There’s a lot to make fun of when it comes to RPGs. Many developers don’t seem to care that they’ve been recycling the same stories over and over again for years, and neither do a lot of fans. Instead, there’s this strange movement where retro styling isn’t just nostalgic, but correct, leading many developers to rely on overused gameplay mechanics from 1993 instead of taking advantage of 20+ years of gaming lessons. Needless to say, the genre is ripe for lampooning. The trouble is developers don’t always have the best sense of humor about themselves, and games grounded in parody usually end up being worse than the source material. Luckily, this isn’t the case with Half-Minute Hero, which bursts onto the scene, tongue placed firmly in cheek, ready to point a finger at RPG clichés while managing to blindside gamers with some of the most unique, whimsical RPG gameplay in years.

Half-Minute Hero takes the age-old question of, “Why doesn’t this villain just kill me already instead rambling on and giving me time to prepare for battle?” and turns it on its head. There are no long-winded speeches, just quick, humorous bursts where enemies explain why they’re going to destroy the world. Someone has taught dozens of different evil beings a spell that can destroy the world; it takes half a minute to cast, and they have no intent on pausing to entertain intruders or guests. This means, once each level starts, the countdown is on, and the Hero is only seconds away from total annihilation. Luckily, he’s not alone: the incredibly greedy Goddess of Time offers the ability to turn back the clocks, extending the time the Hero has to defeat the boss. It’s not without its price, though, and it becomes more and more expensive as it’s abused, meaning even some of the harder levels only last a minute or two.