Genre: Action RPG, Mini Game, Shooter, Real Time Strategy

Half minute Hero (Yussha 30) is like a mix between an RPG and Wario Ware.

There are three standard modes:

1. Hero
2. Demon Lord
3. Princess and unlockable content such as the Warrior Protector mode. The game’s catch – each stage must be defeated in 30 seconds.

I’m sure there was a plot somewhere, but since I played it in Japanese I very rarely attempted to make it out. In the first mode, the main “Half Minute Hero” mode, revolved around a blond haired prince(?), who is traveling all over the world defeating evil demons who have conquered every castle in existence apparently.

In 30 seconds you must

1. Grind Level up and collect money
2. Buy Items/equipment and keep your health up
3. Run over the world map in an attempt to actually reach the castle
4. Defeat the castle boss. This sounds like alot to complete in 30 seconds, but fear not, if you have collected enough money you can pay the greedy gracious goddess of time to extend your timer.

The first mode kept me amused, and the bosses and boss music were generally epic. The only problem I had was… by nature I tend to grind to much~ so I rarely even attempted to beat the stages in 30 seconds!!! The only problem with this is, the more you extend your time, the more money it costs. If you cannot pay the Time Goddess she does crazy stuff and strips you of all your clothes. Good luck fighting the last boss totally naked xP

In the second mode you are the “Half Minute Demon Lord.” You have the power to summon demons and other evil beasts in order to fight off armies.  There are three different demons you can summon, and three types of enemies, basically its like Rock/Paper/Scissors with sorcery and a time limit. As you kill the enemies you collect coins which you can use to extend your time by paying the time goddess who is hiding in a barrel for some reason in this mode.

The third mode is “Half Minute Princess.” You play as a princess who is carried by an army of archers into the vast unknown. She must find a certain item and make it back to the castle before nightfall when the castle gate is closed. I have to admit that its very awesome to see hundreds of arrows flying everywhere killing everything. This game reminds me of old school side scrolling plane shooters. Out of the three standard versions this was my least favorite though. It gets very repetitive very fast.

The 4th mode, which can only be unlocked by finishing the first three, I believe is called “Half minute defender.” Unlike all the other games, the goal of this mode is to stay alive the full 30 seconds. You appear to be a knight of some sort, and you must protect a sorcerer for 30 seconds while they perform a spell that can kill all the enemies in the stage. If they get hit the spell takes longer to cast, and they have such low HP that bosses can usually kill the sorcerer in a single hit.  This mode is actually quite difficult. You can’t run very far very fast carrying him. And your attacks do little to fend off the army of demons. Just think of it as the ESCORT MISSION FROM HELL!

The 5th mode, is essentially the same type of mode as the first, infact you play the same character again. But this time the time goddess is gone, and you have 300 seconds to find all the other characters in the game. While this is the most epic mode of all; It can become very aggravating to have to redo the ENTIRE game over and over. 300 seconds doesn’t seem like a long time… till you have to redo those same 300 a few dozen times xD You have to be very careful for how much time you alot to grinding, and it will require you to play several times through because you can’t guess what level the next miniboss will be.

The 6th mode is insane torture which I have no intention of playing. You have 3 seconds to beat each stage with the main character…
You play the same 3 seconds 100… 200 times and you will probably loose your mind xD
The time goddess is alive in this mode… but its very hard to grind for money to actually pay her and time things just right so you can return back to the town before the time hits 0:00.

While this is neither a long or over complicated game, it has a lot of replay value if you actually want to attempt beating all the stages without the assistance of the Time Goddess, and a “Hard Mode” which I have not dared to tried. I believe there are also many secrets and different endings; but not much in the way of “cheater’s guides” are out yet.  The old school pixelated characters are very amusing if you’re a fan of older RPG’s. And As I said; the music is totally amazing. The game seems to have a sense of humor about itself, and is over the top in many ways.

This is supposed to be released some time this Fall in North America. No specific date yet though.

Here is the awesome opening screen music. The last boss music is my favorite, but I had no luck finding any videos.