- Platform: Nintendo Switch
- Publisher: NIS America
- Developer: Syupro-DX
- Number of Players: 1
The Last Five Minutes offers up a very clever opening to a game that will ultimately seem quite familiar. The game opens at the final boss fight just as the hero, Flash Back (yes, that is his name), has lost all of his memories much to his friends chagrin.
The entire game takes place in the five minute span where your party faces off against the Demon King. Every few seconds Flash Back will have a, well….flashback. You play through flashbacks in order to regain memories. Regaining memories helps Flash remember special moves, thus increasing his chances of taking down the Demon King. This works really well to get you inside Flash’s head and really endears him to you as a character.
Gameplay:
If you have played any 8-bit era RPG you know what to expect here. You go from area to area through a world map, fighting monsters and hitting towns to accomplish missions, restock your items, or take a snooze. This game hits all those highlights and almost comes off like a JRPG greatest hits soundtrack.
Controls:
Controls are pretty much like any classic RPG. Left stick moves your character and selects your choices in menus. A is your action button, X is you system menu where you change settings and save your game, and Y is your in-game menu where you deal with items, equipment, and so on.
Graphics:
The graphics are reminiscent of the 8-bit era that spawned this type of game. Everything is heavily pixelated except the cutscenes that use static images to move the plot along. That being said, the game animates very well. The games performance is where it’s main fault lies. In the back half of the game there is an unfortunate issue with freezing where, occasionally, at the end of a battle the game locks up. As of this writing the game still has this issue, but perhaps it will be patched before release next week. It’s the only real damper on this otherwise fine game.
Music/Sound:
The music is old-school Final Fantasy style chiptunes which does a fine job of stirring nostalgia for the very type of game this is supposed to emulate. The sound effects are pretty basic for the most part but that adds to the retro charm.
Summary:
If you love JRPGs (especially classic ones) The Last Five Minutes will be right up your alley. It plays great and runs well for the most part. The clever storyline definitely makes you want to keep playing to see how everything plays out for Flash Back.
Pros:
- Lots of humor and wit
- Plays like your classic favorites
- Story really lets you get inside the characters
Cons:
- Game is prone to freezing occasionally
- Kind of short for a RPG
Rating: B
Disclaimer: A digital copy of the game was provided by NIS America for review purposes.