Seven-Fusion Hyperman

Seven-Fusion Hyperman, simply known as Hyperman, is a platforming/shoot ‘em up hybrid video game developed by Burst Arts Inc. and published by Namco. Released exclusively in Japan on June 1994, it was one of the only two games developed by Burst Arts to ever be released on the Super Famicom. It was also released on the PC Engine CD two months later. The game stars Hyperman, a super-powered being that is the result of the fusion of seven humans who were also fused with ancient monsters. It is also the first in the Hyperman series.

Gameplay
Hyperman features two distinctive level types: a Planet section and a Galaxy section. The Planet levels plays exactly like platforming games, where the player makes their way through several enemies to reach the boss. Once the boss is defeated, the level is complete. The Planet levels are filled with obstacles that allows the player to utilize the many abilities of Hyperman. For example, Hyperman can use Owen's aquatic abilities to go through underwater areas, or if Hyperman is searching for a door to the next area, the player can have him use Lucy's super-hearing abilities.

The Galaxy levels are quite different; the gameplay switches to that of a shoot ‘em up, and the player guides Hyperman through the depths of space, defeating as much enemies as possible. Since the player is in space, there are no certain obstacles that requires the use of Hyperman’s abilities. In these levels, Hyperman’s abilities are converted into different power-ups, which the player can obtain by collecting items. In some Galaxy levels, there are portals which lead to special stages, giving the player an opportunity to regain any life points or 1-ups at a time limit.

Plot
In the year 2020, a science organization called the Monster 5 has captured seven ancient monsters that have laid dormant underneath the Earth for several years. They originally planned on using these monsters to stop an incoming meteor that could put an end to Earth. The only problem: these monsters cannot last the way they are now due to years of magma exposure. So Monster 5 opted for another approach: search for human test subjects to reside them in. As such, seven humans–Zack, Owen, Tetra, Saori, Lita, Johnny, and Ivan–were captured and taken to Monster 5’s secret laboratory to begin the fusion with the monsters.

But during the experiment, the equipment being used went awry and eventually caused everyone in the lab to either be killed or mutated, along with the meteor coming into contact upon their laboratory, causing destruction around the world. As a result of this incident, the seven humans were fused, with their monster counterparts, into a powerful fusion creature while the five leaders of Monster 5 were mutated into Pseudo-Beasts. Now humanity is struggling to survive against the monsters that appeared from the meteor. Discovering the state the Earth is in now, the newly-christened Hyperman swears to find a new planet for the surviving humans to call home, while also slaughtering any monsters that stand in his way.

Characters
Hyperman – The hero of the game. Hyperman is the result of the fusion between the seven ancient monsters and their human hosts. It was actually from the incident that occurred in Monster Five's laboratory that led to the creation of Hyperman. Now he has abandoned Monster Five and, upon witnessing the world's state after the meteor's global effects, swears to find a brand new planet for the humans.
 * Zack – A hot-headed Native-American young man who was a pro-athlete on track and is the leader of the heroes. He is fused with the monster Zetes, which grants him the wings of a dragon.
 * Owen – Zack's best friend from Canada who was part of a swim team, but is unsure about where he will be in the future. He is fused with the monster Lutritor, giving him incredible swimming abilities.
 * Tetra – An American woman who was the advisor for Theta Industries. Her monster fusion is with the monster Okamiko, giving her the speed of a wolf.
 * Johnny – A teenaged boy from England who is very knowledgeable about the world itself. He was fused with the monster Cronix, giving him feathers that can form blades.
 * Saori – A young Japanese girl who wants to see Earth and any other planet flourish with flowers. She was fused with the monster Alinite, granting her an organic rose that detects monsters.
 * Lita – A young Hispanic woman who strongly believes in true equality. She is fused with the monster Darkmori, which gives her super hearing abilities.
 * Ivan – A kind pro-wrestler from Russia who believes that anyone can be strong. His monster fusion was with the Etigol, which grants him horns that break objects such as ice and stone.

Planets

 * Ruined Earth
 * Flou
 * Friti
 * Alto
 * Klump
 * Rigma
 * Automa
 * Castle Monster 5
 * Planet Darius

Bosses

 * Arachgrim
 * Bacteraith
 * Icicrackle
 * Toxinote
 * Claymax
 * Emberfang
 * Trancelady
 * Pseudo 5
 * Pseudoman (Final Boss)

Voice Cast
(Exclusive on the PC Engine CD port)
 * Zack/Hyperman – Ryotaro Okiayu
 * Owen – Shin'ichiro Miki
 * Tetra – Yuko Mizutani
 * Johnny – Masakazu Morita
 * Saori – Sanae Kobayashi
 * Lita – Ai Orikasa
 * Ivan – Toshio Furukawa
 * Pseudo 5/Pseudoman – Norio Wakamoto, Ryuzaburo Otomo, Banjo Ginga, Isamu Tanonaka, & Chikao Ohtsuka

Trivia

 * There were originally plans to include a two-player mode in addition to a three-player mode. Aside from Hyperman himself, there were going to be two more Hyperman characters, named Hyperman Pulse and Hyperman Surge, as the respective player-two and -three characters. Meanwhile, the player-1 character was to be named Hyperman Flare. The two Hyperman characters would eventually make their way into the novel.