The Longest Five Minutes
- February 12, 2018
- SYUPRO-DX
- 12h median play time
Get on SteamIn "The Longest Five Minutes," the protagonist must battle the Overlord and regain his memories before it's too late. By revisiting past memories, he gains strength and knowledge to face his opponent. Along with the main quest, players can take a break with three mini-games, adding variety to the gameplay. This nostalgic RPG combines an engaging story with unique mechanics, making every moment count in this intense five minutes.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
PlayStation
Playstation Vita
Reviews
- The game features a unique concept of storytelling through flashbacks, which adds an interesting twist to the typical JRPG format.
- The characters are well-developed and sympathetic, making players invested in their journey despite the generic plot.
- The graphics and art style are appealing, reminiscent of classic JRPGs while still feeling fresh and lively.
- The combat system is shallow and lacks challenge, often leading to a repetitive experience where players can easily auto-battle through encounters.
- The pacing suffers due to the frequent resets of gear and progress between flashbacks, making exploration and grinding feel pointless.
- There are instances of sexist humor in the dialogue that detract from the overall experience and may alienate some players.
- story140 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The game's story, while rooted in a typical JRPG "save the world" narrative, is presented through a unique flashback format that adds depth and intrigue, allowing players to piece together the protagonist's lost memories. Although pacing issues arise from this structure, the characters are engaging and the plot features enough twists to keep players invested. Overall, the storytelling is praised for its creativity and emotional resonance, making it a highlight despite the game's mechanical shortcomings.
“The title concept of the protagonist Flash struggling to recover his memories of who he is, who his friends are, what his quest is, and most importantly, how to use his ultimate attack... it's an interesting concept, even if it's just a vehicle for playing through a set of standard JRPG overworld sections/dungeons chopped up into 15 to 20 minute sessions regarding Flash's (roughly) chronological story of becoming a hero.”
“Gameplay's mediocre, but damn, the story and the characters are amazing.”
“The story seems straightforward, but it has just enough twists to keep you playing for more.”
“The story is a fairly generic 'save the world from darkness' JRPG plot, but the characters are sympathetic enough for me to want to root for them to succeed when you already know that they're probably going to succeed either way because they're JRPG heroes.”
“Without all the random encounters, the game is only a few hours long of story.”
“Bland typical JRPG story ('hero' saves the world).”
- gameplay22 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
Gameplay is criticized for being mediocre and heavily reliant on outdated mechanics, with players able to autobattle through most encounters, leading to a lack of engagement. While dungeons feature some unique puzzles that nod to JRPG tropes, the overall experience is marred by poor mechanics, overshadowing the otherwise strong story and character development. Many reviewers express disappointment, stating that the gameplay detracts significantly from the overall enjoyment of the game.
“Gameplay is split between Flash, Yuzu, Regent, and Clover doing their best in present time to deal with the overlord's overwhelming firepower and generic evil monologues, and then flash cutting to a flashback to reveal a retroactive plot detail that is immediately used to save a party member's bacon.”
“Each dungeon has a unique gimmick that explores some JRPG tropes, from sliding ice floors to Pokémon's rock-pushing puzzles.”
“Which on paper, is a neat mechanic, but also doesn't matter.”
“You can autobattle literally every fight in the game except the final boss, and that leads to dragging empty gameplay for 99% of the game.”
“I can't recommend this game because of its utter lack of gameplay.”
“With all this said, it's pretty clear that the mechanics as they are now are incredibly flawed.”
- grinding18 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game features an anti-grind design, allowing players to complete it without any grinding, which may feel too easy for those expecting a traditional JRPG experience. While there are optional achievements that can be tedious, the focus is on storytelling rather than grinding, with mechanics that adjust player levels to match story progression. This approach aims to critique the time wasted on grinding in other games, making it unsuitable for players seeking endless grind experiences.
“The longest five minutes is an RPG (visual novel?) that does the anti-grind concept in the game but still gives the players grinding tools, causing them to end up in a dilemma.”
“The concept is probably to teach the players (especially MMO players?) how much time we have wasted on useless grinding and how hollow it feels when the game resets and all that hard work goes poof.”
“If you are one of those players that only want one game to be played for their whole life (aka endless grinding), this isn't the game for you; it will try to teach you that your way is wrong.”
- music14 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game features an extensive soundtrack with over 400 background music tracks, making it a significant collection for fans of digital music, especially those who appreciate old-school RPGs. The DLC soundtrack adds even more value by including additional tracks from other games by the developer, justifying the game's price with its high-quality music and art. While the soundtrack and story received praise, some players found the combat system lacking.
“Because of the long story and quite a lot of places to visit in this game, there are more than 400+ BGMs in the game, which makes the OST collection a pretty large one too!”
“Because of the long story and quite a lot of places to visit in this game, there are more than 400 bgms in the game, which makes the OST collection a pretty large one too!”
“If you buy the DLC soundtrack, they even throw in another CD filled with OST from other games Shupro-DX has made.”
“The game's price is a little bit daunting, but it is justified, as the game's OST and art are very well made, and must have had many talented artists working on it.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The graphics are praised for their vibrant and lively presentation, effectively blending retro JRPG aesthetics with fresh animations and spell effects that enhance the overall experience. While some players note that graphics are not the primary focus of the game, they still appreciate the quality and contextual fit of the visual elements.
“Great graphics, in the style they are presented.”
“Being used to retro JRPGs, the graphics all seem so fresh, and you can feel that each sprite and each animation are way livelier than you'd expect this old style to be.”
“The fresher graphics (spell effects and such) also seem to fit the context perfectly, and never felt out of place.”
“Graphics don't matter in this game.”
“No full screen option for graphics.”
“The graphics are outdated and lack detail.”
- humor8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game features a mix of lighthearted dialogue and absurd choices that can lead to shocking outcomes, providing a unique twist on traditional RPG narratives. However, the presence of sexist jokes and creepy male characters detracts from the overall comedic experience, with many players finding these elements annoying and out of place. Overall, while there are moments of genuine humor, the reliance on problematic jokes may alienate some players.
“There are some funny, lighthearted moments related to the dialogue depending on some of the prompts you can choose in the RPG sections.”
“It came with hilarious choices given to the players to make which we normally wouldn't get in a typical 'right and justice RPG story.'”
“There are some funny, lighthearted moments related to the dialogue depending on some of the prompts you can choose in the RPG sections.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users consistently highlight the game's "infinitely replayable" nature, indicating that it offers a compelling experience that encourages multiple playthroughs.
“The game is infinitely replayable, offering new experiences with each playthrough.”
“I love how the game is infinitely replayable; there's always something new to discover.”
“With its infinitely replayable nature, I find myself coming back to this game time and time again.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is marred by odd glitches and problematic dialogue, particularly sexist jokes that can detract from the overall experience. Players may find these elements frustrating, especially if they are sensitive to such themes in gaming.
“There are some odd glitches that disrupt gameplay, and the sexist jokes in the game dialogue become very annoying quickly. Many of the male characters come off as creeps trying to peep on women, so if that brand of humor or tolerating sexism to enjoy the game isn't for you, then your experience might be dampened.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Reviewers express a desire for more character development in the game, suggesting that the inclusion of mid-bosses or deeper character arcs would enhance the overall experience and make battles feel more rewarding.
“It would have been nice if the game had a mid-boss or some sort of character development that made battles more rewarding.”
