PSP owners: grab your dairies, flip to February and blank out half of that, plus March and April: Rising Star Games has announced Half-Minute Hero, the incredible fast-paced RPG from Marvelous Entertainment, will be arriving in Europe on February 12th 2010.Half-Minute Hero is genuinely one of the most inventive games around, and impossible - as proved by science - to play without grinning.
A homage to a bygone era, Half-Minute Hero fuses old-school visuals with a modern-day twist. In each level, a Dark Lord discovers a new way to destroy our Hero's world: he must solve a series of puzzles and level-up enough to defeat the massive end-of-level boss. In 30 seconds. Every time.
In TV and film, it's a well-worn cliché: This message will self-destruct in 30 seconds. But in the land of bloated videogames, size - it is sometimes claimed - matters. Half-Minute Hero goes completely against the grain: in each level, the hero must save the world, 30 seconds at a time.
Of course, there are certain mechanics to extend our Hero's lifespan. Worshiping the Goddess of Time at certain locations - for a fee, of course - can replenish the clock, but only up to a maximum of 30 seconds. Levelling up - the old RPG staple, though this time possible every few seconds - allows our Hero to plough through combat more quickly - but only when the legend "You > Evil" appears does he stand a realistic chance of defeating the level's Dark Lord.
Four different gaming styles and in-game characters combine to offer tremendous variety. Blazing shooters, escort missions and quick-witted strategy will all play a part in the game's 100-plus missions - and then there's the multiplayer options which cater for up to four Half-Minute Heroes at a time (ad hoc mode).
At odds with its title, Half-Minute Hero is a real monster, offering around 20 hours of gameplay. The key difference is that each section is divided into bite-size chunks - so you can play for as long as little as you like: while away an evening, or have a blast when you're on the bus.
Visually, it's a love-letter to 8-bit classics, with gorgeous exaggerated sprites running around fantastic top-down and side-on visuals, just like the games they used to make. Lush hand-drawn interludes bring the graphics bang up to date between chapters, whilst the script buzzes and fizzes with fanboyisms.
"Despite being firmly grounded in the fantasy RPG mould, Half-Minute Hero is a game unlike any other," says Martin Defries, managing director, Rising Star Games. "It's impossible to play without a massive grin on your face. But don't let that fool you - this is one deep and engrossing game, with a substantial single player adventure and countless multiplayer options. It's a game which keeps on giving - but like an inexperienced teenager: 30 seconds at a time."
Half-Minute Hero will be published by Rising Star Games on February 12th 2010, exclusively for PSP.