Nintendo Switch – The Longest 5 Minutes #196

This review was the longest 5 minutes for me…

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The Longest 5 Minutes – Nintendo Switch – Released: 2/13/18 – $39.99

Short Review (Review copy provided by NIS America)

“The Longest 5 Minutes” is the longest 5 minutes it would seem. If it wasn’t clear enough by the title, the game is set much like an anime that has too many flashbacks. A bad thing? Not by a long shot but the story is told in a weird reverse order that many writers would shake their heads at. I have always been a fan of this method of story telling since it typically gives the ending well in advance so you aren’t “spoiled” by anything. Then it continues a bit after that scene. L5M is an RPG game that sets you off on this big adventure but as the main character you have forgotten your past. Then the flashbacks begin with the game constantly flashing back to older scenes so you can remember. It is interesting but the story falls a bit short due to it. If you aren’t paying attention or decide to take an extended break. then you may get lost. You will spend the bulk of your adventure getting to know your friends, talking about the adventures you went on previously, and then finally remembering everything up to that point in time as you are fighting the final boss. The game tries to be somewhat serious but the story and learning about your friends is what glues everything together. Combat is fairly basic since it pulls right from classic turn based RPG with battles happening out of nowhere on the over world. By the end of the game you are invested in your little crew of adventures since you know all of their back stories right to the very end. I would give this game an 8 out of 10!

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Story

Flash finds himself in front of the Demon King in an epic battle but doesn’t remember who he is, who he is with, or how he even got to this point in time. Flash is greeted with unfamiliar faces let him know that he is the hero and is here to defeat the Demon King. Slowly Flash pieces things together that these are his friends before going into a flashback frenzy to explain everything else up to this point. You will learn how everyone become friends, why they left home, and why the Demon King must be defeated. It is a fairly simple story but enjoyable due to the comical nature of the flashbacks. Most of the stories that you don’t flashback to are the most interesting.

Gameplay

The game is a fairly average RPG as it calls back to old SNES titles like Final Fantasy. The game will have you journey across different lands defeating monsters as you unlock your memories. Most of the battling is easy with you just mashing the A button to attack and move on to the next enemy. As far as combat goes it is standard but the story is the best thing about this game.

Personal Experience

The main issue with this game is it is very short… For a game that is a fairly simple RPG that does cover a lot before you finish it. It can be beaten within 6-8 hours depending on if you are rushing. I was able to beat it in a few hour long sittings so you aren’t getting the most bang for your buck with this game. I really enjoyed it but many people may look at this game see it is an RPG and expect above 10 hours. That is really the only disappointing part since that means if you spend a hour a day you could beat it within the week. I spend the majority of my time listening to characters and talking to NPCs to flesh out the story though. The bulk of the game invites the player to do this as well since characters talk about other people all the time. In the first area I spent an hour just talking to everyone and reading what they had to say. There is a lot of text and cutscenes in this game as well.

Final Thoughts

If you are looking for a fairly basic turn based RPG that has some flashback humor, I would go for it. Currently at $40 it is a bit much if you are looking for the most $1 per time amount. I found that if you can pick it up physically for $30 that would be a great price. I know a lot of NISA games recently dropped in price but this was not one of them which is a shame. If you are able to pick it up for under $30 I would say go for it since it is a great time for anyone with an RPG itch to scratch. I would give this game, an 8 out of 10!

My Gameplay Footage:‘