The year 2000 is winding down and there are big things in the works besides hosting parties, sipping champagne and tossing confetti to ring in the New Year. The President of the United States has all but put the final touches on a treaty with Russia that will put an end to the nuclear arms race.
Of course, there are those who do not want this to happen. These individuals have devised a plan that will remove the President from power and replace him with a clone! In fact, it has already worked perfectly with his secret service staff -- they are now under the command of some mysterious group working with Johnny Slater, the secret service agent in charge of the abduction.
After receiving a phone call late at night, Johnny agreed to meet a man named Mr. Diaz at a New York subway station to tie up any loose ends. When he finally arrived, Johnny's last vision was of Mr. Diaz pulling the trigger on the gun that would end his life. Confused and alarmed at the recent events, the guards who accompanied Mr. Diaz immediately seized him and took him to a secret underground facility below Manhattan. Perhaps they could learn why Mr. Diaz would ruin the plan he was programmed to carry out....
Hybrid Heaven has you playing the role of Mr. Diaz as you struggle to find out what is happening and maybe uncover your true identity in the process. The game begins from the moment Mr. Diaz is taken into the facility, but the events that transpire find him alone in the twisting hallways of an underground base. From this point on, you must explore your surroundings and unravel the mystery of a great conspiracy. You will also discover that you are not alone in this underground world.
Hideous mutants known as hybrids will threaten to end your adventure at every corner. In order to combat these creatures, a turn-based fighting system is used that emphasizes hand-to-hand combat rather than the typical swords, spells and long-range weapons associated with the genre. Each character you confront will have a certain amount of hit points and fighting technique; it is up to you to use your fists, feet and items to help defeat the opponent. This involves moving toward the character and selecting an attack from a pull-down menu. While you start with basic kicks and punches, your character has the ability to learn new attacks after battling an enemy.
These techniques can then become more powerful over time through repeated use! Other skills such as guarding, stepping away, counters and combos can also be developed as you use them in combat. After playing through the one-player game, your customized character can compete in a separate Battle Mode against a friend. The game will pull the information saved to each player's Controller Pak and the fight will take place in the same turn-based format as in the one-player game (although the menu selections are hidden from view).
Solo players can participate in the Creature Battle, which consists of either five matches against five characters or a Survival Mode that has you challenging the creatures fought during the one-player game. Hybrid Heaven requires 53 free pages on the Controller Pak in order to save progress, but the game also supports the Rumble Pak to provide vibration feedback while exploring and fighting. In addition, three different display resolutions are available for those with the Expansion Pak accessory: High Normal, High Letterbox and Low.