A Strange Case of Angry Video Game Nerds:

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on the Nintendo Entertainment System

Abstract

Regarded by many gamers as one of the worst video games of all time, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on the Nintendo Entertainment System is simultaneously a unique adaptation of a Victorian text. The frustrating design of the game is based upon an attempt to translate the relationship between Stevenson’s characters into an interactive experience. Ironically, the problems inherent in the game design establish a distinctly immersive adaptation, as the player experiences the repressive frustrations of being Henry Jekyll and the cathartic joys of being Edward Hyde. By ‘legitimising’ Hyde, and by promoting an active reengagement with the Stevenson text through gameplay, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ironically succeeds as a neo-Victorian adaptation by failing as a video game.