This Way Madness Lies (2022)

It seems as though the Zeboyd partnership is going on hiatus for a bit to recharge the batteries, but This Way Madness Lies is a nice game to go on break with. It's more of a sonnet than a full-on Shakespeare play, and the Switch definitely needs something short in this realm after some of the absolute marathons I've had to deal with recently.

This May Madness Lies blends JRPG elements with the world of William Shakespeare. It has a lot going for it, from a humorous story to a wonderful 16-bit styling that smacks of classic '90s titles. It's not the toughest or longest title, but fans of anime, Shakespeare, or JRPGs in general, will find much enjoyment here.

In an unexpected twist, I find myself immersed in a JRPG set in Shakespeare's realm, complete with nods to all kinds of other pop culture mainstays, like Sailor Moon. The writing is so good it's like a Shakespearean comedy; the twist of adding modern translation is just hilarious at times. Having to switch between the two styles of dialogue is like deciding between quill and keyboard - annoying at first, but it grows on you. The game's structure is more repetitive than I would like at times; exploration leaves a little bit to be desired too. Still, it's reminiscent of classic JRPG styles, making you feel like you're back in your nostalgic gaming heyday. Recommended for any RPG fan.

Even though This Way Madness Lies doesn’t break the mold of other titles by Zeboyd Games, I still very much enjoyed it. It’s a well-paced, classically-styled RPG with great music, attractive artwork, and hilarious storytelling. If you’re in the mood for a short but sweet RPG and don’t mind playing on PC, I’d absolutely check this out.

While it’s a stretch to call it a great and memorable game, because it doesn’t really do anything to stand out in terms of gameplay and design, the concept of This Way Madness Lies will stick with you. I would have perhaps liked a little more emphasis placed on the magical girl aesthetics, since, aside from the transformation sequences that doesn’t come across as well as it could have, visually, but that aside, this attempt at asking the question “what if Shakespeare invented magical girls?” is a resounding success. It is the perfect little game to play in between the endless stream of overweight content we now need to deal with.