An evil dark lord threatens the peace of the kingdom. He has cast a spell that will destroy the world in exactly 30 seconds, and an intrepid young hero is the only one who can defeat him. This hero has made a pact with the Time Goddess, protector of time, which allows him to level up extremely quickly and turn back time (for a nominal fee, naturally). He must defeat the dark lord before the spell can be completed…but of course, there’s always another one waiting to take their place.
Half-Minute Hero is an extremely fast-paced Japanese-style RPG. In the main game mode, Hero 30, each quest requires the player to gather items and equipment, level up, complete story events, and ultimately reach and defeat the boss, all before the strict 30-second time limit expires. There are several dozen missions to play through, each with their own unique location and scenario.
In addition to the main Hero 30 mode, there are also several other modes included in Half-Minute Hero, all of which feature the same strict 30-second time limit:
- Dark Lord 30 casts the player as a reformed dark lord who punishes evil for the sake of his love. His game is a real-time strategy game where the player can summon various monsters and cast spells to defeat enemies.
- Princess 30 sees the player take control of a young princess who must leave the castle to find medicine for her sick father, the king. Her game plays as a scrolling shooter.
- Knight 30 puts the player in the role of a knight who must protect a Sage as he casts a spell to clear the area of monsters. His game is an action game much like a tower defense game.
As the game is played, a gallery fills with all the items and enemies the player encounters, as well as with many pieces of production artwork. There is also an ad-hoc multiplayer mode where up to four heroes can race to see who can defeat the dark lord the fastest.
