibe if there was any.
Overall, Half-Minute Hero is a blast to play through. It cuts out all the fat and leaves behind all the lean muscle. Nothing there is not without a purpose: the music, the writing and the gameplay. It follows an element of short stories: parsimony. However, not everyone is going to like or appreciate this. And that’s a shame. How many games out there would be a bit stronger if they cut out some stuff? At the same time, there is something to be said about being able to poke one’s nose into everything. Regardless, though, go check it out. It’s worth your time if you’ve enjoyed the RPGs of yore. There’s something to be said about saving the world in 30 seconds. Excuse me; I need to set up my schedule in 30 second increments. Starting ... now.
