Playback: This Way Madness Lies – A Shakespearean success story

I love literature. Reading has been one of my favourite hobbies since I was a young kid, when I would have weekly trips to the library. Throughout my life, it has had a major impact on me, influencing the subjects I studied at school and at university. When you’re learning about literature, there is one name that you simply cannot escape: William Shakespeare. His plays have endured for centuries, creating phrases and words that have entered everyday language.

Another great love of mine are RPGs, specifically fantasy ones. So, what happens when you take the works of Shakespeare, add some girls with magical powers, monsters, and portal hopping? You get Zeboyd’s This Way Madness Lies, a compact turn-based RPG that tests your battle skills and your knowledge about Shakespeare’s plays. You’d think this mashup really wouldn’t work, but when settings are plays about warring families, ghosts speaking to the living, and people switching identities, a group of schoolgirls using magic to fight flesh-eating plants and wolf spiders is not too out there. In fact, Shakespeare would almost certainly have approved.

The main character is Imogen, leader of the Stratford-upon-Avon High Drama Society and founder of the Magical Girls. All the girls are part of the drama society too. Imogen is an all-rounder kind of fighter, Paulina is primarily a healer, Viola is a bit of a brawler, Beatrice doles out status effects, and Rosalind can control the elements. Sometimes you can pick who is in your party, while at other times This Way Madness Lies will conjure up situations so you have to use specific characters. As the lead, Imogen is always present. This set up means you need to be acutely aware of the abilities each character is equipped with, and the traits they have too.

As experienced is gained, more abilities and traits are unlocked, so you can swap them around to help deal with the challenges ahead of you. You can change what is equipped at any point in the pause menu, but not when you are mid battle so you aren’t stuck with a specific build for any dungeon. Items can also be swapped in and out of your inventory, so arm yourself with what you think will be best for the dungeon you are in. For example, an item that deals fire damage is excellent in a snowy area. Save regularly though, as some fights can be tough.

This Way Madness Lies has turn-based combat, in which each character can use one of their own abilities, use an item, or unite with another character to pull off a combined move. Unite abilities build up charge the longer you leave them idle, which makes them more powerful when used. Some unite abilities can revive and heal teammates, while others deal additional elemental damage. When you are fighting an enemy, you can check their weaknesses and plan accordingly.

Your party characters also enter a Hyper phase, which triggers bonuses for the move you choose. Some moves inflict ailments on enemies like poison, charm, and disarm. These moves are essentially to really give an advantage in battles, so for my party I made sure Beatrice was a part of it whenever I could choose her, as she could inflict status effects on entire groups. As you progress, you will find a party set-up that complements your own playstyle. For me, it was Imogen, Viola, Beatrice, and Paulina.

This Way Madness Lies is a classic comedy with some excellent writing. Having Romeo get snatched by a flesh-eating plant in the middle of the “Where art thou, Romeo?” scene is deeply funny, and there are various moments like that. You can switch the dialogue so the Shakespearean-era language is written in modern English, but keeping the classic dialogue as it is while the main characters speak modern English makes the experience better. The characters are aware of your existence too and will ask you for advice in some situations, which was a nice touch. The Magical Girls dimension hop, so it makes sense that they know about ours.

This Way Madness Lies can be completed within six to seven hours, and that short length means nothing outstays its welcome. The final dungeon can be a slight slog, but if your party is at full strength it should be no issue. It has a classic RPG style too, and the music is excellent, especially the battle music. If you like literature, RPGs, and especially if you like Shakespeare, I thoroughly recommend playing This Way Madness Lies.

Playback is a recurring series where we return to some of our favourite games, and wax lyrical about them.

Tags: Playback, This Way Madness Lies