The Golden Compass - Boxed - PS3

The Golden Compass is a video game adaptation of the 2007 film of the same name, which in turn is based on the novel Northern Lights, the first part of the His Dark Materials trilogy by British author Philip Pullman.

The game is set in a fantastical parallel universe in which the human soul lives outside the body in the form of animals known as dæmons. The main character is Lyra Belacqua. Her best friend Roger is kidnapped by evil Gobblers, and her uncle Lord Asriel is imprisoned when he discovers evidence for the existence of Dust particles, much to the displeasure of the representatives of the Magisterium, which rules the world as a dogmatic theocracy and does not allow people to contradict its doctrine. Lyra must leave the safe haven of Jordan College in Oxford to set things right.

In typical third-person action gameplay, Lyra must navigate through the various environments. When enemies appear, she relies on her wits, hides behind objects or looks for an escape route. If she is spotted, she can use one of four collectible items to get out of a tricky situation. Health is represented as "courage", and a high level of courage helps with solving puzzles. She can also play a deception mini-game to trick characters and gain additional courage.

Two other characters support her on her quest. The first is Pan, Lyra's dæmon and the manifestation of her spirit. Pan can transform into up to four different forms, which are gradually discovered over the course of the adventure. In his basic ermine form, Pan can chew through ropes and reveal areas where Lyra needs to solve puzzles or move around. The sloth form makes it possible to hang onto branches or reach hard-to-access areas. The third form, hawk, lets Lyra glide from great heights. In this form, she can also send Pan out to find objects in hard-to-reach places. With the final form, the wildcat, Lyra can slide down special surfaces, climb up nets and dodge enemies with a dash move.

Brute strength is represented by the second support character, Iorek Byrnison, an armoured bear known as a Panserbjørne. He has the most physical attacks. In addition to health (which is replenished with blood moss), he has an armour gauge that is filled by collecting sky armour. Collected rage orbs fill a rage gauge that triggers a special attack once full. Pan is always by Lyra's side, while Iorek only joins the group later in the game and is not always present.

Lyra's diary contains her tasks, information about important locations and a section for the alethiometer, the golden compass. It is a device that reveals the answer to any question when operated by a skilled user. It has four needles - three to construct a question, and a fourth for the answer. To ask questions and solve puzzles, Lyra must play the fortune-telling game. It consists of three sessions in which Lyra must match symbols to keep the focus (a circle of light) centred on the device by pressing a key or button to turn a pointer in time. The meaning of the various symbols is revealed over the course of the game through interaction with objects and characters. Mini-games are often introduced during conversations to keep the dialogue going.

Each of the characters can pick up items that grant new abilities, such as new forms, a slowing spell, double damage or more insight into how the alethiometer works.