Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde delivers a unique twist on the classic side‐scrolling action formula by introducing a morality meter that governs your transformations. As Dr. Jekyll, players must carefully manage both a conventional life bar and a “Jekyll to Hyde” meter. Walking upright and minding your manners keeps the meter in Dr. Jekyll’s favor, but any misstep—whether from accidentally touching enemies or stamina loss—pushes you closer to becoming the sinister Mr. Hyde.

(HEY YOU!! We hope you enjoy! We try not to run ads. So basically, this is a very expensive hobby running this site. Please consider joining us for updates, forums, and more. Network w/ us to make some cash or friends while retro gaming, and you can win some free retro games for posting. Okay, carry on 👍)

Once transformed into Mr. Hyde, the gameplay shifts dramatically. Your jab and kick attacks become your only means of survival as you clobber a horde of increasingly bizarre Victorian‐era baddies. Defeating enemies replenishes the morality meter, giving you a chance to snap back into Dr. Jekyll’s (more fragile) form and resume the quest to reach the church. This push‐and‐pull dynamic between forms adds tension—but also a steep difficulty spike whenever you’re forced into Mr. Hyde’s shoes.

Unfortunately, the game’s high challenge level is compounded by imprecise controls and inconsistent hit detection. Dr. Jekyll feels weighty and sometimes unresponsive when trying to hop over obstacles or time jumps, while Mr. Hyde’s combat can feel unfair when enemies attack from odd angles. Frequent instant‐death pits and unpredictable enemy patterns test patience, making progression feel more like trial‐and‐error than strategic mastery.

Despite these frustrations, there’s a certain addictive quality to juggling the two playstyles. The risk of involuntary transformation keeps players on edge, encouraging cautious exploration. For those who relish retro difficulty and quirky mechanics, the gameplay loop—struggling, adapting, and finally making it a bit further—can be oddly satisfying.

Graphics

Graphically, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde embraces an austere, Gothic aesthetic that reflects the source material’s dark themes. Backgrounds are rendered in muted tones of grey and sepia, evoking foggy London streets and shadowy alleyways. This limited palette reinforces the game’s ominous atmosphere, though it occasionally borders on looking drab or muddy.

The character sprites are small but distinct, with Dr. Jekyll sporting a top hat and tailcoat while Mr. Hyde transforms into a hunched fiend with exaggerated claws. Animation frames are sparse, so movement can feel stiff: Jekyll’s walking cycle is brief and abrupt, and Hyde’s attack animations lack fluidity. Despite this, the stark visual contrast between the two personas effectively underscores the theme of duality.

Enemy designs range from rat swarms to robed cultists, each rendered in simple outlines that sometimes blend into the background. While this reinforces the game’s challenge—spotting foes quickly is part of the test—it can be frustrating when an enemy emerges unexpectedly from the gloom. Environmental details like wrought‐iron fences, old lamp posts, and distant church steeples provide occasional visual interest, but the repetitive backdrops grow tiresome over extended play sessions.

Overall, the graphics serve the game’s moody tone well but lack the polish found in contemporaries. Players seeking colorful, high‐detail visuals may be disappointed, whereas fans of retro charm will appreciate the bleak, minimalist approach.

Story

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is loosely based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s celebrated novella “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” The game casts you as Dr. Henry Jekyll en route to his wedding ceremony with Miss Millicent—a narrative hook that provides context for each stage rather than retelling the full depth of Stevenson’s psychological exploration. Cutscenes are rare and brief, consisting mostly of text boxes that explain your progress or the next objective.

The essence of the source material—the inner struggle between good and evil—is distilled into the Jekyll‐to‐Hyde meter. While this mechanical interpretation lacks nuance, it does make the central theme immediately tangible: stray too far from virtue, and you’ll become the monster you sought to control. Sadly, character development is minimal. Dr. Jekyll never speaks except through onscreen prompts, and Miss Millicent’s presence is limited to a single mention at the end, leaving little emotional connection.

The environmental storytelling is sparse, though some levels hint at societal decay—huddled beggars, masked revellers in a tavern, and desecrated graveyards signal London’s darker underbelly. These vignettes nod to the original novella’s commentary on repression and decadence, yet the game prioritizes action over narrative depth. Players seeking a rich adaptation will find the storyline serviceable at best, while those intrigued by a thematic veneer on a platformer may appreciate the game’s ambition.

In summary, the story serves primarily as a framing device. The minimalist narrative provides enough motivation to trek toward the church, but it does little to expand on the tragic arc of Dr. Jekyll’s transformation or the moral questions at the heart of Stevenson’s work.

Overall Experience

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde stands as a curious relic of early console experimentation, marrying literature and gameplay in a way few titles dared at the time. The interplay between Dr. Jekyll’s cautious traversal and Mr. Hyde’s frantic brawling introduces an innovative risk‐and‐reward system, but it’s hampered by unforgiving difficulty and technical shortcomings. Players will either find this duality thrilling or overwhelmingly frustrating.

Your enjoyment largely depends on tolerance for vintage game design. The punishing enemy placements and pixel‐perfect jumps demand patience and persistence, while the repetitive backgrounds and sparse animations underscore the game’s budget constraints. However, there’s a raw authenticity here that modern reboots often sanitize—failing spectacularly can be oddly gratifying when it propels you to refine your approach.

For collectors and retro aficionados, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde offers a memorable if imperfect experience. Its Gothic tone, thematic ambition, and idiosyncratic mechanics make it a noteworthy footnote in gaming history. Casual players or those expecting tight controls and balanced challenge might want to look elsewhere, but if you’re drawn to oddball platformers with a literary twist, this title warrants at least one playthrough.

Ultimately, the game is a mixed bag: flawed yet fascinating, tough yet thematically bold. Approached with the right mindset—appreciating it as a product of its era—Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde can be an engaging journey through Victorian London’s shadows and the human psyche’s darker corridors.

Retro Replay Score

3.5/10