Rent-A-Hero No. 1 (2000)

Rent A Hero No. 1, a remake of the original Mega Drive game, was released for the Dreamcast in 2000. It features similar events to Rent A Hero, this time adding Rent A Hiroko, a female counterpart of Taro. The fighting engine used for the game is the same used for Sega's Spikeout games and allows the player to receive hints via in-game email. The game was enhanced and given online capabilities by Coolnet Entertainment for the Xbox in 2003, and also translated into English for a North American release in what would have been the first Rent A Hero overseas release. However, the English version of the game was never released due to distribution problems, and the Xbox version remained only in Japan as had previously happened with the original Dreamcast version. In 2008, the unreleased English-translated version of the game got leaked and appeared on torrent sites in an apparently complete state, with only minor text errors present. This version was very close to completion and was reviewed by GamePro and Electronics Gaming Monthly in February 2003.

Storyline

The player is Tarou Yamada, an ordinary boy from the Yamada family that just moved to the Koja Town. The Yamadas made a party to celebrate the move and meet the residents, but during the party, the food was almost ending. Tarou asked for more food from a delivery named Service Cafe (Seca for short), but he received a cosplay costume instead. Thinking of using it to boost the party by making a hero show with his father, who was dressed as a monster, he wore the costume and discovered that it gave him powers, accidentally throwing his father far away with a light tap. Checking it, he discovers that it is the top work from Seca, a sturdy and powerful super energy combat armor that can make anyone a hero, but it requires batteries to work. Also, as it is a rental suit, Tarou decides to start a rental job under the name Rent a Hero, and distributes flyers around the town to take requests. The money he gains is used for the costume's monthly rental fee and for batteries. After finishing the distribution and returning home to play on his creamcast (the game's save point), he went out to check the town and saw a man harassing a woman, entering in a fight against him. Although helping outside the shop requests won't give rewards, it rises awareness of the hero, improving his career. Tarou then gradually gains experience and becomes a famous hero.