The Golden Compass - Playstation 2

The Golden Compass is an adaptation of the 2007 movie of the same, which in turn is based on the novel Northern Lights, the first in the His Dark Materials trilogy by British novelist Philip Pullman.

The game is set in a fantastical parallel universe where the soul of person resides out of the body and lives 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 that proves the existence of Dust particles, much to the dismay of the Magisterial representatives who rule the world as a dogmatic theocracy and do not allow people to contradict their doctrine. Lyra has to leave the safe haven that is Jordan College in Oxford to right the situation.

In typical 3rd-person action gameplay, Lyra needs to navigate the different environments. She excels at moving around with acrobatic actions and when enemies appear she relies on her wit, hiding behind objects or searching an escape route. When she is spotted, she can use one of the four collectibles to escape from a tricky situation. Health is represented as "courage" and a large extent of courage helps solving the puzzles. She can also play a Deception mini-game to outwit characters and gain additional courage.