Shadow Labyrinth

Better than Hallow Knight

The game is broken. Projectile and weapon damage passes right through you, also parry and counter attack abilities do not work. The only thing that actually damages the player is coming into contact with enemies. Its a shame, the game looks good and has a fun story, but I cannot recommend a broken game.

一言でいうクソゲー！！！！誰やこれ作ったやつ。ストーリーも下手。次行くところもナビが下手。人気なさ過ぎてちゃんとした攻略サイトがない。後半のギミック攻略マジで意味が分からないぐらい鬼畜。誰も買うな全く面白くない。買った以上頑張ってやっていたがもういい。なんやこれ金返せボケ！メトロイドヴァニア系はこんなクソよりもっといいのたくさんあるのでそっちを買いましょう。テストプレイしてないだろ？と思うようなことばかり。お前のせいでコントローラー壊れたわクソが

Bandai namco c'est quoi encore ca? Plusieurs chemins pour rien, chemins qui ne mène nul part (souvent)... j'ai l'impression qu'il est trop simple niveau gameplay (combat basique) avec un décor 2d facile (image fixe ennuyante)... je ne comprends pas l'évolution de pacman, il est ou PACMAN qui bouffe les ennemis en jeux ?!

We finally have the technology to realize the Pac-Man creator's original vision. A solid metroidvania with more anime girls than expected.

i love this game the atmosphere and the movement is so good im not sure why everyone hates this i love pacman and i understand this is an odd turn in aesthetics but i personally enjoy it its not like theyll get rid of the traditional pacman aesthetic

TOP

mid as fuc

**CAUTIOUS RECOMMENDATION** Shadow Labyrinth is an odd amalgamation of the Metroidvania subgenre and Namco's beloved PAC-MAN franchise. During your journey, you are accompanied by a PAC-MAN-esque character (PUCK) that serves the purpose of driving the storyline forward, eating defeated enemies for resources, and traversing specific pac-lines in the environment. It's a unique fusion that feels risky but ultimately pays off despite a number of glaring issues. You get a "lot of bang for your buck" here, but it's a case where "more isn't always better." Shadow Labyrinth is HUGE. And not in a good way. Environments seemingly go on for far too long, interconnected by doorways that break the 2D plane and make it nearly impossible to figure out where to go. You just kind of wing it and hope for the best. This problem is exacerbated by a horrendous map that can't keep up with the level design or make it easy to fast travel. Conversely, the movement in this game is so damn good that you can basically fly through these sections after a handful of abilities have been unlocked. The map size is offset by just how rapidly your character can gain momentum and zip from place to place. This is heightened by the sheer power fantasy of upgrading your character, gaining abilities, and becoming an offensive force of destruction. Backtracking basically sees you obliterating enemies at a breakneck pace, using all the shortcuts you've unlocked to shave time, and in this way, these larger environments, while still a chore to some degree, much more manageable and less overblown than many reviewers will make you think. The PUCK aspect of this game is both hit and miss. Using Pac lines as a traversal mechanic is fun and a creative way of navigating tight corridors or finding shortcuts through larger areas. Unfortunately, the controls while using PUCK are wildly erratic. The game enables a "guide line" by default which shows you the trajectory PUCK's jump, but it can shift rapidly and without warning, sending you flying in a completely different direction than intended. This isn't terrible until you encounter specific areas of the game that lock your combat form into PUCK, but thankfully these moments are few and far between. The combat is generally very fast, fluid, and incredibly enjoyable, which I think absolutely voids out many of the game's other shortcomings. Melee combat feels punchy with enemies often getting launched across the room when defeated. Ability variety lets you play defensively by shielding or offensively with a fluid and incredibly effective (and very generous) parry that rewards the player with a massive follow-up damage buff. Combat upgrades are found in the environment, earned through a battle arena, or via vendors and traders when currency & resource requirements are met. The latter can feel a bit grindy at times, as resources are only gathered when you initiate a devour move with PUCK after an enemy is defeated. It's an animation that takes several seconds to play out, but one that never felt intrusive enough to pull me away from the experience. A huge selling point for this game was obviously the PAC-MAN levels that initially resemble the arcade classic from 1980. My previous gripe with PUCK's controls honestly wipe every ounce of fun from these sections. They are these odd PAC-MAN remix levels where you gather power pellets but also smash ghosts using wall jumps and speed boosts. There is clearly an ebb & flow to these sections, but PUCK controls so poorly that I never got the hang of them. These sections culminate in a boss fight that's equally as tedious if not visually and audibly stunning. Your mileage may vary here as most reviewers pin these sections as the highlight of the game, but for me, they were the ones I wanted over the quickest. Story wise, Shadow Labyrinth tells a surprisingly deep tale that has you questioning the morality of PUCK and the characters you encounter. These characters all come and go infrequently enough as not to be overly distracting, but are to the point with dialogue and make their mark without overburdening the player in a novel of conversation (I'm looking at you Iconclasts and HAAK). At times, the set pieces can be outrageously grandiose, making this feel like an anime more than a Metroidvania. And I'm OK with that. I very much enjoy this game but urge players to BUY WITH CAUTION. This game is bloated and loaded with pacing issues. Environments are massive, often difficult to navigate, and backtracking can be a nightmare. PUCK's controls and 1980's PAC-MAN sections can be a serious pain, but still add much needed variety (visually and audibly) to game that often feels too big for it's own good. That being said, Shadow Labyrinth does a lot well, and is unique enough to set it apart from many other's in the subgenre. There is an abundance of content here, tons to unlock, and lots of reward for experimenting with builds and abilities. When it hits, it really hits. And when it misses, it stumbles hard. This puts Shadow Labyrinth in an position that makes it challenging to recommend but still a great title for those willing to overlook the shortcomings.

fun game