TalkBack / Shadow Labyrinth (Switch 2) Review
« on: Today at 06:03:07 AM »They made a direct sequel to the Amazon Prime short that ends with Pac-Man murdering a man and it’s actually awesome.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/71736/shadow-labyrinth-switch-2-review
Pac-Man is celebrating his 45th anniversary in 2025 and to celebrate, Bandai Namco made a dark dystopian Metroidvania starring a possibly nefarious incarnation of the gaming icon called Shadow Labyrinth that follows up on a bizarre short film from last year’s Amazon Prime series Secret Level. Happy birthday, Pac-Man, hope you like dark sci-fi. To say this is a weird proposition is an understatement. Setting aside the provocative setup, Shadow Labyrinth is actually a really fun Metroidvania. It’s not an all-timer, but this is a well-built adventure that features a wealth of novel exploration, clever map layouts, and wild references to Bandai Namco’s bafflingly comprehensive timeline.
Let’s back up and set up the story, or at least as best as I can because some of this honestly goes way over my head. Across a decent number of their legacy arcade games, Bandai Namco has been keeping a unified timeline for the United Galaxy Space Force. It includes the likes of Galaga, Galaxian, Bosconian, and Xevious. Mr. Driller and Dig Dug factor into this timeline. Cyber Sled, too. Oddly enough, Pac-Man hasn’t been a main part of it, until now. Shadow Labyrinth is set far at the end of the timeline with the galaxy in some sort of ruin after all the wars and events of all the other games.
You control Swordsman No. 8, who wakes up and is greeted by a Pac-Man-looking fella named Puck. The voiceless Swordsman is then guided by Puck throughout different environments with the goal of escaping the planet and completing the mission Puck has been trying to finish for years. Plot is thrown at you a lot, with talk of wars and operations and all sorts of names you might have the urge to search for online to see if it’s tied to Cyber Sled or Star Blade or something. I recognized a handful of references to Namco games, but even as someone who has played a number of Namco Museum games featuring the games in this shared universe, most of this didn’t ring any bells for me. But the writing here is tight enough that I’m willing to overlook some of the absurdity of this story, especially as the Pac-Man ghosts are charmingly worked into it as recurring enemies referred to as “G-Hosts” that also occasionally force you into a Pac-Man maze. It’s such a gonzo move to make this the new Pac-Man game and through it all, it kind of works.
Though the story only works because the foundational gameplay is solid. While it has some rough patches, especially in the first third, Shadow Labyrinth is an enjoyable Metroidvania. It’s very focused on melee combat, which is where some of the early issues come from. Your Swordsman has few options early on, with just a basic combo and a token special ability. This made for some frustrating brick walls, especially in the first major branching path region as you can stumble upon some tough optional bosses that are difficult to tell if they’re on the critical path or not. But once you have access to more abilities and customization options, you can tune your Swordsman to suit your play style. While I’ve definitely played games in this genre that more heavily rely on combat and kill rooms, some of the reliance on combat here gets frustrating largely because of some slightly unclear hit detection and relatively punishing fail states. Dodging and parrying is key in combat, but sometimes it’s tough to tell if you’re safe or not depending on the enemy placement and situation. Also for a game so focused on exploration, one false step can set you back many rooms, though thankfully you retain any collectibles and currency you acquired along the way.
In addition to a slate of unlocks that serve as dual purpose combat and exploration tools, like an air dodge with horizontal movement and a grapple, you can also equip a variety of Perks. These Perks strengthen specific abilities, increase the range of abilities and attacks, add on extra health, or power up the giant mech you can transform into. Yes, you can transform into a giant mech in this game, too. Called GAIA, this giant mech can be used to bypass some hazards but it’s best used in tough battles as a borderline get-out-of-jail-free card. It’s time-limited so you can’t abuse it, but it’s always fun to turn into a mech. GAIA also introduces a bizarre mechanic where you devour enemies after you kill them to earn materials that are then used to buy Perks and items as well as perform some upgrades. I understand Pac-Man eats things and this keeps that element alive, but adding in materials as another thing to track as you play this game felt like overkill.
Shadow Labyrinth is surprisingly big, following a lot of twists and turns of the story. It’s in the ballpark of 15 or so hours to completion, with 100%-ing adding a lot more. The different areas you visit have both visual and structural variety. A forest you visit has a lot of branching paths and dead-ends, but then a futuristic-looking tower has a relatively straightforward climb with more of a hub and spoke layout.
While I primarily played on Switch 2, this game is available on both Switch 1 and 2, with a free upgrade available if you buy it on Switch 1. The Switch 2 version runs on 4K and 60 frames per second, though I experienced some slowdown during more intensive moments. Meanwhile over on Switch 1 you’re still getting 60 frames per second, but resolution is dropped down to a max of 720p. Loading times are also slightly longer though not excessively so. Both versions are totally fine with identical content.
I admittedly thought Shadow Labyrinth was a dumb joke game when it was first announced. As Bandai Namco showed off the game though, it is clearly made by people who want to just make a fun game with the wild Pac-Man lore as a mechanical overlay. I had a blast exploring this dark corner of the Namco multiverse that is essentially Pac-Man’s mid-life crisis. Shadow Labyrinth is assuredly the most interesting Pac-Man evolution since the hero’s 20s. Sometimes the biggest series left turns wind up being a hell of a good time.