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Half-Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax review: Impressed for time
Half-Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax takes the gameplay of a traditional JRPG, and squeezes it all into 30-second chunks. Inspired by this feat of game design magic, I decided to see if I could fit my whole review into 30 seconds as well. %Gallery-124531%
Hero 30 Second delayed a second time
Marvelous has reset its own countdown clock for Hero 30 Second, delaying the PSP sequel's Japanese release from February 10 to an unspecified 2011 release. This follows a delay from November into February. Marvelous cited "various reasons" and offered apologies, but no further explanation. Just before making this dramatic announcement, Marvelous released the trailer you'll find after the break. It's a super-epic boss battle in the series' super-speed style. Hero 30 Second has yet to be announced for release outside of Japan. The predecessor, Half-Minute Hero, was published in North America by Xseed.
Three minutes of Hero 30 Second
Hero 30 Second ditches all the gameplay varieties from its predecessor except for the Hero 30 mode -- so no controlling the Evil Lord this time. But that Hero mode is expanded, and playable in five different scenarios. The totally dramatic trailer after the break introduces them all.
Give yourself a few minutes to read about Jikandia: The Timeless Land
Do you like games from Opus Studio that combine retro-style graphics, RPG gameplay and time-compression gimmicks? Well, good news: now you have more than just Half-Minute Hero through which to experience that unique combination. Aksys Games is localizing Jikan de Fantasia for PSP as Jikandia: The Timeless Land, due Spring 2011. Jikandia is a unique side-scrolling dungeon RPG in which players set the time limits for each dungeon -- which, in turn, affects the treasure quality and the difficulty of the dungeon. Players control a boy from our world drawn into Jikandia, a once-timeless place that is now experiencing linear time, as a "champion," searching for his missing friends. Of course, given the random-dungeon style of gameplay, you probably won't need to spend much time worrying about the story.%Gallery-108245%
Jikan de Fantasia lets you play as a more-than-Half-Minute Hero
It appears Jikan de Fantasia, a new RPG hitting PSP this summer in Japan, is taking some heavy inspiration from Half-Minute Hero. Makes sense, considering this new adventure is from Opus Studio, the same team responsible for Marvelous's quirky action RPG. Like its predecessor, Jikan de Fantasia blends hack 'n slash RPG gameplay with a time-bending twist. However, instead of condensing an RPG to thirty seconds, you can set the amount of time you want to spend. Have only five minutes on the subway? Have a thirty minute bus commute? You'll be able to set your own time limit, and the game will create an adventure that fits your schedule. According to Famitsu, Jikan de Fantasia deconstructs the core mechanics of an RPG, from leaving your hometown, meeting NPCs, and exploring dungeons to fighting a final boss, and reassembles them to create an experience that fits the time you want. For those that found the thirty second gameplay of Opus's last adventure a bit too manic, this experience should be far more compelling.
