Retrospective of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
“Flawed on every fundamental level, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is possibly the most unplayable garbage available on the Nintendo Entertainment System.” — Game Informer
By Patrick S. Baker
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Jekyll & Hyde) was a video game developed by Advance Communication Company and released by Bandai for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1988. The game was based on the classic horror novella by Robert Louis Stevenson.
The novella tells the story of the brilliant scientist, Dr. Henry Jekyll, well known for his decency and generosity, but with a hidden and terrible dark side. He creates a potion to separate his dark side from his better self. Instead, the mixture changes him into a cruel and violent man named Mr. Hyde.
Jekyll & Hyde was a unique game for its time, in that it tried to tell a rather complex and subtle story through a video game.
At first, the critical reception to the game was mixed, leaning negative, for example the reviewer Questicle.net gave it a B- as late as 2017, mainly praising the storyline. But over time the reviews became progressively and overwhelmingly more negative. Many reviewers criticized the game for its confusing level design and excessively difficult gameplay. The game has an aggregate score of 15 out of 100 on Metacritic.
For example, the contemporary review in the November 1988 Nintendo Power, stated “It’s easy to see why Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has been labeled one of the worst games ever made.” And went on to criticize the game for its baffling level design and merciless difficulty. The reviewer went on to lament the game’s lack of instruction and perplexing mechanics, saying “This game makes you feel like a mad scientist yourself trying to figure out the formula for success.”
A retrospective review in IGN in 2008, described Jekyll & Hyde as “a wreck from start to finish, with little redeeming value…” The reviewer criticized the game’s various “cheap deaths” and dearth of clear objectives. Going on to say: “Playing Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is like wandering aimlessly through a maze with no hope of escape.” Also, in 2008 Game Informer said the game had “abysmal” gameplay, “horrendous” graphics, “annoying” sound effects, and an “incoherent” story The reviewer summed up with: “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a game that nobody should play, let alone enjoy.”
The negative critical reception did little to dampen the sales, at first, with Jekyll & Hyde selling over 500,000 copies in the first few months of release. The commercial success of the game could largely be ascribed to the game’s aggressive marketing, which emphasized the game’s association with the famous novella as well as the various classic movies. Nevertheless, the game’s sales rapidly dropped off after gamers discovered just how terrible it really was.
Surprising, and in spite of the terrible reviews and reputation, Jekyll & Hyde has gained and maintained a small but dedicated fan base. Also, the game has become a bit of a cult classic with some gamers, with some applauding its unique and innovative design and infamously difficult gameplay. Jekyll and Hyde has, like many terrible games, become the subject of a number of articles and videos on gaming websites, discussing its legacy as one of the worst video games ever made.
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Patrick S. Baker is a former US Army Field Artillery officer and retired Department of Defense employee. He has degrees in History, Political Science and Education. He has been writing history, game reviews and science-fiction professionally since 2013. Some of his other work can found at Sirius Science Fiction, Sci-Phi Journal, Armchair General and Historynet.com
Sources:
“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Review.” Nintendo Power, vol. 14, Nov. 1988, p. 36.
“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Review.” 3 Oct. 2008. IGN.
“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Review.” 29 Sept. 2008. Game Informer.
“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: The Game That Hates You.” 12 Jan 2012. Kotaku.
“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” GiantBomb.com
“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” Classical-games.net
“Jekyll and Hide” 23 August 2017 Questicle.net.