When the original Half-Minute Hero hit the PSP in the fall of 2009, it seemed like the perfect fit for the Japanese RPG-heavy system. But at the same time, its exclusivity to Sony’s handheld damned Half-Minute Hero to a limited audience, and at a full retail price that inevitably caused many to shy away from its openly-advertised lack of length. Now that Marvelous’ little experiment is available for a paltry 800 Microsoft Points, Half Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax’s new price point makes this game a perfect addition to the Xbox Live Arcade library.
If you’re wondering about the quality of the game itself, check out 1UP’s original 2009 review; Half-Minute Hero is entirely unchanged from its original form, except for one small difference: a (thankfully) optional graphical “upgrade” that does its best to destroy the charm of the original game. I guess this new look could work for those opposed to the lovingly crafted sprites of the original PSP game, but if you loathe the blocky, old-school graphics of Half-Minute Hero, you’re kind of missing the point — and if you enjoy the poorly made Wind Waker-lite aesthetic upgrade, I’d like to have a few words with you. Thankfully, the original look has been preserved (via a quick option change on the main menu), and looks shockingly great on an HDTV — as long as you’re comfortable with a world bereft of anti-aliasing.
