Shadow Labyrinth Review: A Waka Wakavania Adventure
▼ Summary
– Pac-Man: Circle is the standout episode of Amazon’s Secret Level series, offering a bold, violent reimagining of Pac-Man while still serving as an extended commercial for the game Shadow Labyrinth.
– Shadow Labyrinth disappoints with a dull story, frustrating combat, poor checkpointing, and repetitive enemy designs, failing to capitalize on its darker Pac-Man premise.
– The game’s narrative is confusing and lacks player agency, despite an interesting setup involving Puck, a manipulative version of Pac-Man, and references to Bandai Namco’s older games.
– Exploration and combat suffer from linearity, repetitive environments, unclear guidance, and slow progression, with platforming and enemy variety falling short of genre standards.
– The game’s few highlights include occasional Pac-Man-inspired mechanics and Maze sections, but these are overshadowed by frustrating design choices and lackluster execution.
Exploring the darker side of gaming nostalgia, Shadow Labyrinth attempts to reinvent Pac-Man as a brooding Metroidvania hero, but stumbles under the weight of its own ambition. While the premise holds promise, the execution leaves much to be desired, blending repetitive combat, confusing level design, and a forgettable narrative into an experience that never quite lives up to its potential.
For those unfamiliar with Pac-Man: Circle, the animated short that inspired this game, don’t worry, it’s not essential. Shadow Labyrinth drops players into a convoluted sci-fi tale where an amnesiac warrior aids a sinister version of Pac-Man (here called Puck) in escaping a hostile world. The setup is intriguing, but the story quickly drowns in cryptic dialogue and self-serious technobabble, failing to capitalize on its eerie atmosphere. Puck’s role as a manipulative force could have been compelling, but the protagonist’s lack of agency makes the journey feel hollow.
Where Shadow Labyrinth shines, briefly, is in its deep-cut references to Bandai Namco’s classic franchises. Fans might appreciate stumbling upon Bosconian villagers or enemies from Dig Dug and Galaga, but these nods feel wasted in a world bogged down by bland storytelling. The game’s attempt to tie into the United Galaxy Space Force lore adds little beyond superficial fan service.
As a Metroidvania, the game follows a predictable formula: locked abilities, backtracking, and sprawling maps. Early hours are painfully linear, only opening up after several upgrades. Exploration should be rewarding, but dull environments, mostly caves and industrial zones with minor palette swaps, make traversal tedious. A few standout areas, like a pitch-black cave illuminated by glowing skulls, offer fleeting moments of creativity.
The level design leans heavily into its labyrinthine namesake, but without clear guidance, players often wander aimlessly. Vague clues and dead-end paths turn navigation into a chore. Progression crawls at a snail’s pace, with key upgrades like the grappling hook or double jump spaced hours apart. This sluggish pacing saps excitement from the platforming, which, while competent, never reaches the heights of genre standouts like Celeste.
Combat is another sore spot. Basic mechanics, a three-hit combo, dodge roll, and stamina-based heavy attack, feel serviceable at first. But repetitive enemy designs, inconsistent hitboxes, and punishing checkpoint systems drain any fun. Most foes are recycled or reskinned, and touching enemies inflicts damage, an outdated mechanic that feels unfair when paired with wonky hit detection. Boss fights drag on, relying on endurance rather than skill, and the lack of healing items at minor checkpoints adds unnecessary frustration.
The game’s most unique element, Pac-Man’s integration, is underutilized. Transforming into Puck for pellet-munching platforming sections is a clever nod, but clunky controls (limited to three rigid jump directions) sour the experience. Worse are the forced enemy gauntlets as Puck, where dodging is impossible, and poor jump mechanics often send you careening into danger.
Bright spots exist, like the Maze sections, which reimagine classic Pac-Man gameplay with chaotic twists. A decoy Pac-Man and weaponized platforms inject much-needed energy, backed by a vibrant aesthetic reminiscent of Pac-Man Championship Edition. Yet even here, a strict time limit and finicky controls undermine the fun.
Shadow Labyrinth isn’t a total disaster, it’s just painfully average. Moments of competence are overshadowed by frustrating design choices and missed opportunities. While die-hard Pac-Man fans might find fleeting enjoyment, most players will walk away wishing the game had embraced its weirdness instead of settling for mediocrity.
(Source: GameSpot)
