Half-Minute Hero

General Information.

Half-Minute Hero (known as Yuusha 30 in Japan) is a new take on the standard RPG system for the PSP. The story mode consists of 30-second quests with hundreds of stages. The game also is a hybrid of several other genres, including shoot em' up and real-time Strategy elements.

Alongside the main story mode is a Ad-Hoc multiplayer mode which lets you race up to 3 other players in Hero mode. included in the game there is a gallery called the "Goddess Room" that lets you view artwork of characters and enemies. The game is available on UMD and on the PlayStation Network.

Story Mode

Hero 30

"Goddess Era 100...An epic battle has begun. With the evil lord's arrival, the world will be destroyed. What awaits the new young hero on the dangerous road ahead!? Save the World in 30 Sec!"

Hero 30 is the standard RPG-type mode in the game. This mode is unlocked from the start.

There are many missions in Hero 30, with many branching paths. You play as Hero. Each mission starts off with the boss of the level giving their speech, then you will start with 30 seconds to stop the Evil Lord. To defeat the boss you must level up and buy equipment and other items to help you on your quest. You can sprint to skip enemy encounters, but your HP will decrease as you sprint. If you die, you will restart at the beginning with 10 HP.

Warping Time

Time only stops during cutscenes and in towns, houses, or friendly castles (unless you play on the hard difficulty). But if you run low on time, you can visit a Time Goddess statue. You can pay some of the gold you receive from battles to reset time back to 30 seconds. It costs 100 the first time, but gradually goes up the more times you reset time in a level. 200 for the second time, 300 for the 3rd, etc. If you do not have enough money, you can trade all of your equipment for one final time reset. You will give your equipment to the Time Goddess after the mission is over.

Healing Items

In towns, you can spend gold to buy healing items. There are two main kinds. Regular food heals you instantly. While herbs can be saved and used at the press of a button. There are also some added effects, such as increasing Max HP.

Equipment

Like in any RPG, you are able to buy equipment such as swords or helmets to increase your stats. Stats are as follows.

• Attack- Increases the damage you deal
• Defense- Reduces the damage you take and reduces how far you get knocked back.
• Speed- Increases walking speed on the main map and in battle.

Day Cycles

There are three different parts of the day that can be experienced.

1. 30.00 to 20.01 seconds- Morning
2. 20.00 to 10.01 seconds- Afternoon
3. 10.00 to 0.00 seconds- Evening

Some missions have certain events that happen at the certain time of the day.

For example, a cave that has a rare item might have tough monsters at all times except for the evening.

World Map and Branching Paths

The quest map is open, and there are various paths to take. Most are determined by accomplishing (or not accomplishing) a certain goal. If you stop bandits from burning down a forest in one stage, that opens up the north path. If you let the forest burn you will be forced to go south. Most paths lead to different missions, but if one fails to fulfill a certain goal, the game ends.

Time Attack

After beating a quest, you may go back and try to beat it again in a faster time. The Time Goddess will not allow you to use new weapons or equipment. There are many different ranks based on how fast you complete each mission such as "Sucky Hero" and "Wonderful Hero."

Evil Lord 30

"Goddess Era 200...A beautiful evil lord tries to lift the curse on his lover and destroy all evil! Continue summoning monsters for 30 seconds! The beautiful battle against humans in a Real Time Strategy Game!"

This is a Real-Time Strategy mode. This mode is unlocked from the start.

You play as the Beautiful Evil Lord from Hero 30 and must summon a variety of monsters in order to defeat hordes of heroes and bosses.

Battle System

The game utilizes a RPS style battle system, you are able to summon 3 kinds of monsters. Each strong to another type.

• Brutes are the typical strong melee type, strong to Nimbles, weak to Shooters
• Nimbles are the speed type. Strong to Shooters, weak to Brutes
• Shooters are the long range type. Strong to Brutes, weak to Nimbles

Summoning Circle

You start with a summoning circle that grows in size as you level up. As you summon creatures, the circle shrinks.

The bigger the circle, the stronger the monster you summon. The circle regrows as you spend time recharging, but the circle will shrink if you get hurt.

Fabulous Four

There are 4 Spirits you can save in side missions to aid you. Once you find them in a mission, you can use their special attack.

Once you save them, they will randomly appear in other missions, and you can save up their power to use when you want.

Time Goddess

The Time Goddess appears in this mode, but works in a different way.

She will be hiding out in a golden barrel. And if you touch the barrel you will reset time at the cost of all your coins.

Princess 30

"Goddess Era 300...A kind-hearted princess goes outside the castle in search of a medicinal herb to cure her father's illness!

Guarded by her loyal soldiers she shoots arrows in this High Speed Shooting Game! She's got a 30 second curfew!?"

Princess 30 is a 2d shooter mode. This mode is unlocked from the start.

You play as a princess on top on a group of soldiers and you must complete a variety of tasks while fending off enemies with arrows to complete the 30 second quests.

You can shoot in all directions and move in all directions. Most missions have you going out and retrieving an item, then racing back to the castle before the gate shuts.

Soldiers

You start out with 30 soldiers carrying you. As you get hit, you lose soldiers. The more soldiers you have, the higher your rate of fire. Your speed also increases.

You can never lose all of your soldiers, you will always keep two. Soldiers will respawn after some time.

Time Goddess

The Time Goddess appears in a different way. She will lay out a red carpet throughout certain parts of the stage. When you step on the red carpet,

your remaining time will go up (to a max of 30 seconds) Your gold will go down as you are riding over the red carpet.

Knight 30

Goddess Era 500...With the Time Goddess gone, a salvaged knight and a sage set off on a journey. Using all sorts of actions,

he will defend the sage for 30 seconds no matter how many times he dies. Death Defying Action Game!

Knight 30 is a RTS-type mode. This mode is unlocked after completing the first three modes (Hero, Evil Lord, and Princess)

You play as a knight and sage and must defend the wizard from an onslaught of monsters for 30 seconds so the spell can be cast. The sage can cast spells to assist the knight, but he is venerable and must be defended.

Reverse Time

The difference in this mode is that you want time to go down to zero. When time runs out, the spell is cast, mission complete.

You can pull the sage by his hand, or you can carry him. Time does not go down while carrying the sage.

There are also some enchanted areas which allows time to decrease at a higher rate.

How HP Works

Since you cannot lose by time running out, the only way you can die is if the sage dies. The sage can be hit 4 times

before he dies and the game ends. The Knight has a certain amount of Stamina (for sprinting) and HP. If the Knight runs

out of HP, he will also die, but the sage will be able to summon his ghost. As the ghost, you must find your way back to your body.

Weapons

There are many traps that can be used to slow/stop the enemies' advance. You have 8 hours the night before a mission.

Making each weapon takes 3 hours (but leveling up reduces the time necessary).

• Scarecrow-replica of the sage, attracts birds
• Fence- A makeshift barricade
• Horse Meat- Attracts beasts and bugs
• Bomb- Destroys objects
• Land Trap- Floor spikes that hurt enemies passing over.

In addition to the traps, there are various melee weapons you can use such as shovels or broken swords.

Once small enemies are stunned, you can pick them up and throw them, you can also jump on big enemies and spin them.

Hero 300

"Goddess Era 500...Ultimate Evil Lord has awaken! The ancient heroes gather to save what is left of humanity.

Armageddon...has begun. Only 300 seconds until the world collapses. "

Hero 300 is a RPG-type mode. It is unlocked after completing Knight 30. You play as Hero again.

This is the final battle of the story mode, as the title implies, you have 300 seconds (Five minutes) to save the world.

All five heroes (Hero, Evil Lord, Princess, Knight, Sage) must team up to stop the Ultimate Evil Lord.

You start out with nothing, so you will start out with cheap items (wooden sword, sandals) and eventually work your way to better items.

The Time Goddess isn't in this mode, but there are various checkpoints you must reach. Usually every 60 seconds. Seeing as time cannot be reset.

If you fail, you must restart the ENTIRE mission. This creates the need to think of a long term strategy, something not needed until now.

Hero 3

"There will be a bonus for the hero that finishes the battle. A sadistically hard retro game!
Save the world in 3 seconds! Super High Speed RPG"

Hero 3 is a RPG-type mode. It is unlocked after completing Hero 300.

As the title implies, you have THREE seconds.

Like Hero 300, you need a well planned strategy, but you also need pinpoint execution.

You are able to reset time, but with only 3 seconds. You have no room for error. There is only one level in Hero 3 mode. Completing it unlocks the game's soundtrack.

Main Characters

Hero- A former traveler that happened to be in the right (wrong?) place at the right time, making him the Hero

Time Goddess- Controls time, and needs a hero to help save the world. And give her money, of course.

Evil Lord- A narcissistic lord who is searching to reverse the curse on his beloved. Main Character of Evil Lord 30

Millenia- The love of Evil Lord, turned into a bat by a curse.

Princess- A cheerful girl who must set out to find a cure for her father. Main character of Princess 30

Johnny and Max- The two top knights in charge of protecting Princess and making sure she gets home before curfew.

Knight- A somewhat pathetic knight who has great courage and loyalty, brought back to life by the Sage

Sage- Can cast a devastating spell that destroys monsters. Does not seem to care about Knight.

Noire- Trying to revive the Ultimate Dark Lord. Main villain throughout the story mode.

Trivia

• In Hero 30 Mission "Good Ol' Days" the Evil Lord is named CATS, an homage to the Zero Wing character, with quotes such as "All your color are belong to us."
• Hero 30 mission "Another Goddess" is a reference to Valhalla Knights, another RPG game by Xseed. With similar mechanics (additional characters have the same classes)

Soundtrack

A two cd soundtrack has been released, it is made up of songs by various composers well known and not so much.

Like the game, most of the tracks are fairly short, and cross over various genres with a retro feel.

Disc One

01 - Will This War Ever End?, Motoi Sakuraba

02 - Main Theme Yuusha 30 , Toshihiko Takamizawa

03 - The Hero's Departure, Yuzo Koshiro 04 - Meeting at the Street Corner, Yoshiaki Morioka

05 - Heartful Smile, Megumi Komagata

06 - The Manipulator's True Identity, Minako Adachi

07 - Spell of Destruction, Minako Adachi 08 - The Hero Arrives!, Minako Adachi

09 - Believe in Victory, Megumi Komagata

10 - Scatter the Enemy!, Megumi Komagata

11 - Justice is Victorious!, Minako Adachi

12 - A Brief Rest, Hiromi Mizutani

13 - Light of Hope, Hiromi Mizutani

14- Community, Minako Adachi

15 - It's So Cool!!, Minako Adachi

16 - Optimistic Way, Tohru Nakagawa

17 - Departure, Hiromi Mizutani

18 - Ceremony of Peace, Minako Adachi

19 - Calm Afternoon, Minako Adachi

20 - To the High Heavens, The Engines

21 - Returning Good for Evil, Tohru Nakagawa

22 - The End of the Agony, Minako Adachi

23 - Desperate Strike, The Engines

24 - Slash! Spirit, Minako Adachi

25 - Last Battle, Toshihiko Takamizawa

26 - Prayer, Megumi Komagata

27 - Melody of Happiness, Megumi Komagata

28 - Casablanca, The Engines

Disc Two

01 - The Hero's Aspirations, Minako Adachi

02 - Public GAME, Vistlip

03 - Creeping Shadow, Megumi Komagata

04 - Roar!!, Koji Hayama

05 - The Demon Lord, Toshihiko Takamizawa

06 - Torrent, Minako Adachi

07 - The Demon Lord's March, Yuzo Koshiro

08 - Peaceful World< Megumi Komagata

09 - Progression to Glory, Megumi Komagata

10 - Go Forth!, Minako Adachi

11 - Lost Forest, Minako Adachi

12 - Animal Trail, Minako Adachi

13 - Inescapable Maze, Minako Adachi

14 - Festival!, Megumi Komagata

15 - Case Closed, Megumi Komagata

16 - Beyond the Ocean, Minako Adachi

17 - Passion ~Scorching Wind~, Minako Adachi

18 - Run!! Run!!, Koji Hayama

19 - Lady's Last Road, Motoi Sakuraba

20 - The Princess Running Through the Grasslands, Hiroyuki Iwatsuki

21 - Have Faith in a Triumphant Return, Norihiko Hibino 22 - SpheroSymphony, Yasumada Yamada 23 - Passion - Ancient Heartbeat, Yasuo Yamate

24 - Schlachtfeld, Takushi Hiyamuta

25 - Fighter, Megumi Komagata

26 - Door to the Future, Minako Adachi

27 - Ein Soldat, Hideku Asachu

28 - I Won't Give Up!, Norihiko Hibino

29 - Hero Great War, Sho Ishihama

30 - Triumphant Return, Yoshino Aoki 31 - The Last 300 Seconds, Motoi Sakuraba

32 - Grand Finale, Toshihiko Takamizawa

33 - Casablanca (The Engines MIX), The Engines