Today I am pouring one out for Konami Computer Entertainment Osaka, who produced four flawed but unique N64 titles - this, the Goemon games, and Deadly Arts - before being forced to handle their parent company's IP shovelware for the next six years. Hybrid Heaven was born from KCEO's hubristic notion that they could make a better game than Metal Gear Solid, and though there's no need to argue over who won that contest, it still proves that spite can encourage surprising ambition.
The game is frequently as stilted as it is expressive. Its only unqualified success is its industrial-adjacent soundtrack, which refines the dynamic music changes KCEO explored in Goemon to give each area a mounting sense of unearthliness. It's a great complement to the lush colors and alien geometry of the underground facility, but the game is so linear, and so hemmed in by its awkward camera, that it's hard to explore the environments and indulge in the experience on your own terms. The story is an explosive B-movie yarn that seems like it has something to say, but can't clearly express any ideas more sophisticated than "clone inferiority complex." MGS this ain't.
The combat system, first off, is inherently funny because this facility is full of freakish animal-alien-human chimeras and all of them fight like mixed martial artists. Playing with spacing and timing is fun and there are some interesting risk-reward elements, but the systems rarely encourage experimentation once you've found your winning handful of moves. Why would you ever use punches over kicks? I found the game too easy on Normal but admit that any of the higher difficulties would probably have been a drawn-out slog.
Certainly not a perfect game but ripe for rediscovery. There must be at least a few MMA/JRPG/conspiracy theory enthusiasts who have a Hybrid Heaven-shaped hole in their hearts.
The game is frequently as stilted as it is expressive. Its only unqualified success is its industrial-adjacent soundtrack, which refines the dynamic music changes KCEO explored in Goemon to give each area a mounting sense of unearthliness. It's a great complement to the lush colors and alien geometry of the underground facility, but the game is so linear, and so hemmed in by its awkward camera, that it's hard to explore the environments and indulge in the experience on your own terms. The story is an explosive B-movie yarn that seems like it has something to say, but can't clearly express any ideas more sophisticated than "clone inferiority complex." MGS this ain't.
The combat system, first off, is inherently funny because this facility is full of freakish animal-alien-human chimeras and all of them fight like mixed martial artists. Playing with spacing and timing is fun and there are some interesting risk-reward elements, but the systems rarely encourage experimentation once you've found your winning handful of moves. Why would you ever use punches over kicks? I found the game too easy on Normal but admit that any of the higher difficulties would probably have been a drawn-out slog.
Certainly not a perfect game but ripe for rediscovery. There must be at least a few MMA/JRPG/conspiracy theory enthusiasts who have a Hybrid Heaven-shaped hole in their hearts.
cappatlas
1 year ago