This Way Madness Lies
Magical girls meet Shakespeare in a retro pixel-art JRPG.
This Way Madness Lies is a 2022 role-playing game from Zeboyd Games. It blends magical girl tropes with Shakespearean themes, presented in retro pixel art. Players control a party of magical girls who help Romeo battle monsters; the characters are Shakespeare enthusiasts who frequently quote his works. The game mimics 1990s console JRPGs, with turn-based combat and a menu system for unique character skills reminiscent of Shining Force. There are no weapons or armor, and the entire party levels up together. The difficulty can be adjusted at any time.
Zeboyd Games, a United States-based developer, released the title for Windows on November 10, 2022, for Nintendo Switch on July 24, 2023, and for PlayStation 5 on September 12, 2023.
The game received "generally favorable" reviews on Metacritic. PC Gamer found it fun and engaging, praising its graphics and pacing. RPGamer called it a fulfilling, welcome break from longer games, enjoying its humor, art, and combat. RPGFan, while noting limited replay value, named it an editor's choice, calling it an excellent snack-sized title for fans of Shakespeare, magical girls, or JRPGs. Digitally Downloaded deemed the Shakespeare–magical girl combination a resounding success, saying the game's length suits its content. Nintendo World Report wanted more control over party composition but appreciated that all characters gain experience simultaneously, and praised the humor and runtime, though they noted a long initial load time on Switch.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Zeboyd Games
- Platforms
- Windows
- Nintendo Switch
- PlayStation 5
- Released
- Win WW, November 10, 2022
- Switch WW, July 25, 2023
- PS5 WW, September 12, 2023
- Genre
- Role-playing
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
This Way Madness Lies was developed by Zeboyd Games, a studio based in the United States. The game follows a group of magical girls who attempt to help Romeo fight monsters, and they are Shakespeare fans who often reference his works throughout the game. Its visual style uses retro pixel art graphics reminiscent of 1990s console JRPGs.
Combat is turn-based, with each character having unique skills selectable through menus similar to Shining Force. Characters do not use equipment such as weapons or armor, and the party levels up as a whole. The difficulty level can be changed at any time during play.
The game was first released for Windows on November 10, 2022. It later came to Nintendo Switch on July 24, 2023, and to PlayStation 5 on September 12, 2023.
Reader's Guide
This Way Madness Lies received generally favorable reviews on Metacritic. PC Gamer praised the graphics and pacing, calling the game fun and engaging. RPGamer described it as a welcome respite from longer games while remaining just as fulfilling, and enjoyed the humor, art, and combat system. RPGFan, while criticizing the replay value, called it an excellent snack-sized title for fans of Shakespeare, magical girls, or JRPGs in general and designated it an editor's choice. Digitally Downloaded said the combination of Shakespeare with magical girls was a resounding success and noted that although the game may seem short, it is the perfect length for its content. Nintendo World Report said they wanted more control over the party's composition in combat, but acknowledged that having all characters gain experience at the same time mitigated this. They praised the humor and runtime, though they noted the Switch version has a long initial load time. The game's significance lies in its successful fusion of two seemingly disparate genres—magical girl anime and Shakespearean drama—into a compact, accessible JRPG experience that offers a fulfilling alternative to longer titles in the genre.
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