Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth Reviews
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth may not be the absolute best Metroidvania on the Nintendo Switch, but it is certainly among the best.
It's not often that you find a Metroidvania that actually measures up to its models, while still managing to put its own attractive spin on the old formula. Record of Lodoss War -Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth- absolutely delivers and manages to capture the Symphony of the Night look and feel brilliantly, while still being its own title. There are only two real drawbacks that keep the experience from being perfect: performance can have dips, manifested with slowdown rather than dropped frames, but only in circumstances where it doesn't affect gameplay at all. Then, newcomers to the Record of Lodoss War universe will be left completely lost as to who the characters are, and how they relate to one another, making the story tough to care for. Everything else however feels perfect and proved memorable in a way that Konami's eponymous franchise always managed to deliver with its 2D incarnations.
Who would’ve guessed that a game based on a very traditional novel series from Japan would turn out this way? The last time Record of Lodoss War had any significant presence in games was during the Dreamcast days with an equally excellent, although similarly derivative Diablo-like. Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is tightly designed, a joy to look at and most importantly, is ridiculously respectful of your time, making it an absolute must-play Switch release.
While it's not entirely an experience of the series it's based on, Record of Lodoss War -Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth- offers all the features a metroidvania fan could want, without feeling like "just another clone" of Metroid or Castlevania. Team Ladybug was able to transpose RPG elements, the root of Lodoss War, to a simple and fair, but totally satisfying action platformer, which pleases both the longing fans of the series and gamers looking for casual gameplay.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Outside of the boss rush mode and speedrunning there just isn't much replay value I'm afraid. However, Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is a great homage to the source material and fans will relish the experience.
You will buy it because it looks, feels and plays like Symphony of the Night, but you’ll keep glued to it because it features enough qualities to make it stand out not only from its main source of inspiration, but from most metroidvanias in the market. It may suffer from a few performance issues, but all in all, this is one of the most entertaining exploratory action platformers I’ve played in a while, and it’s well worth your time.
Ultimately though, the minute-to-minute gameplay is fun as hell, and I was a bit disappointed to reach the end credits. I'd gladly take another handful of stages right now, but I'll settle for working on 100 percent map completion. If you've been hoping for a little more combat and a little less walking back and forth between points on a map, Wonder Labyrinth would make a wonder-full way to spend five or six hours.
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is a pretty good game overall, while its story is simple and its gameplay not terribly difficult most experienced gamers can knock it out in 7 hours or so. The game boasts some great graphics due to the awesome sprite work, and it has an extremely catchy soundtrack; which is always a nice bonus. I think Team Ladybug managed to put out a game that has something for quite a varied audience. Those that are fans of the novels or anime series will surely find something to love, but those of us who enjoy ‘metoridvania’ type games will find a lot to appreciate as well; and who knows maybe even turn the next generation of fans onto Record of Lodoss War as a whole.
As this is on Game Pass it’s an easy recommendation to anyone interested in the genre. It is $25 US at the time of this review if you prefer to "own" your games. If you aren’t big on a SotN clone then stay away, but if you are then this is a solid 6 or so hour experience that is well worth your time. I still may have little to no clue what Record of Lodoss War is, but I’m excited to see what developer Team Ladybug might do with the series next.
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is a recommendable title for metroidvania lovers, it has challenging combat and has enough personality to stand out from many of the proposals of the genre.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is certainly not a revolutionary or innovative video game, but it manages to achieve the goals it had set itself. It is a well-framed and decidedly successful title, which does not hide its obvious inspirations.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is another enjoyable metroidvania to add to the collection of fans. If, however, the genre has saturated you, you can safely move on.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth doesn't take too long to beat - even the most curious/thorough/careful player is unlikely to go over the 10-hour mark - but when the adventure's this much fun and as densely packed with creativity, does it matter? At the end of it all you're far more likely to feel satisfied than short-changed, and Deedlit's tale is a surprisingly touching one regardless of how much or little you already know about Lodoss. If you're after something with the flavour of Symphony of the Night that doesn't feel like a shallow knock-off, this is a fine alternative.
Delivering combat, exploration, exciting battles and an impecable art in 2D sprites, Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth has the potential to amaze fans of the Metroidvania genre and maybe even bring new fans to the thirty-plus year old franchise.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Record of Lodoss War -Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth- is a great Metroidvania that any genre fan will love. The adventure may be over well before you'd like it to be but it's sure to satisfy from start to finish with its unique gameplay elements and memorable game world.
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth manages to deliver a fun 2D platform adventure experience. Its gameplay brings strong characteristics of established titles of the genre, but also adds its own identity, as in the case of elemental spirits. The unchallenging combat against common creatures is uninteresting and contrasts with the exciting duels against bosses. Its plot is uninviting for those unfamiliar with the Record of Lodoss universe. It does not compromise the experience, however, it limits the real potential that the campaign would have if previous events had been introduced. On the narrative side, witnessing Deedlit's shock at seeing his teammates after the passing of many years results in poignant and nostalgic moments, making the title a beautiful celebration of the franchise's 30th anniversary and an excellent choice for fans.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The game manages to catch a large assortment of players. Fans of the anime will definitely want to follow this adventure in the land of Lodoss, while those unfamiliar with the series will find the game to be a satisfying standalone game with an easy enough story to follow.
An abundance of weapons, abilities, and playstyles combine with a dazzling audio and visual presentation, producing a challenging, fair, yet brief experience that is sure to please both Record of Lodoss War and Metroidvania fans alike.
Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth really made my weekend. Not only did I have a blast with a fun-sized Metroidvania adventure, I also discovered a series with a fascinating history.