The Longest Five Minutes

 Switch
Metascore
67

Mixed or average reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
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  1. Nintendo Insider
    Apr 8, 2018
    80
    The Longest Five Minutes may falter in the lack of difficulty that it poses the player with, but the game will upend your expectation in how absorbed you will become in the story that it unravels.
  2. NintendoWorldReport
    Feb 6, 2018
    80
    The Switch has had a surprisingly large RPG library in its first year; already it feels like there’s more RPGs on Switch than were on its predecessor and they just keep coming. Where The Longest Five Minutes stands out is that despite the name, it is fast. I did a lot of exploring in the environments looking for treasure and still managed to roll credits in under 12 hours. Given the Switch’s propensity for roguelikes and exceedingly long, story-driven games, this is a minor miracle. Not every game has to be a seven-course meal; sometimes you just want a light snack. On that front, Longest Five Minutes delivers.
  3. App Trigger
    Feb 6, 2018
    80
    The Longest Five Minutes embraces bits of the best and worst of old-school RPG nostalgia at times, then kicks them all to the curb with its own twist. RPG fans will find it worth playing for the superb music, adorable sprites, and the enjoyably unusual structure of the tale as a whole.
  5. Nintendo Life
    Feb 6, 2018
    80
    The Longest Five Minutes uses a truly gripping concept, throwing the classic RPG formula on its head by having you put the pieces of an already existing story together as you go. While the combat and general gameplay are almost too easy-going, the story, characters, and overall aesthetic had us always wanting more, never wanting to put the game down. The asking price is perhaps a little steep for the amount of content available, and the strange take on a usually well-understood genre may throw some players off, but there is an indescribable charm that is worth exploring here.
  6. Digitally Downloaded
    Feb 6, 2018
    80
    It's a clever mix of sentimentality and satire, structured in a way that's quite unusual for JRPGs. With most games in the genre, the end boss is the goal and triumph. The Longest Five Minutes is a love letter to the genre that wants you to remember that you're meant to enjoy the journey in a JRPG, too, and I certainly walked away from this game with a renewed appreciation for the spirit of adventure in these games itself.
  7. Everyeye.it
    Feb 6, 2018
    79
    A JRPG that will keep us company for at least thirty hours to (re) discover the lost memories of Flash, in a wonderful journey in memory, both of our Hero and of us gamers, that every fan of the genre should undertake.
  8. CGMagazine
    Feb 6, 2018
    75
    Calling The Longest Five Minutes a deconstruction of 8- and 16-bit RPG tropes is only half-true, as it turns around and reconstructs those same tropes by journey's end. Still, it's a brisk and amusing adventure that knows how to play to its strengths.
  9. Areajugones
    Feb 6, 2018
    75
    The Longest Five Minutes features a beautiful story, although its gameplay mechanics are too simple for a game of the RPG genre. Definitely worth a try if you own a Switch and love the RPG games that have good stories.
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  1. Kotaku
    Feb 13, 2018
    The Longest Five Minutes presents its basic fantasy tale as a series of flashbacks experienced by its amnesiac main character during the game’s final battle. It takes an otherwise generic retro turn-based RPG and turns it into something special—but it could have been so much more.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 17 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 17
  3. Negative: 5 out of 17
  1. skillzmcfly
    Feb 17, 2018
    8
    First off: I really couldn't decide whether to rate this game at 7 or 8. It is just really in the middle there: a good mediocre game or anFirst off: I really couldn't decide whether to rate this game at 7 or 8. It is just really in the middle there: a good mediocre game or an almost really good game. I like a lot of the choices that were made for the game. A story about lost episodic memory told in small episodes, a game about memory that banks on nostalgia with the choice of design. The ideas were great - though I feel my personal opinion to like the game is based on my own interpretation - but the game play is average (at best). Yes this plays like an old game and it makes a lot of references, but if I wanted that game play I might pick up Final Fantasy IV or something similar.
    Ultimately it is a short game that possibly needs you to be in the nostalgic mood. I would not recommend it to someone who expects and likes a deep and challenging RPG or someone who does not like retro gaming. For me as a nostalgic person it is borderline good, but I guess for others it could be borderline bad. After all it is a full price game and today you can get more worth for your buck.    … Full Review »
  2. scruffman4
    Feb 26, 2018
    9
    The writing in this game is top notch. Characters are funny, with an enjoyable story. The game play is very fun with its traditional turnedThe writing in this game is top notch. Characters are funny, with an enjoyable story. The game play is very fun with its traditional turned based battle system. I wish it were more challenging. I often found myself not bothering to buy any new weapons or armor because I would find the same stuff in the upcoming dungeon, and I would win all the fights anyways. I like that chapters are self-contained, and there is a checklist you can refer to to make sure you did all the important stuff. I found myself addicted to the story and the silliness more than anything else. As a JRPG fan, I found this to be a refreshing change of pace.… Full Review »
  3. cullen219
    Feb 17, 2018
    5
    So I have been waiting for this game since its first teaser for the japanese version. I was very excited to finally get this game in my hands.So I have been waiting for this game since its first teaser for the japanese version. I was very excited to finally get this game in my hands. I was expecting it on the vita, but when I saw it was on the switch, I thought, hey even better.
    Keep in mind I am only half way through this game, but I don't see much changing my opinion.
    This game is not good. I am very disappointed with this game. This game would have received a much different score if it was a $20 dollar game, but for $40 I have to judge it more seriously.
    Pros: the retro styled pixel graphics are really nice, and I think they add a nice kind of change to the modern gaming scene, the story telling is probably one of the best parts about this game. There is a lot of dumb humor but its enough to give this game a charging feel.
    Cons: for a game that is considered an RPG the combat is awful, because you don't keep your levels from memory to memory, there is no real reason to grind, which makes every random encounter you fight, pointless. Even the boss battles are too easy, I set the battle style on auto, and left the room to use the bathroom, and when I came back I saw that I won. There isn't enough depth to this game.

    Pretty much the best way to describe this game is like a simple pixelated Life is Strange but with really **** combat. The combat is just so pointless, and everyone knows that combat is half of an RPG. Don't buy this game until it goes on sale.    … Full Review »
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