• Price: $9.99 USD
• Developer: Zeboyd Digital Entertainment
• Publisher: Limited Run Games
• Release Date: July 25, 2023

A review code was kindly provided by Zeboyd Digital Entertainment. We thank them for being able to cover something they’ve worked so hard on.

I’ve previously played Zeboyd’s Cosmic Star Heroine and Cthulhu Saves Christmas, both of which are fairly short yet delightful RPG experiences. When I heard they were making a comedic magical girl RPG with Shakespearean plays involved, I was instantly sold. I’m excited to say that This Way Madness Lies has now taken center stage on Nintendo Switch.

The story is set in fair Verona, “a town for lovers…and giant, mutant flower attacks.” Seven young women, part of the Stratford-Upon-Avon High Drama Society, work together as magical girls to defeat the Nightmares who cause trouble in alternate dimensions based on Shakespeare’s works. I love the subtle nods to everything Shakespeare, using his birthplace in the group name and referencing characters from his plays for the girl’s names (Imogen, Paulina, Rosalind, etc.).

Whenever they receive a notification that one of the plays is in trouble, the group portals in to that dimension and transforms into magical girls. Sailor Moon is one of my favorite series, so watching the neat animated transformation sequences here makes me really happy. They’re just really fun to watch, but you can skip them by pressing A if you want to.

In each dimension, you’ll get to see a few scenes with Shakespearean characters. Some dialogue consists of lines from Shakespeare’s plays, while other conversations take inspiration from his works. Thankfully, Zeboyd has helpfully included a “Ye Olde English to New English translator” to help us out; pressing the right directional button changes the dialogue into something easier to understand (and it’s often more amusing, too).

The first place you visit has much ado to do with Romeo and Juliet; Romeo has been abducted by a plant monster! 😱 To rescue him, you’ll have to get through some enemies – visible in the overworld – in turn-based combat first. There are 4 difficulty levels, which you can change back and forth to see which one suits you the best.

As usual, there aren’t a lot of required enemies for you to face, but you can choose to trigger battles through the menu to grind some if you’d like. You don’t really have to grind that much in these games, but it’s nice to have the option.

The girls share the same level as they gain experience, which makes things easier on the player since not all of the girls will be in your party at the same time. (You also don’t have to worry about any equipment.) Each group member learn skills and traits as they level up, and you get to choose which skills you want equipped (up to 7) as well as their traits (up to 3). I preferred some girls’ skill sets more than others; you often have to use a preset party that you can’t change in each dungeon, so I would have liked that to be different.

There aren’t any regular attacks – everything involves using skills. Most difficulty levels require you to recharge a skill after using it, although easy mode allows you to reuse skills without delay. Besides the individual skills, there are also “Unite” skills, which has two or more girls join forces to use an attack or support ability.

The enemy names and descriptions frequently made me laugh as I made my way to the boss of each area. I also enjoyed the girls’ commentary on the plays they’re working to save. Humor is certainly subjective, but I always get a kick out of the dialogue in games by Zeboyd. Characters often break the fourth wall and speak to the player.

In between traveling to alternate dimensions, the girls spend their time doing what any “normal” teenager would do. They go to school, rehearse for (non-magical girl-related) plays, and have fun camping or going to the zoo. Sometimes you get to decide what they do or where they go.

There’s a running gag in the school scenes that I thought was pretty funny. But they also made sure to continue the Shakespeare theme by asking questions about his plays during class. I’m not sure if there are different effects if you get the answers right or wrong.

As a former SparkNotes user back in the day (😅), I did have to Google some of the answers. Surprisingly, I actually did kind of want a bit more interaction with the Shakespearean characters to get more details about their play and the problems they’re facing due to the Nightmares. It may have been more helpful/interesting if the teachers then conveniently asked questions about something that you may have learned when the girls saved that play.

While there were a few things that I would change or expand on, overall I had a great time with This Way Madness Lies. It’s just a really unique concept. And I always appreciate how these Zeboyd RPGs have streamlined gameplay for more stress-free, enjoyable experiences. The pop culture references sprinkled here and there made me laugh, too.

This even has a New Game+ mode to enjoy the game all over again. You keep all levels and items, and there are also stronger enemies that give more experience (unless you play on easy mode). Given the short play time (~6 hours for me), I may just replay it to see how much harder it could be. And now I want to replay the other Zeboyd RPGs, because they really are good, silly fun. I look forward to the next one! 🤩