Description
Based on Robert Louis Stevenson's famous novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Jekyll Vs Hyde pits two sides of the same person against each other. One of you is Dr Jekyll, trying to protect his mind and the secret of his dual nature, the other is Mr Hyde, who wants to dominate him completely. Every trick you win counts, so think carefully about every card you play.
How to play Jekyll vs Hyde
The game lasts three rounds. Each player gets 10 cards, then you exchange one card, two in the second round and three in the third. Then come 10 tricks: the leading player plays any card, and the opponent must follow the colour or play a potion. At the start of a round the colours have no rank. The first colour to appear becomes the weakest, the second the middle one and the last the strongest.
At the end of the round you subtract the lower number of tricks from the higher. The identity marker moves that many spaces towards Mr Hyde's side, even if Jekyll won more tricks. If the marker reaches the end of the track, Hyde wins immediately. If it hasn't reached the end after three rounds, Jekyll wins.
Why you'll love it
- The strength of the colours takes shape during play: with the first card you play you can deliberately push the colour that helps your opponent most to the bottom.
- Potions turn tricks around. Depending on the opponent's card, they steal a trick from the opponent, force an exchange of two cards or reset the colour ranks.
- The roles are different: Hyde wants the biggest possible difference in tricks, while Jekyll has to keep the balance, so he sometimes lets the opponent win a trick on purpose.
- In the card exchange at the start of each round you can hand your opponent cards that will get in their way, and you exchange more of them every round.
Who is Jekyll vs Hyde for
The game is for two players only, ages 8 and up, and a game takes about 30 minutes. It is moderately easy and the rules are short, which makes it a great choice for couples and anyone who enjoys card games for two. The cards show only numbers and colours, and there is no text on the components. For a more balanced and tactical duel, the rules offer a variant for experienced players: you play two games with the roles swapped and compare which Hyde did better.
What you might not like
The roles are not equal: in the base game Jekyll is under constant pressure and has to plan every move carefully. Those who prefer a fully symmetrical duel will find the variant with two games and swapped roles a better fit.
What's in the box
- 1 game board with the identity track
- 21 Evil cards in three colours (7 each of purple, red and green)
- 4 Potion cards
- 1 identity marker (figure)
- 3 colour tokens
