Jekyll vs. Hyde Review

boardgamequest.com:

We review Jekyll vs. Hyde, a trick taking game for 2 players. Published by Mandoo games, Jekyll vs. Hyde has each player trying to fulfill their own unique objectives.

The characters of Jekyll and Hyde continue to be an interesting dichotomy in the duality of human nature. The archetypes have crept their way into modern pop culture in more ways than one, and the psychology continues to fascinate.

Which side of us is stronger? Is coexistence possible? I was curious how some of these ideas would be expressed in Jekyll vs Hyde. I anticipated a tug of war, but what I found felt more dynamic.

Jekyll vs Hyde plays out over three rounds. At the beginning of the game, players choose which role they will represent, Jekyll or Hyde. Hyde’s goal is to reach the end of the Identity track by the end of round three; Jekyll wants to keep that from occurring. How does this track progression occur? At the end of each round, after assessing how many tricks each person won, the mathematical difference determines how far the tracker moves, as Dr. Jekyll risks losing his identity. Playing as Hyde, your prerogative is to create as much of a mathematical difference in tricks won each round. As Jekyll, closing that gap is your only strategy to stave off a psychological pitfall.

The game consists of three suits numbered two through nine. There is no priority of which suit is stronger. That is, until the first card is played at the start of a round. This suit is now considered the “weakest.” The card lead must be followed as you’d expect, with the highest-numbered card winning. The second suit to be played becomes the second strongest, and, by process of elimination, the third suit is the strongest. These reset at the start of each round, but