Head to Head: Jekyll VS Hyde vs. Dracula VS Van Helsing

With the release of Dracula vs Van Helsing just around the corner, it’s time to take stock of these two marvels from the same publisher: Mandoogames! Which one to choose and why? Only you will have the answer, but I am here to help you answer it and above all I hope that it will help you make your choice or not (why choose? It sucks!).

Jekyll VS Hyde:

Confrontation and psychological turnaround

Explore the tortured soul of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, you will have to choose between the two identities of the Doctor, each of the two personalities offering you completely different advantages and purpose. The very striking illustrations of Vincent Dutrait (After us, Heat…) captivate us and make the game very thematic: each card represents a state of madness and reflects the transformation of Dr Jekyll into Mr Hyde.

A delicate balance

Your success lies in the skillful management between the two personalities, the choices between the cards and their effects become crucial. if you are Jekyll you must maintain a balance between your two personalities, if you are Hyde you must sink into madness to win the game.

How does it play out?

Your goal is to win, or lose tricks of cards, the rounds are played in 10 tricks, during the first 3 card poses we determine the strength of the colors for this round, certain card actions will allow you to modify this during the game. sleeve.

Then the game is played like a basic trick game, if you play a color your opponent will be forced to play that color or a potion card, if you don’t have: you can play any card from your hand. If the card is of the same color, the highest value wins, if the colors are different, the strongest color wins, if a potion has been played, resolve its effect and then the highest value card high wins.

After 10 tricks you subtract the greatest number of tricks won by the smallest and the difference will move Hyde forward on the player board. If Hyde reaches the end of the board the game is over and Hyde wins the game. If this is not the case, you start again. After 3 games if Mr. Hyde has not reached the end of his madness, Dr. Jekyll wins the game.

What I like about Jekyll VS Hyde:

• Its enormous replayability.
• The rules are fluid and very simple.
• The bonuses offered by card colors with potions

Jekyll Vs Hyde

• 2 players
• Duration: 20 minutes
• From 10 years old
• Theme: Fantasy
• Type: trick games, strategic
• Publisher: Mandoo Games
• Author: Geon II
• Illustrators: Vincent Dutrait

Dracula VS Van Helsing:

A dark atmosphere

Immerse yourself in a gothic world beautifully illustrated by the brilliant Weberson Santiago (The Great Split, L’Auberge Sanglante…) where Dracula will have to transform villagers as vampires while Van Helsing drives him away from neighborhood to neighborhood. The atmosphere around the game is intensified by the work of the illustrations in a very vampiric style.

Strategy and bluff

You will have to carefully plan your card movements and your actions to play by anticipating the probable tricks and moves of your opponents. The different powers of the characters will make this game complex enough to create twists and turnsbut it remains very accessible to make you want to play again and to be able to create a strategy over the rounds and turns played.

How does it play out?

Dracula VS Van Helsing is a confrontation game which is played by placing 5 cards of different values ​​on a wooden base, materializing 5 opposition corridors. Your goal will be to win the battle in as many corridors as possible. But each card can be played on your ruler, or for its effect! Low value cards of course have a fairly strong effect, while high value cards have a fairly weak effect.

If you are Dracula : each time you win a fight in a district (a corridor = a district) you vampirize an inhabitant of it. If you manage to vampirize 4 in the same area, you win immediately. If you survive 5 rounds you also win.

If you are Van Helsing : you remove one life point from Dracula for each confrontation won. Dracula has 12 life points and you must take it away from him!

The asset system: In each game you have an asset drawn at random. The cards of the trump suit will therefore be the strongest. But there is a card, number 7, which played for its action allows you to change the color of the trump card!

Draw and play: Each turn you will draw a card, then play one for its action. You can play the card you have just drawn, or a card already present on your strip.

As soon as 6 cards are in the discard pile you can decide whether or not to end the round.

What I like about Dracula VS Van Helsing:

• Its very thematic and refined style
• The varied actions offered by the cards
• Victory conditions.
• Magnificent material!

Dracula Vs Van Helsing

• 2 players
• Duration: 30 minutes
• From 10 years old
• Theme: Gothic, Vampire.
• Type: trick games, strategic
• Publisher: Mandoo Games
• Author: Théo Rivière, Maxime Rambourg
• Illustrators: Weberson Santiago

Who wins the duel?

Material and visuals:

Regarding the material and the visual my point goes to Dracula Vs Van Helsing, I love what Vincent Dutrait is doing, and the little statue of Jekyll vVs Hyde is great, but I find that Dracula vs Van Helsing is a few notches higher. above. The illustrations by Weberson Santiago are just sublime and the material is really great.. Jekyll Vs Hyde is no match.

Gameplay:

This is where it will be difficult to decide, because the gameplay is really good for both, however that of Dracula vs Van Helsing is a bit more classic than that of Jekyll Vs Hyde, with its system of difference between the tricks we must really change our way of thinking when playing Jekyll or Hyde, while for its little brother, the asymmetry does not really change the gameplay, and the system for winning is not really original, even if winning by neighborhood yes. The point therefore goes to Jekyll vs Hyde for this criterion!

Replayability:

In terms of replayability, it is too early to focus on the subject given that Dracula vs Van Helsing is very recent, and I have a lot of games of Jekyll vs Hyde under my belt, but I still think that the replayability of the two is the same, I have the impression that the replayability rate is quite enormous for this type of game so tied for this point.

Personality :

It is this point which will be decisive, the two personalities of the games are great, Jekyll vs Hyde is still older than Dracula Vs Van Helsing, but in fact, the personality of the first is less well marked than in Dracula, even if it is, we can’t take that away from him. But I think that the universe of Weberson Santiago matches so well with the universe of Dracula that he managed to convey his personality in his works and in the game, and oh my god it shows! And for me that plays a huge role. Everything is in line with the game for this little one.

The winner: Dracula VS Van Helsing

Both games offer experiences completely different in terms of gameplay but also immersive, I enjoyed my games of Jekyll vs Hyde as much as I did Dracula vs Van Helsing. One excels with its dark atmosphere and strategic bluff, while the other stands out for its particular approach to victory and its subtle blend of duality and balance. The choice between the two games will come down to you and your desires, your theme and your favorite aesthetic. However, I felt the same “vibes” while playing both games which are excellent, but I have a big crush on Dracula Vs Van Helsing Who narrowly wins this duel!