Fit check
Is This Way Madness Lies worth it for you?
We tell you who should skip it, too.
Play it if you…
Good fit- JRPG fans who want a compact adventure rather than a lengthy epic
- Shakespeare enthusiasts who prefer comedy and fantasy to a straightforward adaptation
- Players who enjoy turn-based battles alongside character hangouts and theatrical activities
Skip it if you…
Saves you a refund- Players seeking a long campaign with extensive exploration and progression
- Players who prefer real-time combat or a serious dramatic tone
- Players looking for an open-ended game rather than a self-contained story estimated at around 5-10 hours
Our take on This Way Madness Lies
The short campaign keeps the adventure compact, but that format leaves less room for extended progression and long character arcs than a larger JRPG. Its Shakespearean comedy and magical-girl premise also place the story in a specific, playful register rather than a broadly serious fantasy mode.
What is This Way Madness Lies?
This turn-based comedy JRPG follows Imogen, a student and magical girl who travels from Verona into alternate dimensions based on Shakespeare’s plays.
She joins Paulina, Viola, Rosalind, Miranda, Beatrice, and Kate in battles against the forces of Nightmare. The game includes character-combination abilities, time with friends, school-play performances, pets, and a translator for Shakespearean English. Its story is a short, self-contained adventure rather than a large-scale epic. A single playthrough is estimated at around 5-10 hours, depending on difficulty and playstyle. The setting combines everyday school life, magical-girl fiction, Shakespearean references, mutant flowers, and comedy.
How This Way Madness Lies plays
- 01Turn-Based Battles
- Combat uses a turn-based system to confront the forces of Nightmare.
- 02Alternate Play Worlds
- Imogen can travel through dimensions themed around Shakespeare’s works.
- 03Group Abilities
- Several characters can combine their powers for joint abilities.
- 04Social Activities
- The cast can spend time together, stage plays, and acquire a pet.
- 05Language Translator
- An in-game tool converts Shakespearean-style dialogue into modern English.
- 06Short Campaign
- A playthrough is estimated at around 5-10 hours, with length varying by difficulty and playstyle.
This Way Madness Lies compared to similar games
This Way Madness Lies is a short, comedic JRPG with turn-based battles, Shakespeare-themed dimensions, and character activities. Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition centers on an unconventional story and exploration of a strange city, while Back to the Dawn focuses on prison survival, investigation, and escape. Tales of Symphonia is framed as an adventure about the fate of two connected worlds rather than a compact magical-girl comedy.
This Way Madness Lies: platforms & release
Is This Way Madness Lies worth it?
It is worth it if: JRPG fans who want a compact adventure rather than a lengthy epic. Skip it if: players seeking a long campaign with extensive exploration and progression.
Where can I download This Way Madness Lies?
Use the Download Now button on this page: it opens This Way Madness Lies's store page, where you can choose how to get it.
What platforms is This Way Madness Lies on?
Windows only.
