Half-Minute Hero is a hybrid real-time strategy/action RPG/shoot 'em up developed by Marvelous Entertainment. It will be re-released on the Xbox Live Arcade on June 29, 2011 for 800 MS Points.
Half-Minute Hero's single player mode features 6 different game modes. Each mode is based on one part of a larger story, and as such, the last three modes are not available until the player has completed the first three modes; these last three modes are then unlocked in order after completing the previous mode. Each mode centers around a mechanic based on a limited amount of time (normally 30 seconds as implied by the game's title) to complete that part of the game.[8]
Hero 30 Mode plays similar to a console role-playing game. The player, as the Hero, is tasked by the Time Goddess to become powerful enough in 30 seconds to find and defeat an enemy boss that is seeking to cast a spell of destruction that will end the world in 30 seconds. To do so, the Hero explores an overworld, encountering random monsters with battles that take place automatically based on the Hero's current equipment to gain experience levels. The Hero can enter towns where the Time Goddess will pause time, allowing for time to shop for equipment and health items, talk to residents and find allies to help in battle, as well to pay money to a statue of the Goddess to reset the countdown timer to 30 seconds. Each successive use of this power becomes more costly to the player. There are 30 missions in this mode which are completed in succession; the player can go back to previous missions to try to better their performance or find additional equipment that will carry over into future mission; however, the player cannot use equipment gained on later missions during an earlier mission.
Evil Lord 30 Mode plays similar to a real-time strategy game. The player controls Evil Lord who can summon three types of creatures, Brawlers, Shooters, and Nimbles, to fight enemy forces and complete a task. The monster strengths are based on a Rock-paper-scissors approach; Nimbles are strong against Shooters and weak against Brawlers, for example. The overall strength of summoned creatures is based on the size of a mana ring that is shown around the Evil Lord character; summoning creatures and taking damage reduces the size of this ring. Wandering creatures can be brought into the Evil Lord's control by moving the mana ring over them. Due to his nature, the Evil Lord can only be out-of-doors for 30 seconds at a time, thus enforcing a 30 second countdown timer, but by paying money gained from defeating enemies to barrels where the Time Goddess is waiting, the countdown timer can be reset. There are also 30 missions to complete in this mode, but include branching paths.
Princess 30 Mode plays similar to a Shoot 'em up game. The player controls the Princess who is equipped with a rapid-fire crossbow as her main weapon, and a number of guards that carry and protect her as she ventures out of the castle to get items to help her ailing father. However, she is imposed with a 30-second curfew, and her speed is dictated by the number of guards in her group; running into enemies will cause guards to fall out of the group, though the Princess can never be directly harmed. The Time Goddess has provided stretches of red carpets which, while the Princess is over them, will roll back the countdown timer but cost money to do so. The 30 missions are provided in a branching manner, with some missions leading to the ability to boost the crossbow's power or increase the running speed of the guards.
Knight 30 Mode is an action video game, where the player controls a Knight who has vowed to help protect a Sage. The Sage has the ability to cast a spell of destruction that takes 30 seconds (though need not be continuous) to evoke; the Knight is tasked with defending the Sage during this time. This can be done by ramming into or throwing objects at enemies to stun them, or carrying the Sage to a safe location (during which the Sage cannot continue the spell). Certain levels features bells that distract the Sage and reset the spell's timer, but they can be destroyed by the Knight. If the Sage takes too much damage, the player must start the level over. The 30 missions in this mode must be completed in order.
Hero 300 Mode is similar to Hero 30 Mode, but the player has 300 seconds to complete the single mission of this mode. The Time Goddess is not available in this mode, and furthermore, certain areas of the map become inaccessible every 60 seconds of the game, requiring the player to continue moving to find and defeat the final boss as fast as possible.
Hero 3 Mode is also similar to Hero 30 Mode, but the player only starts with 3 seconds to reach and defeat the boss in the mode's single mission. Unlike Hero 300, the Time Goddess is available to reset time as necessary.
There is also a limited multiplayer mode in which two heroes can fight to complete a quest before the other. The multiplayer mode features three stages in which the two players will fight to collect power ups and level up in order to fight the Evil Lord at the end.
