The Golden Compass

The game is set in a fantastical parallel universe where the soul resides out of the body and lives in the form of animals known as dæmons. The main character, Lyra Belacqua, must navigate her world to right a situation. Her uncle, Lord Asriel, is imprisoned when he discovers evidence about Dust particles, much to the dismay of the ruling Magisterial representatives who enforce a dogmatic theocracy.

In typical 3rd-person action gameplay, Lyra needs to navigate different environments. She excels at moving around with acrobatic actions and relies on her wit to hide or search for escape routes when enemies appear. When spotted, she can use collectibles to escape tricky situations. Health is represented as "courage" and solving puzzles requires a large extent of courage.

Two other characters assist Lyra during her quest. Pan, her dæmon, transforms into four different forms, each discovered during the journey. The Ermine form lets Pan chew through ropes, revealing areas to solve puzzles or move around. The Sloth and Hawk forms allow for swinging and gliding from great heights. The final Wildcat form provides a dash move to evade enemies.

Each character can pick up objects granting new abilities such as new forms, slow spells, double damage, or more insight into the Alethiometer's workings.