Shadow Labyrinth Review – Waka Wakavania

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In my opinion, among all episodes in Amazon’s series Secret Level, Pac-Man: Circle stands out as the most captivating. Unlike the other 14 episodes that seemed more like advertisements for their respective games, Pac-Man: Circle took a surprising twist on Namco’s famous character, Pac-Man. Instead of simply eating pellets, the yellow ball was given a darker edge through intense violence and body horror elements. It was daring and imaginative, and indeed, it served as an extended advertisement for an upcoming game.

Bandai Namco recently unveiled Shadow Labyrinth, following closely after the release of Secret Level. Similar to that game, this 2D Metroidvania continues the darker interpretation of the classic character. Regrettably, the narrative is lackluster and confusing, while the combat feels repetitive and the checkpoints are overly challenging – all contributing to a less-than-satisfying reimagining of the iconic 45-year-old character.

As someone who hasn’t played Pac-Man: Circle before, don’t worry! The 12-minute episode does a decent job of introducing the concept behind Shadow Labyrinth, but it isn’t essential viewing. Regardless, you might find yourself confused as Shadow Labyrinth’s plot swiftly becomes a complex web of cryptic conversations, familiar tropes, sci-fi terms, technobabble, and an overdose of self-importance.

As I slip into the garb of a sword-wielding amnesiac, hailing from another realm, my mission is clear: aid Puck, a swashbuckling character summoned instead of Pac-Man, in his escape from a hostile planet. Yet, it’s not just Pac-Man we’re dealing with here; it’s Puck, a cunning trickster who nudges me from the shadows. The concept is intriguing, but the narrative falls short, failing to fully explore this complex dynamic. Instead of actively engaging in events or feeling a sense of control, I find myself merely observing as the story unfolds around me. Despite Puck’s manipulations, there’s no resistance or feeling of agency on my part. The journey is monotonous and uninspiring, falling short of the ominous and unsettling tone set by Pac-Man: Circle.

It’s unfortunate that this game doesn’t fully leverage its connections to Bandai Namco’s rich history. For instance, Shadow Labyrinth is set within the United Galaxy Space Force timeline, a universe linking many of their classic games. This means you’ll encounter characters and adversaries from games like Bosconian, Dig Dug, Galaga, Galaxian, and Xevious, adding depth to the game world. However, when these elements are paired with uninspiring dialogue and generic storylines, it seems that potential for a more engaging experience is lost.

In a 2D Metroidvania style, Shadow Labyrinth starts off quite linear for roughly the initial five hours. Despite having branching paths that lead to enhancements, mysteries, and areas you can’t pass, it doesn’t fully expand until later. At this stage, you get several tasks and the freedom to explore in any direction you choose. Typically, this would be thrilling, but there are various aspects that keep Shadow Labyrinth from reaching the peaks of many of its peers.

As a dedicated fan, I must say, the visual design and recurring themes of locations are quite striking. Most places are a blend of caves and industrial zones, with little variation, except for subtle changes in color schemes. This uniformity makes exploration feel somewhat routine, save for the rare zones that offer something unexpected – like a cave system veiled in darkness until you illuminate it with glowing skulls, or a valley brimming with flowers that could be lethal to the touch.

A significant challenge in this game is its intricate layout. As the name implies, Shadow Labyrinth indeed feels like a maze, with the map revealing its intersections gradually, unfolding new locations and concealed mysteries along the way. The game doesn’t offer any direction, though; there are no markers to guide you, and the hints you can buy are intentionally ambiguous. Consequently, it’s on you to decipher where to proceed. Confusing signs and paths leading to dead ends only exacerbate this frustration.

In this game, advancement is quite gradual, taking hours to unlock new enhancements such as the grappling hook or double jump. This delay in progress not only prevents you from exploring new locations but also makes the platforming element feel repetitive and less engaging. To be honest, I found Shadow Labyrinth’s platforming enjoyable most of the time. It offers some exciting navigational puzzles and challenging platforming sections that brought Celeste to mind. However, the gap between upgrades tends to diminish the excitement a bit.

In this game, each region is packed with numerous sudden battle arenas where you’re trapped until every opponent is defeated, which highlights Shadow Labyrinth’s intense combat focus. At the start, you’ve got a basic three-hit combo and a stunning attack, along with a dodge roll and a stronger attack that use up your stamina (called ESP). This setup is typical for the genre, with a parry and air-dash being unlocked later on. The combat is engaging due to its strong impact sensation, but the overall experience is let down by a lack of diverse enemies, inconsistent hit zones, poorly placed checkpoints, and insufficient advancement opportunities.

In many parts of the game, you’ll find yourself battling the same small group of enemies regardless of the location. Even when new enemies appear in Shadow Labyrinth, they’re often just repainted versions of the ones you’ve been fighting throughout the game. These enemies can usually be defeated with a few blows and tend to be more annoying than difficult, especially when they attack in large numbers. This is largely due to the fact that you take damage whenever you make contact with an enemy, which can become frustrating, especially when dealing with multiple attacks from all sides. The frustration is heightened when some of the game’s hitboxes extend beyond the 2D model, causing you to take damage even when you dodge and believe yourself to be out of the enemy’s range.

Miku Sol checkpoints offer advantages like teleportation, character upgrades, and health bar refills, but smaller checkpoints just let you respawn when you die. If you don’t use your healing potions, the game becomes artificially difficult, especially since these smaller checkpoints are often placed before boss fights. To make matters worse, each time you die, you have to run back to the boss arena for about 40 seconds. All in all, it’s a frustrating experience.

The Lost Crown and Nine Sols have set a higher standard for metroidvania combat, making Shadow Labyrinth’s repetitive design feel outdated.

The game’s captivating design elements stem from the seamless integration of Pac-Man within the overall experience. Generally, Puck functions as a passenger, with his disturbing possession depicted only in cutscenes that conclude each boss fight. It’s puzzling why the fearsome, gobbling boss-Puck isn’t incorporated into gameplay in some manner. Despite this, there are instances where you can assume direct control of the yellow orb, as certain surfaces enable you to transform into Puck and traverse them in a style reminiscent of classic Pac-Manaccompanied by the signature “waka waka waka” sound effect each time you consume a pellet. Although this method offers an innovative approach to exploration, the jumping mechanism can be excessively finicky, often becoming frustrating. You’re only able to jump in three directions: vertically upwards, straight ahead, and diagonally. It’s straightforward to arrange these jumps when you have ample time, but the inconvenience rears its head when you don’t.

In the game, the most challenging parts come when you’re forced to confront a series of enemies as Puck. Unfortunately, during these instances, you can neither dodge nor parry attacks, and healing is also not an option. Worse still, advancing straight ahead seems to be your only choice, but this action often propels you so far that you end up colliding with the very enemies you were attempting to evade. Thankfully, these tough sections don’t last long, but I found myself struggling for approximately an hour, repeatedly trying to progress through one of them.

In the Maze segments, you’ll find yourself seamlessly transitioned into an alternate reality, filled with intensified versions of classic Pac-Man mazes. Innovative elements such as a deceptive Pac-Man and explosive platforms keep the gameplay fresh, while the vibrant colors and energetic soundtrack echo Pac-Man Championship Edition EXcommonly regarded as the best Pac-Man title. However, the tight five-minute time limit can be challenging. At times, it’s unclear what objectives you should focus on, and the tricky platforming makes quick progress difficult. Yet, replaying these segments isn’t entirely unwelcome.

Even though I’ve shared my complaints about Shadow Labyrinth, I must admit that overall, it wasn’t an awful experience. It does have plenty of frustrating moments, the story is rather bland, and much of the gameplay can feel repetitive. However, there are stretches where it simply works well enough. Essentially, it follows typical metroidvania conventions with occasional Pac-Man-like elements thrown in. This mix is certainly unusual, and I would have preferred a stronger game to go along with it, but at least we can always look back on that memorable Secret Level episode.

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2025-07-25 22:10