Game:

Broken Helix (1997)

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The first of my 5-part video series of the January 13th, 1997 beta build of Broken Helix, a third-person shooter on the PS1 that I find highly underrated & overlooked. No one has done a playthrough of this beta, and since I know a lot about this game, I figure I'd be the best person to do it. The full game was released on May 31st, 1997 in North America, and that final version was then released (with full dubbing & foreign language) in Japan & Germany in early 1998, with other European countries simply getting the game in English. Info about this beta in the video:

https://hiddenpalace.org/Broken_Helix_(Jan_13,_1997_prototype)

What I notice with this beta build is that Levels 1 through 9 are almost complete. What they're missing are a bunch of platforming sections, the levels only have a couple enemy types, low enemy count, mismatched pick-ups, lack of keys, etc. Some parts like Level 4, 5 and 8 also have a slightly different (yet similar) layout to the final game, as if they were tweaked upon in the last months, and there's also some texture & lighting differences throughout the various levels that were later swapped for other textures & lights (especially walls with text clues).

I also get the sense playing this beta is that while I'd say the levels are about 70% done, there's a lack-of-polish in the overall beta game itself. The story pathway mechanisms and the "4D time" mechanics (where characters can do things on other levels in real time) thankfully do indeed work. However, there's serious problems that prevent you from triggering each of the ending FMVs. Doors can soft-lock you, some parts later in the game just abruptly end in a plain wall (seriously 😶 ), important countdown challenges don't display a timer, missing platforms make you have to go strange routes, and (worst of all 😬 ) Black Dawn & his marines move ridiculously fast. They don't stay put to give you time to explore & soak-in the story.

It's as if in January 1997, most of the levels were complete, but they needed another 3 to 4 months to do play-testing, polishing, gameplay balance, keycard & important item mechanics (which either didn't exist or were buggy), platforming sections, getting timers to display, and getting Level 10 finished as a level itself with all the marine boss fights. Thankfully, they successfully fixed every single issue that I experienced from this beta, so they certainly did a good job. 👍

Level 10 (especially the Reese plot part) and Level 5 (the mine area) are very dysfunctional & eerie, and that's why I love those levels. 😅 It's right up there with the cancelled "Blood 2: The Chosen" expansion pack called "Revelations". I'm saving the Reese part for last, but to give you an idea, the vibe is not far off from this:

   • Blood II 2: The Chosen "Revelations" Cance...  

I will say, the developers getting the game complete in 3 months & 1 week is very impressive to me, 😎 since the final build date was April 22nd, 1997 (shipped to stores for a May 31st, 1997 release).

I'm recording these Broken Helix videos on a real PS1 (SCPH-1001 model, November 1995). This is the model that has bits of FMV skipping issues & audio stuttering issues, but it's the only model I currently have that can play burned discs. Mine has a PU-7 board, the board that was made from September 1994 to early November 1995, so it's definitely among the oldest PlayStations.

Thankfully, my SCPH-1001 doesn't stutter or skip much, and it shouldn't be that noticeable and/or off-putting in these Broken Helix videos. Compared to my other PS1 consoles, which don't like to read burned games (or they just like to freezing after the in-game menu), my SCPH-1001 plays everything I throw at it.

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