Pac-Man has all the time been at house inside mazes filled with enemies attempting to kill you, so the transfer to a Metroidvania would not really feel like that huge of a leap. Having stated that, Shadow Labyrinth takes Bandai Namco’s 45-year-old mascot in a wild new path, putting him in a darkish, sci-fi world that the informal onlooker could not realise is expounded to the arcade hero in any respect.
This can be a side-scrolling Metroidvania that follows the blueprint fairly faithfully. You navigate a labyrinthine map with quite a few pathways, a lot of that are blocked off till you discover new talents. Fight begins off feeling quite simple, however once more, talents and upgrades make it extra complicated.
It is a construction many will likely be acquainted with, and it is executed competently right here. The sport’s map is huge and complex, filled with secrets and techniques and unreachable areas teasing you with their presence.
As with many Metroidvanias, it takes some time for Shadow Labyrinth to heat up. When you begin unlocking new talents, resembling an air sprint, parry, and grappling hook, it turns into a extra fascinating recreation, nevertheless it takes a number of hours to get there.
The story is equally threadbare originally. You play as Swordsman No. 8, a soul summoned right into a bodily type by Puck, a floating yellow orb. The aim of that is the prevailing thriller, as is what precisely has occurred on the unusual planet you discover.
Clearly, the layers are peeled again as you make progress, however frankly, the narrative is not notably engrossing, affected by myriad meaningless correct nouns and character names you will seemingly by no means bear in mind.
The gameplay and design should carry it ahead, then, and whereas a lot of the sport is by-the-numbers when it comes to what’s anticipated of a Metroidvania, the Pac-Man touches and distinctive elements give it a raise.
Current in sure areas are rails that, when activated, you possibly can navigate as Pac-Man, controlling as you’d anticipate him to. This lets you navigate to new areas and gives a contact of traversal selection.
This is not the one transformation you will make, although; as soon as charged, you possibly can flip right into a mech, a limited-time power-up useful for clearing rooms of enemies or dealing a giant blow to bosses.
You cost up the mech by consuming enemies you have defeated, and this additionally beneficial properties you varied assets you will must buy or make sure gadgets and upgrades.
If you defeat a boss, Puck will remodel right into a nightmarish black-and-red imaginative and prescient of Pac-Man and eat them, granting you a brand new capacity.
It is components like these that present Shadow Labyrinth some much-needed distinctive options, as a result of, as we talked about, it’s in any other case a reasonably customary Metroidvania motion platformer.
There’s some good selection in environments as you progress by way of, although — harsh metallic services, desert lands, an enormous tree, and extra. The artwork model can look fairly good in locations, however there are some areas that look fairly blurred, and it could come throughout as trying fairly low cost.
The identical could be stated of enemies; there are some fascinating foes and executives you will go up towards (and hardcore Bamco followers will little question spot some far-reaching references right here and there), however animation work and a few odd designs left us a bit of chilly.
Later into the expertise you acquire entry to a choice of phases which are extra recognisably Pac-Man. These extra arcadey sequences are enjoyable asides that change up the well-worn components, and are arguably a few of the extra satisfying elements of Shadow Labyrinth.
The quick tempo and rapid enjoyable of those phases sadly leaves the primary recreation feeling and looking fairly bloated.
It is not a brief recreation; you are trying within the tens of hours, and whereas that is pretty regular for a Metroidvania like this, Shadow Labyrinth would not fairly have the standard wanted to maintain that playtime.
Platforming and fight can really feel a bit of wishy-washy. They are not horrible, and afterward when you will have a number of talents and perks these elements are a lot improved, however they’re by no means as tight as you’d hope for.
We’re additionally not followers of the checkpointing; main save factors are just a bit too few and much between. It makes going again to earlier areas really feel like a chore, as you will should trek by way of massive stretches to succeed in new gadgets or areas, and so they might not be that rewarding.
It is a difficult recreation to suggest. There are some enjoyable components in right here, however they’re surrounded by a just-okay Metroidvania motion title. At occasions the components works and it could really feel novel and enjoyable, however solely actually when it feels most like Pac-Man and least like the sport it truly is.
Conclusion
Shadow Labyrinth is an admirable huge swing that locations Pac-Man in an odd new house. Sadly, whereas there are some enjoyable components taken from the arcade basic and some neat concepts sprinkled in, the vast majority of the sport is a by-the-numbers Metroidvania that does not fairly come collectively. It seems like a recreation constructed to please Pac-fans and hardcore gamers that lap up the likes of Hole Knighthowever the finish result’s one thing that underserves each. It is not dangerous, however with so many unimaginable 2D Metroidvanias nowadays, this one would not fairly do sufficient to measure up.
