‘Shadow Labyrinth’ Is A Darkish Spin on Pac-Man That Works

On paper, based mostly on its premise alone, Shadow Labyrinth must be useless on arrival, however after going hands-on with Bandai Namco’s upcoming recreation, we left PAX East desirous to play extra of this unlikely tackle an iconic online game character.

When Shadow Labyrinth was first introduced throughout The Recreation Awards 2024, many, together with us, had been shocked when the trailer dropped and we noticed which traditional online game character could be concerned.

Shadow Labyrinth is a wild tackle the facility pellet, fruit, and ghost-munching character Pac-Man. The sport takes the character from the flat 2D ranges and transfers him to a Metroidvania-esque panorama, pairing him with a thriller swordsman who, for many who took the time to observe season two of Secret Degree, appears to be like very acquainted. That’s as a result of that episode, which was simply the very best episode of all the season, served as a prequel for the sport.

In Shadow Labryinth, you might be Swordsman No.8, who wakes up just like the earlier clone and finally meets his tragic finish within the episode. You might be accompanied by Puck, who completely appears to be like like Pac-Man. Puck pitches to the confused Swordsman, who was actually simply born, that they need to work collectively to navigate this darkish world filled with harmful creatures and aliens safely.

Pac-Man, oops, we imply Puck, isn’t just a typical mascot who follows you round. He enhances  Swordsman No.8’s talents by permitting him to show right into a morph ball, taking cues from Metroid, and even becoming a member of with the Swordsman to show into a large mech who can shoot a laser beam out of his mouth.

We’re useless severe about that.

Supply: Bandai Namco / Shadow Labyrinth

Shadow Labyrinth’s Gameplay Mechanics

Supply: Bandai Namco / Shadow Labyrinth

Throughout our roughly thirty-minute preview, we demoed the sport on the Nintendo Swap and understood what to anticipate from this surprising title.

Swordsman No. 8 includes a moveset consisting of a touch, a grappling hook that may permit you to cowl giant gaps and ricochet throughout sure areas. Like several Metroidvania, the sport, which additionally has a Celeste-like really feel to it, gamers are inspired to veer off the overwhelmed path and discover to seek out the facet rooms that comprise difficult platform areas that may reward you in your persistence in finishing them.

Later, you’ll get hold of upgrades, like an extension in your grapple hook, that may open up areas you didn’t have entry to. This premise is a core function of all Metroidvania-type video games.

Swordsman No.8 additionally has a parry system, or you’ll be able to swap to simply utilizing a defend for defense, permitting gamers to decide on how they need to play Shadow Labyrinth.

How Puck Comes Into Play

Supply: Bandai Namco / Shadow Labyrinth

As talked about, Puck is important to your survival and navigation in Shadow Labyrinth. The symbiotic  relationship between Puck and Swordsman No.8 is a flawless one.

Fight and motion within the recreation depend on a stamina system that may be refilled after you soften up an enemy and switch into Puck to devour them. You can even follow sure surfaces after refilling your stamina.

Supply: Bandai Namco / Shadow Labyrinth

The Puck/Swordsman dynamic delivers a singular play expertise, whether or not navigating the harmful world or throughout battles.

We Gotta Discuss About The Mech

Supply: Bandai Namco / Shadow Labyrinth

The one function that caught our consideration was after we noticed the Swordsman and Puck come collectively to turn into a large mech. On this mode, you aren’t confined to solely boss fights; you may also use it towards common enemies, which appears overkill however remains to be enjoyable.

However the place the mech mode turns out to be useful is towards the bigger bosses. We obtained to check out the mech function throughout two boss encounters, one among them being a large kaiju-like creature with a devastating beam transfer you’ll achieve from devouring the beast after defeating it.

Supply: Bandai Namco / Shadow Labyrinth

The brand new beam transfer will likely be added to your mech mode’s repertoire of talents, which is able to develop as you progress all through the sport and defeat different bosses.

Shadow Labyrinth May Be The Sleeper Hit of 2025

Supply: Bandai Namco / Shadow Labyrinth

Shadow Labyrinth isn’t ringing any alarms, but it surely might be one of many 12 months’s sleeper hits as a result of nobody had this recreation on their radar. Bandai Namco is taking an enormous swing with one among its most iconic IPs, Pac-Man, and isn’t afraid to introduce twists to its different online game properties to allow them to even be within the recreation.

For instance, old-school avid gamers will most likely chuckle and smile after they encounter one space within the recreation impressed by Dig Dug. On this space, gamers will encounter destructible grime tiles and enemies the place their common assaults received’t work.

Supply: Bandai Namco / Shadow Labyrinth

As an alternative, you have to use your grappling mechanic to pump air into enemies to defeat them, showcasing the sport’s number of enemies. Additionally, in response to builders, there are extra areas impressed by traditional Bandai Namco video games, and we’re truthfully excited to expertise them.

Shadow Labyrinth arrives on July 18, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Sequence, Nintendo Swap, Swap 2, and PC through Steam.