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Category: Action/RPG
Seller: Gamevil
Requirements: iPhone OS 2.0 or later
Compatibility: iPod and iPod touch
File Size: 15.8MB
Version Reviewed: 1.0.0
Price: $5.99 (Free lite version available)
Age Rating: 9+ (infrequent/mild cartoon or fantasy violence)

The developers will tell you that Hybrid: Eternal Whisper is “a new breed of stylish action adventure.” I’ll tell you it’s the type of game that’ll have you believing the iPhone and iPod touch are legitimate contenders amongst portable gaming devices.

There are really two components to Hybrid: playing and reading. The reading is common in RPGs, but likely not something iPhone gamers are used to. If you’ve got a story to tell, though, you have to do it through dialogue, so there are large expanses here that set up the universe and how your character fits in. It ultimately boils down to “hero is you,” but has enough detail and interesting elements to make the overall story arc worthwhile.

Just remember, though…reading.

Now, when you’re done reading (or done hitting the “Skip” button), you’re fighting. For an RPG, Hybrid leans much more heavily towards action. You’re not dungeon crawling or going on side quests, after all, you’re engaging in combat with numerous enemies on fairly large battlefields. You move your character (a young fellow named Grey) with a virtual d-pad on the bottom left of the screen, and attack with the sword button on the right. You can alter your method of holding the sword, which affects how powerful your attacks are based on positioning and enemy. And speaking of enemy, an interesting dynamic is that you can’t actually damage your opponents until you learn their name (done with the help of your companion, named Fairy, who you can also call in to help with combat from time to time). It’s an interesting twist that helps to prolong the action.

You’ll want to get good at managing all of this—as well as at chaining your movements for combo attacks and properly upgrading your abilities and weapons/armor—because there’s a lot of killing to be done. In your quest to defend the world of Platina against the Dark Spirits, you’ll be engaging in over 70 battles. That’s quite a task, and you’ll have plenty to learn throughout. Dashes, combos, sword positioning, magic, defense, etc. Learning them as you go helps to keep things interesting for a while, but by the time you reach the end, you’ll likely be as tired of the action as you are of the dialogue.

But that’s not to say Hybrid isn’t satisfying. On the contrary, it’s very rewarding, like finishing a good console title. What’s really impressive here is that the developers managed to provide an epic gaming experience that can be achieved in short bursts of activity. You don’t need to play Hybrid for hours at a time to enjoy it, you can play it in ten minute bursts, completing one battle at a time, on the way to your reward. Perfect for the iPhone, and certainly not like the console games to which it harkens back.

I want to point that out, too; the graphics and audio aren’t as sophisticated as they could be on the iPhone, but are absolutely perfect nonetheless. Both are a throwback to the SNES and Genesis systems many of use grew up with, providing bright colors with excellent animation and effects, as well as a synth-based soundtrack that seethes with adrenaline. Gamevil also wants to create a culture around Hybrid, setting up closed public beta testing and a users’ forum at their site. It’s good to see iPhone developers caring this much about the longevity of their game.

There aren’t a lot of RPGs available on the iPhone. Because of the low prices developers have to charge for iPhone games, I don’t imagine a lot will find their way through anytime soon. Thankfully, Hybrid: Eternal Whisper is there, because it’ll satisfy the need. Hybrid wasn’t designed for iPhone owners who play games, it was designed for gamers who own iPhones. It does suffer a bit from repetition and from being too wordy, but that’s not uncommon for role-playing games seeking to provide and “epic” gaming experience. What’s important is that the combat is a blast and the graphics/music are lively and fun. Action gamers seeking satisfaction on the iPhone and iPod touch won’t leave disappointed.