Game Debate #203: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

[Reed Rothchild | 9,640]

[Tulpa | 3,569]

Despite AVGN's opinion on it, it's not THAT bad. It's not particularly good; the Jekyll stages get frustrating and a bit monotonous. But the concept is unique, and there really isn't anything like it. 

I prefer the Famicom version. It doesn't repeat the stages and has the fighting ladies in the windows. 

 

[mbd39 | 2,036]

I gave it a 5. It's not great, but it's not that bad.

[mbd39 | 2,036]

I would _much_ rather play it than something like Best of the Best Championship Karate. There's much worse on the NES but that didn't happen to be featured in AVGN videos.

[Sumez | 3,013]

Never played it, and I gotta admit it's pretty far down on my NES priority list

[Strikezone1 | 155]

Gave it a 2. I've beaten it many times and achieved both endings.

The gameplay & concept are bizarre. Control scheme/mechanics can be excessively frustrating. It is hard to figure out the strategies on what to do/how to progress w/o outside help. 

Like a lot of below-average games, there can be some enjoyment and satisfaction to be had in learning the ins & outs of the game and achieving victory. But at the end of the day, it just isn't a very well-made game.

[cj_robot | 555]

Probably the best video game adaptation of a Robert Louis Stevenson novel ever. Probably.

[Webhead123 | 691]

I documented my experience finishing Jekyll & Hyde on the old NA site. Sadly, I didn't keep a separate record of my thoughts. I will say that I came away from the game with a much more positive outlook than I expected to. I recognized that the game isn't fundamentally very "good", in terms of general playability or fun factor...but making a serious effort to get through it did reveal that it does have its charms. In other words, the game became kind of a guilty pleasure and fun in spite of its many flaws and frustrations.

As a result, I found it surprisingly difficult to give this game a solid rating, as it is a tug-of-war of positive and negative qualities. For most people and under most circumstances, this game probably doesn't deserve any score higher than a 3 or 4. I was tempted to give it a 5 overall but I recognize that might be slightly too generous considering my personal journey. So, I docked it to a "4" due to the simple fact that most of the experience is tedious, frustrating and unfair.

I still like it, though, and think it's far, FAR from the worst the NES library has to offer.

Edited May 1 by Webhead123

[Tulpa | 3,569]

2 hours ago, cj_robot said:

Probably the best video game adaptation of a Robert Louis Stevenson novel ever. Probably.

I will say it's also better than most of the movie adaptations, which tend to miss the point of the story. 

Edited May 1 by Tulpa

[TDIRunner | 2,794]

Never played it, but I've heard the name thrown around a time or two.

[NostalgicMachine | 261]

This is a 3/10 game.

That's saying a lot from someone with the balls to use the Swamp Thing sprite as their avatar, too.

[Webhead123 | 691]

13 hours ago, NostalgicMachine said:

This is a 3/10 game.

That's saying a lot from someone with the balls to use the Swamp Thing sprite as their avatar, too.

You know, I've never really thought about it before but...I think Swamp Thing and Jekyll & Hyde might be comparable experiences in some respects. They both feature incredibly sluggish protagonists with impotent attacks. Frustrating and abusive enemy and level design. Questionable hit-detection.

I haven't spent as much time with Swamp Thing as Jekyll & Hyde but I wonder, putting them head-to-head, which I would find less terrible given a fair shake.

[NostalgicMachine | 261]

19 minutes ago, Webhead123 said:

You know, I've never really thought about it before but...I think Swamp Thing and Jekyll & Hyde might be comparable experiences in some respects. They both feature incredibly sluggish protagonists with impotent attacks. Frustrating and abusive enemy and level design. Questionable hit-detection.

I haven't spent as much time with Swamp Thing as Jekyll & Hyde but I wonder, putting them head-to-head, which I would find less terrible given a fair shake.

I'd have to agree, honestly.

In its defense, Swamp Thing has an awesome intro. I remember getting a CIB copy of Swamp Thing in like, 1999. I definitely lost it and have no idea where it went; I know it's worth a penny or two now!

[PII | 1,916]

Haven't played J&H yet, always been kind of intrigued by it though.  Swamp thing is a Glimmering Emerald.  It's flaws only make it more beautiful and an absolute joy to play.

[Webhead123 | 691]

4 hours ago, NostalgicMachine said:

I'd have to agree, honestly.

In its defense, Swamp Thing has an awesome intro. I remember getting a CIB copy of Swamp Thing in like, 1999. I definitely lost it and have no idea where it went; I know it's worth a penny or two now!

Oh yeah, Swamp Thing has a kind of charm to it that makes it all the more heart breaking as that charm starts slowly slipping away and the frustration all comes boiling to the surface. What a great-idea-turned-horrible-missed-opportunity.

Edited May 3 by Webhead123

[NostalgicMachine | 261]

4 hours ago, Webhead123 said:

Oh yeah, Swamp Thing has a kind of charm to it that makes it all the more heart breaking as that charm starts slowly slipping away and the frustration all comes boiling to the surface. What a great-idea-turned-horrible-missed-opportunity.

It totally had the potential to be a sleeper hit, kind of like Felix The Cat or something. The logo, box art, etc. are all phenomenal. What an s-load of f! 

[CMR | 522]

@NostalgicMachine Your avatar of Swamp Thing looks like he's holding his thing.

 

I gave Dr. J a 2.  Also, I hope you guys like Sim City.  I don't really play sim games.

[NostalgicMachine | 261]

10 hours ago, CMR said:

@NostalgicMachine Your avatar of Swamp Thing looks like he's holding his thing.

Who says he isn't? It's THQ masterpiece, after all!

[JamesRobot | 5,844]

Pretty crappy.  Really want to like it and there's certainly potential but ultimately it's pretty unplayable.

[guitarzombie | 929]

3/10.  Interesting game but horribly flawed because of design choices.  MOSTLY because of how slow you are.  If you were able to move faster, I would probably say like a 5.  Have no idea what they were thinking making this game and who they were marketing it for when you compare it to obvious hits like Mega Man, Super Mario, Zelda etc.

[guitarzombie | 929]

On 5/2/2024 at 9:14 PM, NostalgicMachine said:

This is a 3/10 game.

That's saying a lot from someone with the balls to use the Swamp Thing sprite as their avatar, too.

I love Swamp Thing!  Its not any much different from any of the other Imagineering/Simpsons games control wise.  I find his jumping fun!

[NostalgicMachine | 261]

2 hours ago, guitarzombie said:

I love Swamp Thing!  Its not any much different from any of the other Imagineering/Simpsons games control wise.  I find his jumping fun!

It plays very similarly to The Simpsons games, for sure! The first level is a true nightmare lmao. You CAN progress if you accept/work with the games limitations. I don't think I've ever cleared the third level TBH.

[Dr. Morbis | 2,096]

It looks like I've given it the highest rating so far at 6.  I will say this: I know it gets a ton of flack for it's subpar gameplay, but for me it has all the NES charm that makes me love the system, and it is experimental in that old-fashioned NES way that very few games past the 8bit era are.  I love how the life/Hyde gauge works and how crossing your own path as Hyde is what begets a game over.  Gunning for the true second ending makes it more interesting as well.

If you think of this game more as a puzzle game and don't approach it as an action/platformer, there is definitely some fun to be had, but that's probably only true if you're a dyed in the wool NES-head to begin with like I am...

Edited May 4 by Dr. Morbis

[Tulpa | 3,569]

3 hours ago, Dr. Morbis said:

If you think of this game more as a puzzle game

You know, I don't really buy that approach. It's like people who say "Well, Dragon's Lair NES is more of a puzzle game than a platformer."

No, you just like its particular quirkiness. Just come out and say it.

[Dr. Morbis | 2,096]

7 hours ago, Tulpa said:

No, you just like its particular quirkiness. Just come out and say it.

I did come out and say it, and went on to further explain that it's because I approach it as a puzzle game...