A bizaire sci-fi action wrestling RPG thriller form Konami

Original N64europe review

When Hybrid Heaven was first revealed to prying eyes at the 1997 E3, almost everyone within earshot was wrongly calling it, "Metal Gear Solid for the Nintendo 64." It's easy to understand why an N64 owner with anything approaching a brain would want a version of MGS to call their own, but watching a video of the game on the internet isn't quite the same as playing it. Now that we've bought a version of the game, it's safe to say that Hybrid lives up to its freaky name.

Konami's bizarre title for this game actually works, however, because it's not an action game, but it isn't really a role-playing game either. Hybrid combines elements of both, much like Parasite Eve on the PSX, creating its own unique style of gameplay. Since this is an adventure game, you'll be able to run, crawl, jump and climb your way through huge, futuristic levels, all viewed in third-person (think Lara Croft, here,). It's an action game, too, so there'll be enemies to punish with your standard-issue laser pistol, and those battles are based on twitch reflexes as well as skill. However, when you encounter a more powerful monster (and you will... often), the game switches to a turn-based style of combat, and woe betide any mutant that steps in front of your fists of fury. A power gauge fills up between your attacks, and you can either nail your enemy while the meter is low, or use your deadly "run like a coward" technique until the meter is full. The power meter is what determines how devastating your attacks can be; i.e., a full meter means your moves do 100% of their damage, if they connect.

Not content to supply you with only a variety of punches, kicks, and counters, Konami has decided to throw in a bunch of pro-wrestling style throws, which help spice up the action. This arsenal of techniques already makes Diaz (the main character) one bad hombre, but after each enemy is defeated, his skills will improve and evolve... just like an RPG. In fact, favouring the use of one arm or leg in combat, eventually causes that particular appendage to become stronger than the other. It also makes you a predictable fighter, which is not good. Stick and move, float like a butterfly, and create a balanced, powerful warrior you can be proud of, instead of a one-dimensional gimp. Even with its unique gameplay style, Hybrid Heaven does take a cue from MGS in the way the story plays out. All of the storytelling in the game is done through real-time cinemas, but only the opening and ending contain speech... the rest of the movies are subtitled, while the characters "mime" the scenes. This is a cartridge game we're talking about, after all. Government conspiracies, underground scientific experiments in biological engineering, human cloning and DNA manipulation... all of these crazy plot elements would fit right in during an episode of the X-Files; and it's the kind of strange, futuristic story line that will reveal itself in Hybrid Heaven.

Much like Square's aforementioned Parasite Eve, a game which tried to combine a lot of different game styles, Hybrid has its work cut out for it. As we ran through this game, we saw all the promise of a cool story and interesting gameplay approach... but there are still a few issues that need to be addressed.

- By Robbie Burke