Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (video game)

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a video game for multiple platforms released by Sony Imagesoft and based on the 1994 film of the same name.[3] Versions of the game were released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the Sega CD and the Sega Genesis. The Genesis/SNES version is an action game developed by Bits Studios, while the Sega CD version is an adventure game with action elements developed by Psygnosis. The Sega CD version was bundled with a bonus game, the previous Sony Imagesoft release Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Super NES box art
Developer(s)Bits Studios
Publisher(s)Sony Imagesoft
Composer(s)Ronnie Shahmoon and Shahid Ahmad[1]
Platform(s)Super NES, Sega Genesis, Sega CD
ReleaseSuper NES:
Sega Genesis:
  • NA: November 1, 1994
Genre(s)Action
Mode(s)Single-player

Plot

The player controls Frankenstein's monster as he stomps through the streets of Ingolstadt, Bavaria, in the year 1793 seeking revenge against a certain man named Victor for rejecting him once he was created.[3] Since he is a product of artificial manufacturing, he is condemned and declared a monster by peasants and soldiers. The common folks that strive to kill Frankenstein's monster are highly ignorant about modern science and believe that he is truly a demon.

The game follows the plot of the movie closely with some alterations or padding, most notably the removal of Elizabeth's death scene yet her resurrection as an abomination is kept and she is fought as a boss that dies after being accidentally set on fire.

The Sega CD version has an original ending where the Creature steals the resurrected Elizabeth and escapes with her in the Artic after killing Frankenstein.

Gameplay

The player uses a wooden stick to ward off enemies. The stick that Frankenstein's monster carries can be put on fire if swung towards fire. Frankenstein also has an additional attack; a blue ball of negative energy that pops up when the player releases the button. Peasants in the game can either be male or female; soldiers are always male. The female peasants attack with pots while the male peasants attack with melee weapons. However, the soldiers (men dressed in red) attack the player with musket shots. Simple puzzles involving switches and pulleys must be solved in order to progress within the levels.[3]

The Sega CD version is an adventure game similar to point-and-click games[4] but without a cursor with the gameplay changing to a 2D Fighting game when the Creature is attacked.

Reception

Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Sega CD version a 5.8 out of 10, commenting that "This is a challenging game in the One-player Mode; however, the one-on-one fighting sequences are awkward and don't work so well."[5] GamePro stated that "The lengthy treks to collect puzzle-solving objects are challenging but ultimately a no-brainer." They further criticized that aside from the cinematics, the graphics are flat and dull, and that the bundled Bram Stoker's Dracula is of no better quality than the main game.[6]

Next Generation reviewed the Sega CD version of the game, rating it two stars out of five, and stated that "It takes some work to get into, but if you stick with it, the game has its mild rewards."[7]

Entertainment Weekly gave the game a D- and wrote that "Welcome to 'Hollywired,' where you play turgid, half-baked videogame adaptations of turgid, half-baked movies. About the only interesting thing Sony did with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was to cast it as a role-playing, rather than an action, game, but it's still awful: Even fans of the Kenneth Branagh movie will find it hard to get past the first scene, in which Frankenstein's monster hobbles around the doctor's lab like an aged pensioner looking for his Social Security check. It's saved from total failure by this line from the enclosed tip sheet: 'If you come across the flies, use the manure to get past them.'"[8]

References
  1. "Composer information". Project 2612. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
  2. "Release information". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
  3. "Overview of game". MobyGames. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
  4. http://www.defunctgames.com/review/1246/mary-shelleys-frankenstein
  5. "Review Crew: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein". Electronic Gaming Monthly. EGM Media, LLC (66): 42. January 1995.
  6. "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein". GamePro. IDG (68): 58. March 1995.
  7. "Finals". Next Generation. No. 2. Imagine Media. February 1995. p. 96.
  8. https://ew.com/article/1994/12/09/mary-shelleys-frankenstein/
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