Not your daddy’s Pac-Man
When Secret Level dropped last year, I was not prepared for the gritty take on Pac-Man, but it ended up being one of the most interesting shorts in the collection. When Bandai Namco announced they were making a game to continue the story, I was all-in. I never had a gritty take on Pac-Man that is wrapped in a Metroidvania package on my bingo card, but here we are. Shadow Labyrinth is definitely not what I expected from the Pac-Man series. It borrows a lot from the genre while surrounding it with a really deep sci-fi story about death and eating. While it has its moments, it doesn’t quite land all of them.
The game kicks off with a giant mech battle, which is par for the course for Pac-Man. It then quickly switches to the awakening of yet another champion for Puck (Pac-Man) to see if this is the one. There is a sword that needs to be removed if they are the chosen one. Yes, it is a pretty standard sci-fi idea, but the issue arises when the story beats just kind of fall flat. The game doesn’t do a good job of elevating the big moments, and honestly I found so much of it plodding and boring for most of the game.
MSRP: $29.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $19.99
At its core, this is a Metroidvania through and through. Players take on the role of the chosen one, who of course has amnesia, as they learn to fight enemies and gain new abilities that will unlock new paths throughout the game. One of Shadow Labyrinth’s biggest issues is its pacing. The levels are massive and while that is normally good for exploration, it goes a little too far here. The game opens up more as I obtained new powers such as the dash and grapple, but these take hours to unlock. The critical path is also not as defined as I would like. I found myself landing in spots I could not progress through early and often.
This slows the game down to a crawl. This is a hefty game, clocking in at around 30 hours, but feels like it could have easily been half of that if it was more precise with its directions. This boils down to level design. I did enjoy the variety of biomes present in the game, but they are pretty standard fare. It is the side missions and the Pac-Man aspect that really make it stand out though.
The checkpoint system is also flawed. These are not at regular intervals, and it makes going back to earlier areas a chore. For a game about exploration, messing up that aspect is nearly a death sentence. Towards the end of the game, I found myself not wanting to even bother due to the fact that it was an inconvenience. Not great for a game about exploration.
The structure is familiar to the genre. Bosses are large and when defeated Puck morphs into a giant monster and eats them, this is how new abilities are handed out. It is almost disturbing at times, but very fitting for the world. There are also puzzles that show up later in the game that mirror traditional Pac-Man levels. These do a nice job of breaking up the pace of the normal game play. I really enjoy the Pac-Man aspect of the game more than its gritty overhaul. It makes it stand out in a crowded genre. I just wish it was more streamlined and cut down as these moments are spread out too much in between the tedium.
Visually the game is a mixed bag, my favorite comment. The look reminds me of something like Salt and Sanctuary, with the characters having an almost puppet-like appearance with connected pixels. It also has a sort of cheap feel at times; I could tell it was a budget game for sure. Some of the areas are gorgeous and really take advantage of the art style, while others feel cheap and uninspired. The soundtrack is a mix of melancholic piano tunes and some generic rock anthems. Some of it is inspiring, while most of it is forgettable. I did enjoy the classic sound pack though, but that is likely nostalgia creeping into my view.
Shadow Labyrinth is a hard game to nail down. It does some cool things here and there but is bogged down by poor level design and tedious Metroidvania game play. I wanted to love it, but came away just slightly entertained. The price helps, only clocking in at $29.99 makes it easier to swallow. I wish it was better, but at worst, it is a decent “one of those” that fails to capture the magic of the genre.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
