A Brief Ode to Hybrid Heaven
I’m really enjoying my replay of Shadow Man, one of my favorite N64 games of all time! I still remember picking it up at launch back in 1999. That same day, I also grabbed a copy of Hybrid Heaven, but I was way more excited to play Shadow Man—so that’s where I started.
Eventually, I got stuck in Shadow Man and couldn’t progress. Turns out there was a Tomb Raider-style ledge I needed to shimmy across to move forward, but I had completely missed it—and wouldn’t figure it out for another four days. Frustrated and looking for something else to play, I decided to take a break and fire up Hybrid Heaven. And man, that game was so cool.
Hybrid Heaven is an RPG, but your arsenal is your own body. You actually learn new combat moves from enemies after they use them on you. On top of that, you level up not just your stats, but also specific body parts—your head, torso (for wrestling moves), left arm, right arm, left leg, and right leg. It was like nothing I had ever played before! And it was awesome.
Technically, the game was a little rough. It used the Expansion Pak for a “hi-res” mode, but that tanked the framerate. I ended up playing in the hi-res letterboxed mode, which ran at a more tolerable ~24 fps. The audio and soundtrack were pristine. I always loved Dr. Gary Bross’ theme! However the entire score is well done.
I don’t remember much of the story now, but I know it involved secret labs, bio-weapons, a massive underground bunker beneath Manhattan built by aliens, and a plot to replace the President with a clone. I can’t recall how it all played out, but it got the job done.
It took me three days to beat the game, and I had an absolute blast. The versus mode was also a ton of fun! After finishing the main game, my friend and I would battle each other with our leveled-up characters—it was a great time.
Hybrid Heaven was such an awesome, underrated gem. I would’ve given it a solid 8.5 out of 10 back in the day. It was rough around the edges, sure—but the concept was fantastic. I really wish Konami would re-release it or give it a proper sequel with a solid budget. At the very least, bring it to Virtual Console. Come on, Konami. Let’s make it happen!