Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein places you in the carcass-bound boots of the Creature, thrust into a blend of hack-and-slash combat and light puzzle-solving. Armed initially with a simple wooden stick, you’ll clobber wolves, bats, and mindless guards that stand between you and your creator. The stick serves as your baseline weapon, but a bit of vertical thinking—literally—allows you to ignite it. Swinging against wall-mounted torches turns your club into a fiery cudgel, increasing damage and adding a brief visual flourish to each strike.

(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 👍)

Beyond basic melee, the Creature wields a supernatural blue orb attack, projecting ethereal energy from its gauntleted palms. This ranged ability is satisfying to watch, but it comes at a cost: using the orb saps a small portion of your own vitality, forcing you to weigh risk versus reward. Strategic players will combine stick and orb tactics, saving the blue ball for tougher enemies or bottlenecks where the extra punch is vital for survival.

Scattered throughout each level are rudimentary puzzles—lever-pulls, pressure plates, and cleverly placed keys—that break the monotony of bashing skulls. These environmental challenges rarely outstay their welcome, but they add a welcome layer of exploration: sometimes you must activate hidden switches to lower portcullises or navigate collapsing walkways. While puzzle complexity is modest, it intersperses the action with a breath of cerebral challenge.

Graphics

Graphically, Frankenstein channels a brooding Gothic palette. The architecture of Victor’s castle is etched in stony gray, and flickering torchlight casts dynamic shadows across corridors. On the original hardware, character models are blocky by modern standards, but they convey the Creature’s hulking presence and the grim visage of his pursuers. Blood splatters and flame effects are basic sprite animations, yet they still manage to reinforce the game’s horror-adjacent aesthetic.

Level design balances atmospheric set pieces with functional platforming geometry. You’ll traverse dank dungeons, snow-swept graveyards, and candlelit laboratories, each area boasting its own color accent—fiery reds for engine rooms, icy blues for outdoor expanses. Frame rate dips are rare outside of the most crowded action sequences, and load times between stages remain swift, preserving immersion in the game’s somber mood.

That said, some textures recycle excessively—stone wall patterns repeat down long hallways, and enemy animations can feel stiff when looping. Nonetheless, the game’s art direction faithfully evokes the 1994 film’s tone. Modern players may wince at polygon counts, but there’s undeniable charm in seeing the Creature lurch through shadowy corridors, firelight dancing off his mottled skin.

Story

Deviating from many licensed titles of its era, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein casts you as the tormented creation rather than the pursuer. After Victor Frankenstein recoils from his handiwork, you experience the monster’s journey of abandonment and fury firsthand. Interstitial cutscenes, rendered in low-resolution video or text slides depending on platform, convey key plot beats: the Creature’s vow of vengeance, his burgeoning self-awareness, and the tragic relationship with his maker.

Dialogue is sparse but effective, with the Creature’s growls and human hesitation captured in atmospheric sound design. Though you won’t encounter many fully voiced characters, the occasional narration underscores pivotal moments—like the Creature’s first taste of fire or his anguished monologue atop a crumbling cliff. For fans of the film, these scenes hit familiar emotional beats, placing you in the center of one of literature’s most enduring tragedies.

However, the storytelling can feel episodic. Each level functions as a loose vignette rather than a seamless narrative tapestry. While this structure ensures steady variety in environments and challenges, it sometimes disrupts pacing—players eager for the next story twist may find themselves slogging through repetitive combat before the next cutscene appears.

Overall Experience

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein delivers a moody action-platformer steeped in Gothic horror, anchored by its unique choice to let you play the iconic monster. Combat mechanics are straightforward but satisfyingly visceral, especially when your wooden club blazes with flame. The blue orb special attack adds a strategic twist, making encounters feel more dynamic than a simple button-mash affair. Puzzles remain modest in scope, serving mainly to diversify the gameplay loop.

Graphically, the game trades polish for atmosphere, embracing dark corridors and flickering firelight to evoke the film’s somber tone. Texture repetition and stiff animations are easy to spot, yet they impart a nostalgic, retro charm for players accustomed to ’90s design limitations. Storytelling is heartfelt, though episodic, with cutscenes that capture the Creature’s tragic arc more than the action itself.

For retro gamers and fans of the 1994 adaptation, this title offers a distinctive spin on the source material. While some mechanics feel dated and the level structure uneven, the overall package is a solid showcase of how licensed titles can transcend mere cash-ins. If you’re seeking a historical artifact of movie-tie-in gaming that still provides atmospheric thrills, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein remains a compelling experience.

Retro Replay Score

5.7/10