Japanese RPGs are notorious for recycling cliché plot elements and structure. Seeking out the “Ultimate Evil” as the “Chosen Hero” can only hold most people’s interest for so long.

Thankfully, Half-Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax, a high-definition re-creation of a PlayStation Portable classic, has arrived on the Xbox Live Arcade — it dissects stereotypical role-playing mechanics and flips them on their heads.

Half-Minute Hero opens with an unnamed adventurer that must keep an Evil Lord from destroying the world. There is one caveat to this simple task: The bad guy has cast a destruction spell that will bring forth worldwide annihilation in exactly 30 seconds. Thankfully, the Time Goddess intervenes and allows the Hero to rewind the clock by another 30 seconds to give you a chance to stop the approaching Armageddon. This sets the stage for your adventures throughout the rest of the game, as many Evil Lords wish to destroy the planet for various (and often humorous) reasons.

The game unfolds over 30 different quests, featuring branching story arcs and side quests. However, each mission contains the same general objective: Stop an Evil Lord from ending the world in the next half-minute. At the beginning of each adventure, the Hero starts at a mere Level 1 and lacks the strength to defeat these powerful villains. Fortunately, due to the Time Goddess’ interference, you are able to level up at an incredibly ridiculous rate, usually once or twice per random encounter. Battles are entirely automated, playing out in a rapid-fire sequence in which your character charges headfirst in to enemies over and over until they are defeated.

If players run short on time, they can visit villages and pray to statues of the Time Goddess, rewinding time by half a minute. However, the Goddess’ infatuation with wealth comes before the well-being of the planet, and seeking her blessing requires a gold offering that increases with each use. This prevents gamers from grinding too much, as the cost of divine intervention eventually will be far more than you can obtain in a short 30 seconds.

You must be quick on your feet and carefully plot your route to the Evil Lord’s castle, while also engaging in random battles to beef up your Hero. Juggling these various elements makes Half-Minute Hero feel more like a puzzle game than an actual RPG at times, and the game takes any opportunity it can to poke fun at Japanese RPG conventions, such as fetch quests and over-the-top characters.

The XBLA release features a completely redrawn art style, bearing a resemblance to cutesy Japanese animé with vibrant colors. However, the game includes the option to revert back to the PSP release’s original sprites. While enlarging sprite images designed for a portable system onto a high-definition display is humorous, the novelty wore off quickly for me. Some characters are so incredibly blown-up and pixelated that it becomes impossible to even recognize who or what they are. While this might increase the game’s charm for some people, I prefer the updated art designs over the retro look.

While each mission is fairly short, the title features enough content that it should keep most players occupied for quite a while. After completing the initial “Hero 30? campaign, additional modes are unlocked that serve as epilogues for our hero’s journey. A competitive multiplayer mode is also included that is equal parts stressful and exciting, pitting multiple heroes against each other in a race to defeat the Evil Lord first.

I recommend giving the demo for Half-Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax a chance. The repetitive nature of the game, coupled with its stress-inducing time limits, might turn off some gamers, but those intrigued by the idea of a lightning-paced puzzle RPG with a self-deprecating sense of humor will find much to enjoy for only $10.