HYBRID 2: Saga of Nostalgia is a single player RPG (Role Playing Game) for the iPhone by GAMEVIL. Instead of using a turn-based combat system, HYBRID 2 is using a hack-and-slash non-stop combat action. To keep things interesting at all times during the combat, there are combo moves to perform and a bit of special attacks every now and then. There are also tons of quests to do and monsters to slash in HYBRID 2.
The main storyline is a bit hard to follow at first, probably because it involves different dimensions of the world to travel (something that requires you to think outside of logic). The first few minutes of the game confused me a little bit (trying to figure out who your main character is and who his friends are), probably because I haven’t played the first part? Nevertheless, after 5 minutes have passed, I’ve become more familiar with the characters and also the game world.
HYBRID 2’s graphic is simply gorgeous and looks great on the iPhone 4. The monsters, environment, NPCs (Non-Player Characters), slash effects, and especially when Grey (your main character) releases a combo – very satisfying to watch.
The music is a bit repetitive but the sound effects help to make the combat more fun and enjoyable. Battles happen very often. Basically, every time you move to a new screen, enemies are already queuing up to fight you. You can skip some of these battles by simply ignoring them and dashing to the next screen (assuming you’ve been there before already) but it’s a good opportunity for levelling up.
You control Grey with a D-pad touch control on the left and PlayStation-buttons-alike on the right side of the screen (triangle, square, and circle). Performing combos are done with these buttons’ combinations (such as O+O+[]), and so on. You can perform a special attack by pressing Grey’s portrait on the left and there is also a quick slot area for a quick potion drink. They are a bit hard to reach though, especially in the heat of the battle. Performing combos are not easy too at first and may take some time to get used to. Nevertheless, combat is real fun with all the hacking and slashing to level up your character.
There are also sub-quests in Hybrid 2 and it’s up to you to complete them or not but you will be rewarded with experience points and gold. Gold can be used to buy better equipment and also potions. The merchant interface needs a bit of re-work though which hopefully gets updated in the future. I can’t see how much gold I’m having when I want to buy items in the store and it’s also hard to compare multiple weapons that I got from the loot because the pop-up is on the way for moving & comparing between items quickly.
Things get more interesting as you progress in the game, unlocking new combo moves, gaining your spirit friends, and learning new special attacks.
Hybrid 2: Saga of Nostalgia is fun hack-and-slash RPG game with gorgeous graphics, unique story, and repetitive (in a good way). Hybrid 2 is a non-stop action and the only time you stop fighting is when you are in a town, busy collecting sub-quests, selling your loot, and buying potions to survive. The dialogues are well designed too – highlighting important keywords with different colors and straight to the point. Some finishing touches are needed for the game to completely shine (such as the merchant interface, better quest tracking system, and a few others). Nevertheless, they are not critical and can easily be updated in future versions. Fans of action RPG should be happy to play HYBRID 2 for many hours to come!
HYBRID 2: Saga of Nostalgia – GAMEVIL Inc.
Note: Promo code provided for the review
