Jekyll & Hyde, the split personality, from PC to Dreamcast
Like Frankenstein, the story of "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" has become a cult favorite. Written and published in 1886 by Robert Louis Stevenson, it refers to the tug of war between good and evil. This horror novel can be interpreted as a work about split personality disorder.
In 150 years, this timeless short story has been adapted in all possible and unimaginable formats: in the cinema, in the theater, on television, in comic books, in board games and even in video games.
This article is complementary to the one about the history of In Utero and their biggest project, their baby, Evil Twin : The memoirs of Evil Twin: Cypriens Chronicles, the nightmare is within reach of the dreams of In Utero
The development of Jekyll and Hyde
At the beginning of the year 2000, while programming Evil Twin, a team of 20 professionals from the Parisian development studio In Utero, had the mission to create a PC game based on this famous horrific license. It will be called, at its release "Jekyll and Hyde".
«The budgets were not the same as now. There must have been about 20 of us (1/3 LDs GDs, 1/3 artists, 1/3 programmers). There was a main game designer, but the level designers could work on the GD as well from time to time, the same for the art side, if an idea seemed interesting we would do it, and there was less documentation to do on it»
Illustration of Jekyll's cabinet
LD : Level Designer
GD : Game Designer
In Utero was composed of young talents who are still working, for some of them, in the video game industry. They were a tight team and still are 20 years later. Who knows what games they could have created if the company hadn't closed !!!
«When In Ut' died, we didn't really get angry with each other. A good part of us went to work for Ubisoft, in Paris, Montpellier and Montreal, so we worked together again, and we saw each other occasionally. We watched the 98 French soccer team victory during the wedding of one of the founders over several days, on a Barco projected on a sheet in a barn. We had a real bond.»
The world of video games was not the same as today, it has evolved enormously. Production costs have increased along with the generations of platforms. Between fifty and a hundred people are probably needed for an average title. Like many professions, in the late nineties, employees didn't need thousands of qualifications, the know-how was acquired as you went along.
Jocelyn Tridemy (text in italics), who was the inspiration for a island of Evil Twin, was a Artiste3d/LD on the Jeckyll & Hyde project.
«I learned a lot on the job. I started with 3d, but I did some texturing, learned to animate, then did levels, then GD rules, and starting and tracking tools.»
Unlike ET, the development of Jekyll & Hyde did not last long, about a year. The deadlines were short. For the Parisian company, it was a way to make money while polishing their baby "Evil Twin". Doesn't it remind you of Yū Suzuki and his Shenmue ?
«As far as deadlines are concerned, we were beginning to have a bit of experience, but we were not in a hurry and we were having very long days, even weeks, at the time of milestones with the editor.»
3D modeling of Jekyll's cabinet
The book room
The book room in game
Jekyll and Hyde uses the same engine and the same graphic creation and integration tool (I.S.A.A.C) as the one used for Evil Twin. The models, the sets, the designs, the atmosphere of the places and the characters are inspired by the drawings of Stéphane Levallois (a French cartoonist). ET and Jekyll have an artistic and creative side in common, the graphic style of In Utero.
Automatons hangar
Library Lab
Interior station
«Our references were the same and we tried to stick to Stéphane Bachelet's style.»
Anthony Lejeune, the art director, was in charge of respecting and visually recapturing the artistic approach of the comic book illustrator once the illustrations were transferred to 3D (volume, adding textures, character shapes, etc.) while maintaining overall consistency by supervising the other graphic designers. Using filters and Photoshop, the developers managed to find a type of texture that was a little trashy and not very clean to match Levallois' designs.
At the end of the adventure, once Jekyll and Hyde was on the shelves, all those who had worked on the project shared Stéphane Levallois' original illustrations. Who knows, maybe they will have something to showcase his work !
Plan of the dock and port area (see illustration on the left)
Original drawing of Nino Sapina by Stephane Levallois (amphitheater))
The development team couldn't make the game they wanted to make because of their limited gameplay skills. As the company grew quickly, there were some tensions, differences of opinion. It doesn't help but at the same time what company doesn't have this kind of problem ?
«At the beginning we wanted to be able to switch from Jekyll to Hyde or vice versa as we wanted»
Surprisingly, this feature is present in one of the prototypes (technical demo) of Jekyll and Hyde discovered recently on Dreamcast.
One of the game’s biggest flaw was the game/level design. At the time, these professions were new. The critics of the journalists were not kind to this aspect of the title. However, they praised the creative side of the software.
With hindsight, and 20 years of experience at Ubisoft, if he had to do it again, Jocelyn Tridemy would correct some of the game's flaws such as the handling of the characters and the camera system.
Interface Concept Art
«There should be a better separation of tasks, focus people on what they do best, spend more time on the 3C's of the character (two main characters, with potentially different C's) and differentiate the two characters more»
3C : Camera, Control, Character, it's what makes a main character pleasant to play or not, if the camera allows you to do and see what you need, if the character is reactive or in any case in adequacy with the game, and if it's comfortable to use for the type of game you want to play (I learned this specific term while writing this article :)).
«We didn't know what the 3Cs were, we did a lot of things on instinct.»
For the anecdote, an Easter Egg is hidden in the level of the cemetery. One of the mausoleums is built on 2 floors, on the second floor "Evil Twin" and on the first floor "Jekyll". The developers were sneakys, by examining the tombstones, the names of the members of In Utero or their friends are engraved in the stone!
The cemetery level
The music is magnificent. They were composed by Bertrand Eluerd. He also participated in the soundtrack of Evil Twin. Unfortunately, he died in 2005 at the age of 40.
Playstation 2 and Dreamcast versions were considered. The porting had started. They didn't have time to release In Utero as it filed for bankruptcy in 2001.
Prostitutes
Priest
actress
The "Smokehouse" level (first mesh)
The partnership with Cryo Interactive
Cryo Interactive, a long-time partner of In Utero since "Virus: It is aware", took care of the edition of Jekyll & Hyde. The French publisher trusted them with small-scale projects.
«The other games than Evil Twin also allowed/forced us to recruit other talented people, that's how we grew. And became ambitious, maybe too much so.»
It should be noted that at the beginning, In Utero was only a graphic service provider. The beginning of a partnership between the publisher and the development studio, which will later include 3 games ("Odyssey: The Search for Ulysses", "Jekyll and Hyde" and "Shadow of Zorro") starts with the project "Virus: It is aware" for Playstation 1. In Utero will take care of the cinematics, the scenery and the level design of the game. During this time, a small part of the company's staff is working on Cyprien, the first name of Evil Twin.
«Evil Twin was the first game where In Utero did everything from A to Z. It was the baby of the studio's founders, and a lot of people among us. So it took more time. We had to earn money and do other projects: The Odyssey, Jekyll, Zorro, etc. »
In Utero logo animation for Jeckyll and Hyde
With the work on Virus turned in on time, Cryo is pleased with their first experience with the Paris-based firm. As the little guys from In Utero needed a way to make a living, Jean-Martial Lefranc, one of the founders of Cryo Interactive Entertainment, proposed to the studio to write pitches (summary of the story, themes, type and main features of the game). Among the 3 proposed, Cryo retained the one that became The Odyssey: The Search for Ulysses.
«The Odyssey is a great experience, we're in a small group, we do what we want, what we can, we use Cryo's Omni camera (engine) system but tweaked it, to make it more dynamic. We were supported by programmers from Cryo, but also by some of their testers.»
"Odyssey: The Search for Ulysses" was a small success when it was released. Taking advantage of the progress and experience acquired on Evil Twin, In Utero followed up with Jekyll and Hyde (an order from Cryo) by making the game, this time, practically alone. They called upon two or three people, in subcontracting, for some cutscenes.
Cryo was a publisher that tried things without knowing if they would succeed, such as starting development on a licensed game without having obtained the rights yet. If they didn't get the permission, the game was modified and called something else.
«Levels we made for Cryo concerning "The Planet of the Apes" have been integrated in the game "The New Adventures of the Time Machine"»
Planet of the Apes was finally published by Ubisoft and developed by Visiware, another French development studio.
When the cover of Jekyll was made, the In Utero team had no say in the matter, they were disappointed with the result. The publisher had the upper hand in creating the cover. The cover wasn’t appealing, with the red background not matching the dark atmosphere of the game. The cover is out of step with the aesthetics of the game.
The game sold well despite mediocre reviews from the press (even the flaws explained above). No sequel was planned.
The game
The game takes place shortly after Stevenson's book. The story of Jekyll and Hyde, like almost all stories of that time, is particularly dark. It is about monsters, killers, misery and extreme poverty. It has nothing to do with the original novel.
Dr. Henry Jekyll had made the irreversible decision to end his research efforts to separate good and evil. His past scientific experiments had brought out his dark and evil side and he was transformed into the hideous creature known as Hyde.
Jeckyll
Hyde
Laurie
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300.jpg)
Since the death of his wife, he was left with only his daughter, Laurie, to whom he would have given everything, even his own life. The philanthropist's life was about to be turned upside down by the kidnapping of his beloved child by one of the patients of his psychiatric hospital.
In the autumn of 1880, mad with anger, he had no choice but to become again the person he hated. In order to save Laurie, he had to let the beast inside him out again, the terrible Hyde, while scouring the darkest corners of an already gloomy London !
As for the scenario, the player can appreciate the big plot, with the presence of a secret society, its grimoire full of secrets and its initiates who do nothing less than manipulate Doctor Jekyll. There are quite a few surprises. The evolution of the game's story is revealed through numerous cutscenes but also through a notebook that Jekyll fills in as he progresses.
The music is disturbing. The screams that can be heard in the distance are scary. The atmosphere of B horror movie is very successful with a very particular style adopted for the graphics giving an incredible charisma to the doctor and his double.
Jekyll and Hyde is a third-person action game, where the player evolves his character in a real 3D environment. Each of the characters (Jekyll and Hyde), that the player can play as, have unique abilities. You have to juggle between the 2 protagonists to advance in the adventure. For example, transformed into Hyde, the hero becomes more powerful in hand-to-hand combat, while Dr. Jekyll has limited physical strength, is less good in combat, does not make very long jumps, but he can solve countless puzzles.
Will you be able to tame the demon inside you ?
Levels, scenery and environments
Londres in the 1800's had slum areas that multiplied with a sudden increase in population. This led to a deplorable health situation with the outbreak of diseases such as typhus, smallpox and cholera. The streets were dark with poor lighting. Theft, violence and alcoholism became common. This is the London of the time of Jack the Ripper, the atmosphere transcribed in Jekyll and Hyde !
To find Laurie, Jekyll will plunge into an adventure of all dangers. He will travel through incongruous places. It all begins in a psychiatric hospital, a frightening place often used in horror films. He will be led to enter a brothel, not to have a good time with the ladies of the night, but to pursue the investigation on the kidnapping of his daughter. In the maze of a cemetery, his quest will also lead him to visit places of worship with the strangest rituals before hoping to free his child..
The hospital (lower floor)
Underground galleries (Vampires)
Hall of Worship (Vampires)
The chapel (in Guardian)
Path of the Guardians (in Guardian )
Characters and enemies
A video game character has his own personality, usually expressed by his face, and a well-defined role in the game. Once the scenario of the adventure is well defined, it's time to think about the character's clothing, morphology, appearance, gestures and posture. Don't forget that it will then have to be modeled and animated. Nothing is definitive since the designer will try many looks for his characters..
The graphic designer will then create a digital clay sculture (mesh) with the help of powerful 3D software. The character has, at this time, no color, no highlighting. The work of applying textures occurs after this stage of modeling. Once done, the 3D model is finished and is presented in a fixed pose.
The frozen model will be replaced by an animated model. The design of a digital skeleton for the body and face of the character will allow him to move, express himself and speak. The addition of effects such as hair movement will make it more realistic.
For the characters, In Utero had started with some very particular shapes of characters with different textures to make variations while optimizing the number of animations.
When the drawings for Jekyll and Hyde were being modeled, some sketches had to be adapted because they were either impossible or complicated to reproduce digitally. For example, in Stephane Levallois' illustrations, one character had a cape that was attached to his arms, the movement of the fabric would have been very difficult to animate. The costume was redesigned to be as close as possible to the original model.
Avoué
Boss number 1
Dewitt
Boss number 3
Peon 5
Peon 6
Mme Wong
Boss number 2
All the conceptual material made available to me for this article could not be used. The rest can be found on the page : "Additional illustrations, plans and assets for the Jekyll & Hyde Dreamcast/PC game from the creators of In Utero"
The Dreamast prototypes
The two prototypes complement each other since they do not have the same levels. In the end, they are one even if they are on 2 disks (GD-R). There is a 3 month gap between the first and the last build. The degree of completion and finishing of the Dreamcast port of Jekyll & Hyde before its cancellation is unknown. Maybe new DC versions will be unearthed in the future, who knows ?
Video of the prototypes
The Dreamcast prototype of September 1, 2000
The prototype starts on a temporary homepage representing Jekyll and Hyde facing each other. Why didn't Cryo use it to make the official cover of the game when it was released on PC ?!
By pressing the usual button (you know which one), a game starts directly after a short black loading screen where the loading progress is indicated in percentage.
This build includes 3 spawn point of the character (a complete level). Once in game, by pressing "START", the prototype loads the next environment. These maps are, on the PC version, connected between them by cutscenes which are not implemented on Dreamcast.
If you can interact with elements of the scenery, using them has no impact on the gameplay. The maps in this prototype version are designed in such a way that everything is unlocked, open inside. When playing Jekyll and Hyde on the computer, solving puzzles triggers cinematics that allow you to progress through the levels.
Concept art DC controller configuration (not available)
The player can transform into Jekyll or Hyde at any time. Normally, metamorphoses are limited. There are no items to collect in the levels, which could explain this particular feature in the beta.
Controller configuration (spawn point 1) :
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Block the character: The "Y" button
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Jump: The "left" button on the D-Pad.
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Turning into Hyde or Jekyll: the "up" button of the D-Pad
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Moving around: The Joystick
Concept art PC keyboard configuration
Normal controller configuration :
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Block the character: The right button of the D-Pad (only zone 2)
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Jump : The "A" button
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Transform into Hyde or Jekyll: The "Y" button
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Move: The Joystick
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Attacking with the stick: The "X" button
Spawn point 1 (the warehouse) :
Hyde appears in a small excavation in a wall at the top of a room. The goal is to reach the ground without dying from a fatal fall. You have to jump from beam to beam to find a safe way down. Beware, the camera is temperamental and the handling leaves something to be desired (I never managed to do it). A dangerous trick is to jump into the void and hope that the filthy creature can grab onto a wooden box before touching down.
Beware of the false step!
Concept art DC TV configuration (not available in builds)
Conceptual art menu for saves (not available in builds)
The configuration of the buttons of the controller changes for this phase of gameplay, go figure !
By jumping anywhere, we get there (spawn point 1)!
Spawn point 2 (the printing house) :
This vast map, composed of four distinct zones, stands out from the others as being the most complete of all those known on Dreamcast. It gives a real overview of the game on Sega's latest console.
Dr. Jekyll, brandishing his magnificent staff, emerges in a medium-sized room. Opening a door, he discovers the challenge he must accomplish by walking through a print house infested with automates (enemies). Since the AI is not perfected, the philanthropic doctor can bypass them without fighting.
The challenge of the second floor of the print shop
In order to move forward and explore the surroundings, you have to be cunning to avoid the steam jets. Hyde being more resistant, playing him is not such a bad idea. The best solution is to go around them by climbing on the sides while paying attention to the geysers of flames. The maneuver must be repeated several times before arriving at a staircase leading to the basement of the printing house.
A cane or a stick (spawn point 2)?
Nothing can stop Hyde!
The basement of the printing house and its enemies (automaton 01)
The lower floor contains a huge storage area for tanks. Back in human form, Jekyll can turn the valves on the tanks by moving away from them once they're open or he'll succumb to terrible burns. There's not much else to do !
The secret room of the printing house
If the player decides not to visit the basement, they can access a secret room by exploring the surroundings. Heading to the exit of the level, the large sliding door, you must climb the press and then jump to a mysterious room on the upper floor (see video).
Is it a good idea to turn the valve?
Spawn point 3 (the pier) :
Exterior and interior train plans (not included in the prototypes)
The scene changes, Hyde arrives at the edge of a quay. A barge is anchored in the port on his left. Under the boat's tarpaulin is a train that indirectly reveals a future level (not present on the prototypes). You have to advance carefully by eliminating the 2 enemies (the "Peon 01"). At the top, an elite sniper aims at Hyde to kill him. You have to avoid the bullets then jump on the boat.
The barge docked at the quay
Once on the ship, the ugly character can climb on its roof. Fortunately, he is not seasick. A brick arch then blocks his way. The idea is to get around it by dropping down to the lower level of the ship on the left side. It is necessary to climb again on the roof of the boat (see video). Hyde will find himself on the other side of the wall that was blocking him.
The trick to getting to the other side of the boat
Watch out for the sniper!
Now Hyde has to reach the room behind the bay window by smashing the glass to make a triumphant entrance. In order to do this, you have to gain momentum and run faster than Usain Bolt to jump as far as possible. As the boat starts moving, you have to be fast to perform this feat !
Normally once inside, a boss who wants to fight Hyde is waiting for him. Once the boss is defeated, the player has to press a button on a computer in order to enter the aquarium and break it from the inside. Unfortunately, this part is not introduced in the prototype. All you can do in this room is break the aquarium from the outside.
Hyde will drown!
You can download the Jeckyll & Hyde (GDI) Dreamcast build below
The Dreamcast prototype of December 5, 2000
The prototype starts on a main menu materialized as an open book, the same as the PC version. While navigating through the 7 choices displayed, only the "New Game" and "Quit" options work. This home page also acts as a pause menu in game.
Start page of the build
Three new areas can be explored with interactions that the previous prototype did not allow, such as the ability to open Jekyll's inventory and manipulate the items in it.
The player interface, the red life bar, makes its introduction. The character cannot change into his evil double, Hyde, at any time.
Buttons, to be used with a joystick plugged into port B, activate development options.
The Free Camera option only with the second controller:
Concept art main screen
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Enable/Disable Free Camera: The "X" button
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Move forward: Left trigger (hold)
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Backward: Right trigger (hold)
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Choose a direction of movement: Joystick
The "Y" button, always with a controller plugged into port B of the console, resets the game.
Controller configuration :
Inventory of the prototype
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Move/look around in interior view: The joystick
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Open/close the inventory: The "right" button of the D-Pad.
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Jump/select an item from the inventory: The "A" button
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Attacking with the stick: The "X" button.
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Camera rotation on the person: The left trigger (to be hold)
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View from inside the character: The "Y" button
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Main or pause menu: The "START" button
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Opening, moving objects, deselecting an object from the inventory: The "B" button
First zone (the amphitheatre):
Concept art inventory
The prototype loads in the map of the amphitheatre with the distorted paintings on the wall. Three enemies, the "madmen", want to fight Jekyll!.
The madman
medic
Concept art menu for audio (not available in builds)
Unlike the previous prototype which had none, the player can view a Jekyll & Hyde cutscene taking place in the hospital amphitheater. It is triggered once the character is close to the dying nurse lying on the central desk.
From the design of the amphitheatre to its playable version
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An endless corridor!
After the cutscene, the dialogues are only in French, the hero of the game receives a key. An icon appears on the right hand side of the screen indicating that the item is selected and present in the inventory (his coat). The key is not actually in Jekyll's hands. In order to use it, it must be validated from the inventory menu. This may be a bug. The key allows you to open the door near the place of agony of the stunted-looking doctor.
Important: It is sometimes complicated to open the doors of the first two zones. The character must be placed in a specific place to initiate the action of opening them.
Is Jekyll a good cook?
Second area (the corridor and the hospital kitchen):
Once the door is open, Laurie's father can walk the corridors of the hospital without forgetting to take down an enemy waiting to confront him. After a few well-placed blows with a stick, the "madman" is killed, and Jekyll must head for the kitchen, opening one of the doors beforehand.
From the design of the hospital's kitchen to its playable version and the Madwoman
In the canteen, a new enemy appears, the "madwoman". One of the two "madmen" hiding behind one of the many tables is taken by a burst of madness. His behaviour changes. He no longer attacks Dr Jekyll in hand-to-hand combat but by throwing plates at him. Like Keanu Reeves in the Matrix, you have to avoid them!
Noooo, Laurie !
A meal trolley in this room can be moved. Its purpose is unknown. A door at the back of the room takes the protagonist of the story to the next map, the insane tower. Normally, the dormitory level, in which a crank for the insane tower is hidden, should load.
Third zone (the insane tower):
The insane tower allows us to see a new cutscene with Laurie who is locked in a cage on top of the building. Burnwell isn't far away.There is not much to do except to kill the 2 opponents on the lower floor. A cutscene should start on the ledge of the second floor of the infernal tower but nothing happens here. Jekyll should be able to operate a lever by using a crank from his inventory found in a level not present on the prototypes.
The infernal tower!
From the design of the insane tower to its playable version and Burnwell
You can download the Jeckyll & Hyde Dreamcast (GDI) build below
Have fun, good investigation !
All actual dumps for the 7 (2 working only) Dreamcast prototypes of Jekyll and Hyde (Unreleased). This archive (18 GB in CUE format) is intended for preservation only.
Compilation (hack) created by ShindouGo including the 2 prototypes of Jekyll and Hyde in CDI. You will have everything on the same disk and you can burn it :
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With the Dummy file, it allows to speed up the reading of the data on the CD for those who burn it
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Without Dummy file, it's for those who want to play it on Redream or Demul
Cover Homemade by Dreamcast Me That, from Jekyll and Hyde to download :
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Download the archive containing the homemade cover of Jekyll and Hyde
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Open the image (in PNG) you want and print it, it's the right size.
Prototype Research:
If we take a closer look at the content of the build of September 1, 2000, we notice that it contains 4 levels and not only 3. The file "FUMERIEDC.4x3", corresponding to a map, is not assembled and cannot be played in a conventional way.
Megavolt85 was able to make the level load. Unfortunately, the character, Dr. Jekyll, remains frozen and can't be moved.
I would like to thank Jocelyn Tridemy, Anthony Lejeune and Nino Sapina (Project Manager) supported by their former colleagues from In Utero: for their availability, their kindness, for taking the time to answer my questions, for sharing their archives (photos, illustrations, plans etc.) and even more. Their testimonies and archives allow us to go back in time to the development of Jekyll and Hyde !
I would like to thank the whole team involved in the Jekyll and Hyde project (Mobygames). For a first game, they gave 200% !
All the conceptual material made available to me for this article could not be used. The rest can be found on the page : "Additional illustrations, plans and assets for the Jekyll & Hyde Dreamcast/PC game from the creators of In Utero"
A special section has been dedicated to the history of In Utero and Evil Twin (photos, sketches and analysis of prototypes) : "Memories of Evil Twin: Cyprians Chronicles, the nightmare is within the reach of dreams of In Utero"
Special thanks to : :
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Omar Cornut for providing the other prototypes of In Utero. Feel free to visit his website : SMS Power
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Dreamcast Me That for the creation of the homemade cover.
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Megavolt85 digging into the Jekyll prototypes
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Vince for the English translation of the article.
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à Jérôme Firon for the correction of the text in French.
Feel free to look at "other unreleased games" I found. For the more curious among you, I've created a "List of all unreleased games from theDreamcast".
Similar prototypes (Unreleased) : Agartha (DC) - Emulateur officiel Megadrive (DC) - Castlevania Resurrection (DC) - Half Life (DC) - Dalforce XOP (DC) - Flinstone (DC) - 4 x 4 Evolution PAL (DC) - Ring : L'Anneau des Nibelungen (DC) - Ecco 2 (DC) - Kyskrew (DC) - Propeller Arena (DC) - Geist Force (DC) - Scud Race Tech Demo Dreamcast - Shenmue 2 US (DC) - The Red Star (XBOX) - Heaven's Drive ( version japonaise de Burnout 1) pour PS2 - Jekyll and Hyde (DC) - The Grinch Jap (DC) - Worms Pinball (DC) - Quake 3 Arena version japonaise (DC) - Vectorman PS2