- 3RD-STRIKE.COM - A La Une - 06/Aug 02:48

Shadow Labyrinth – Review

It’s Pac-Man, but not as you know him! When Amazon dropped their Secret Level anthology series on Prime Video last year, viewers were confronted with a dark and gritty reimagining of the iconic yellow orb. At the time of release, little did we know that this episode of the series would lead into a new game based on this alternate take on Bandai Namco’s mascot. But does the game in question, Shadow Labyrinth, do the same for Pac-Man as Epic Mickey did for Mickey Mouse or is a grimdark approach difficult to swallow for our hero? Story Acting as a direct sequel to the Secret Level episode Pac-Man: Circle, Shadow Labyrinth delivers a dark sci-fi reimagining of the Pac-Man series. The story follows Swordsman No. 8, a silent protagonist who is awakened by PUCK, a mysterious sentient yellow orb, whose name is a not-so-subtle reference to Puck-Man, Pac-Man’s original name. PUCK recruits No. 8 to help complete a long-unfinished mission involving a mysterious Black Tower. The Pac-Man we know and love is typically portrayed as a good-natured character, but PUCK is morally ambiguous instead. It’s never made entirely clear what his true intentions are, but he clearly has an agenda of his own. Much of Shadow Labyrinth’s story is kept deliberately vague and open to interpretation, but this doesn’t quite work here as it ends up being obtuse and difficult to follow. The game’s backstory isn’t delivered organically but instead dumps chunks of lore on you and expects you to piece everything together yourself. Graphics From an art direction perspective, Shadow Labyrinth does a good job with reimagining the familiar Pac-Man characters as grimdark sci-fi versions of themselves. The simplicity of the original designs of Pac-Man and his ghost adversaries ensures that they remain instantly recognisable when rendered in Shadow Labyrinth’s gritty aesthetic. The neon-lit MAZE sections in particular are a highlight, as they recreate the look and feel of original Pac-Man levels, creating an interesting juxtaposition against the sombre hand-drawn visuals of the rest of the game. Where Shadow Labyrinth drops the ball is when it comes to animations. The 2D character models are animated in a paper doll style similar to that of Fallen Legion. While this does mean that the game isn’t too taxing on hardware when it comes to performance, this animation style always ends up looking cheap and awkward. Sound The aforementioned juxtaposition between the majority of Shadow Labyrinth and those MAZE sections is reflected in the game’s soundtrack as well. Most of Shadow Labyrinth is accompanied by ambient and minimalist music, with dark, brooding tones often piano-driven or synth-based. Contrasting with this is the high-energy arcade-style music used in MAZE sections. While these tunes never reach the same level of memorability as the iconic Pac-Man music, they’re definitely a highlight, especially compared to the subdued main soundtrack. The remainder of Shadow Labyrinth’s soundscape is sparse. There is no voice acting, and sound effects are used sparingly. There are moments where the music cuts out entirely, and the game relies entirely on environmental ambience. Perhaps surprisingly, these are some of the strongest moments in the game, as the near-complete silence underscores the scale and menace of Shadow Labyrinth’s world. Gameplay ‘Metroidvania’ probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Pac-Man, but it’s exactly the kind of game that Shadow Labyrinth is at its core. The game does try to set itself apart from other entries in the genre by implementing classic Pac-Man mechanics and the occasional arcade-style detour. For the most part, however, you’ll be faced with a mix of traditional puzzle-platforming, exploration, and combat. Looking at the pure Metroidvania aspects of Shadow Labyrinth, it’s difficult to label this as a “good” Metroidvania. All the elements are here, but it’s as if the game treats its individual mechanics as a list to check off, rather than understanding why they should be included in a Metroidvania game or implementing them in a meaningful manner. The issues start with the design of the world itself, and how players are supposed to navigate it. Shadow Labyrinth’s sprawling, interconnected map comprises no less than 18 distinct zones, and these feature multiple vertical and horizontal layers. There are many dead ends and looping paths, however, and with a confusingly designed map and no quest log or objective markers, finding your way around can quickly turn frustrating. Checkpoints are sparse, and only the larger out of the two types allow for fast travel. Since this is a Metroidvania, certain areas are inaccessible until new abilities like No. 8’s grappling hook or air dash are unlocked. Because of this, backtracking is frequent and mandatory, but the clunky navigation doesn’t facilitate this, and that’s without even getting into having to traverse several rooms again because of death. That’s a good segue to Shadow Labyrinth’s combat, as facing off against the game’s plethora of bosses is likely going to be your main reason for dying. Generic enemies are enough of a pain to deal with on their own, but boss battles reach Dark Souls levels of difficulty. They are hard-hitting and pattern-heavy, with battles becoming prolonged affairs with very little room for error as a result. While No. 8’s combat capabilities gradually improve over time, adding new moves and power attacks, they’re tied to an ESP meter. This meter is shared across special abilities and evasive moves, and depleting it puts No. 8 in a burnout state. In theory, this is an interesting mechanic, but in practice, it lacks depth and only draws out encounters more as you wait for the meter to refill. While Shadow Labyrinth doesn’t exactly nail its Metroidvania core, there are instances where it does shine brightly. Specifically, that’s when the game remembers that it is also a Pac-Man game. The Pac-Man elements come in the shape of D-Lines and those MAZE sections we’ve mentioned a couple of times already. D-Lines offer an alternate way to traverse the environment. These are magnetic lines that PUCK can latch on to and ride, collecting dots and attacking enemies along the way. The MAZE sections are the true stars of the show, offering arcade-inspired levels with classic Pac-Man gameplay. These are triggered mid-game via glowing monuments and offer a distinct and fun break from the main game. If you’re looking for maze navigation, power pellets, and ghosts in your Pac-Man game, then this is where you’ll find them. Unfortunately, these sections are too few and too far between, especially with how stretched out the main game feels. Shadow Labyrinth has a runtime of roughly 30 hours, but with its steep learning curve, punishing difficulty, and frustrating navigation, it’s unlikely that many players will sit this ride out until the end. With no adjustable difficulty settings and no meaningful post-game content, there’s also barely any replay value to speak of, making it even harder to justify Shadow Labyrinth’s €29.99 price tag. Conclusion A dark and gritty reimagining of Pac-Man is an interesting thought experiment by itself, but it doesn’t necessarily lead to a good game. The issue isn’t with the idea, though, but with the execution. The game fails to understand what makes a Metroidvania enjoyable, instead opting for a by-the-numbers approach that unnecessarily amps up combat difficulty and makes navigating its world frustrating. The only instances where we really enjoyed Shadow Labyrinth were when the game deviated from what it set out to be in the first place.