If I came to you with an idea for a game that involved fast-paced, third-person shooting, jetpacks, and a host of unlockable guns, but the catch is you can’t walk, you’d think I was crazy. Who in their right mind would remove the ability to control where your character walks? That’s what 5th Cell have done with the latest Summer of Arcade title, Hybrid, and what’s even crazier than a semi-stationary character, is that it works really well.
I’ll be the first to admit, this idea sounds utterly mental. The idea of a Gears of War style shooter where you can’t actively move your character, baffled me. This is something we gamers have taken as a given. Every shooter on the market today revolves around shooting and moving. Hybrid takes all the tropes of the modern-day shooter, eats them up, and spits out one of the most frantic shooters to date.
Gameplay is made up of tactical, well-thought out, movement. Every player has a jetpack to navigate the anti-gravity maps. The ‘A’ button, while aiming with the right stick, flies you from where you are, to where you’re aiming. The ‘B’ button acts as a retreat option, allowing you to fall back to your previous cover. The goal is to move from point A to point B without getting shot to bits.
Moving about sounds simple enough, but when you factor in another team, full of people trying to accomplish the same as you, things become a little sticky. That’s where skill plays a vital role. While flying, you can aim, shoot, and by clicking the left stick, be propelled faster for a short time.
PRO TIP: When moving from cover to cover, for the love of god, aim, look around, and be ready to return fire.
This isn’t Call of Duty. Running (jetting?) and gunning is a sure-fire way to get yourself killed. Hybrid rewards players who use their brains first. Seeing as moving around has the highest death toll, you’re constantly making split-second decisions about what you’re planning. Should I stay where I am, even though it’s quiet, or should I chance moving, in a bid to find the action?
To keep matches entertaining, there’s a host of unlockables ranging from different guns, helmets, and perks. One of my favorite combos so far has been teleport+shotgun. Teleport allows you to (shockingly enough) teleport directly from one cover to another. My most satisfying moment so far comes from seeing the entire enemy team hold up, upside down, behind a ceiling cover spot. Thinking they’re safe, and that they can pick off anyone who tackles them head on, I decide to go and break up their camp-fest. From across the map, I teleport directly in front of them, pop up and take them out courtesy of my trust ol’ shotgun.
What could be more fun?
To make the constant killing that much more enjoyable, every kill results in a kill-streak. This means even if you’re rubbish, that one singular kill you get is going to help you get the second, and third, and fourth.
When players kills someone, they are rewarded with a drone that follows them around and shoots at whatever they’re aiming at. Build up a kill count of three points and they’re given a bigger, more powerful drone, known as a Warbringer, that actively seeks out enemies and shoots at them. The highest kill-streak is at five points, which unlocks the most advance of the drones, the Preyon, which acts as a heat-seeking missile, that finds a target, and doesn’t stop until they drop.
It’s technically possible to win matches by having the least gun based kills, and relying purely on kill-streaks, which may sounds like a game-breaker, but it truth it’s the opposite. The kill-streaks allow those unfamiliar with third-person shooters to stand a chance against seasoned veterans.
I have no problem with allowing those new to the game, or new to shooters in general, an advantage. How much fun can noobs have if they’re constantly getting destroyed? How are they supposed to learn how to improve, if they die every few seconds? So why not let them start with a fighting chance?
This is why I’m okay with the in-game shortcuts. If someone needs a helping hand, and they wish to part with 80 Microsoft Points to unlock a new gun that gives them a slight edge, more power to them. I’m not going to pay it, because I like unlocking things as I level up, that’s part of the fun for me, but I can understand that isn’t the case for everyone. After getting owned for so many hours, why not let them outfit themselves with a new gun? Yes, you can pay to unlock stuff, but if you don’t like this kind of sales-model, don’t buy it. It’s that simple.
Hot off the heels of the success of Scribblenauts, 5th Cell could have played it safe. Instead, they’ve created a game that removes the ability to run, hide, or roll out of the line of fire, forcing the player to engage their brains, and think tactically.
In a world full of shooters, Hybrid had to find a way to distinguish itself from the competition, and it did so effortlessly. Hybrid is dynamic, fast-paced, exciting, and above all else, fun.
If you’ve been holding off on this year’s Summer of Arcade, now is the time to jump aboard, and jump straight into a truly excellent and unique title in 5th Cell’s Hybrid.
