Shadow Labyrinth Reviews
Shadow Labyrinth moves Pac-Man from his traditional mazes to the caverns of a dying planet, and will likely lose classic arcade fans along the way. But although it makes some gameplay and design mistakes that should have been avoidable, it's weird enough to provide some fun for fans of 2D platformers.
Shadow Labyrinth's strengths lie in its bold reinvention of Pac-Man as a cosmic horror tale, with tight combat and a richly detailed world. The UGSF connections are a treat for Namco fans, nostalgic callbacks without pandering. It’s a love letter to Namco’s arcade roots, twisted into a dark, ambitious epic that swings for the fences. For those craving a fresh take on a classic or just need a solid Metroidvania, it’s a haunting journey worth taking. While Bomberman's grimdark reinvention was a huge misfire, it's surprising just how much Shadow Labyrinth works as a strange and twisted take on such a cartoony concept.
Shadow Labyrinth is a 2D action-adventure Metroidvania that is also a re-imagining of Pac-Man, taking place in a dark sci-fi world of classic Namco arcade games. The classic Pac-Man gameplay works surprisingly well in this new format. It has a slow start, but once it clicks, you are treated to a great Metroidvania. The difficulty can get quite high, and while not everyone likes that, I loved how rewarding the game felt. It needs a few updates to sort things out, but it's still a great time—I can't stop playing.
When all is taken into account, you're in for an exceptional adventure - one that strays far from the classic Pac-Man formula. It’s bound to thrill many players, though it might leave some old-school fans a bit disappointed or at least confused.
Review in Unknown | Read full review
From exploration made tedious by annoying checkpointing to the one-note combat, Shadow Labyrinth is a largely dull adaptation of Pac-Man's gritty Secret Level episode.
A good Metroidvania trapped in the shadow of too many better ones.
I’m old enough to have grown up with unforgiving games, and so I can appreciate a project that goes against the grain at the risk of alienating modern audiences. Even coming in as a genre appreciator, I felt alienated by Shadow Labyrinth.
Shadow Labyrinth takes the fascinating premise of blending Metroid with Pac-Man and fumbles the execution, offering a bland narrative with one-note combat and tedious exploration
A dark twist on a classic game, as Swordsman No. 8 and PUCK enter uncharted territory in Shadow Labyrinth.
If you're intrigued by Shadow Labyrinth's fresh approach to Pac-Man, I recommend giving it a shot on Switch 2. It provides an intriguing narrative in a foreboding world with varied environments throughout, and PUCK proves to be a compelling character. The short bursts of Pac-Man-style gameplay help mix up the experience, and this is very welcome since the game never really delivers a 'wow' moment. Much of it has been done better elsewhere, but this is nevertheless a promising new direction for an ageing franchise; one I hope to see continue in the future.
Mixing Pac-Man with Metroid seems like an enjoyably strange idea at first, until you realise just how bland and unimaginative the end result is.
Shadow Labyrinth has a really great premise, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The progression is too slow to keep things fresh and interesting, the story is lacklustre, and the gameplay just doesn't meet the expectations you would have for what is supposed to be a big new turning point for Pac-Man.
Although Pac-Man has starred in games across a wide variety of genres, in 2025 he adds another notch to his revolver: his first Metroidvania succeeds in combining the foundations of the genre with ideas from Toru Iwatani's creation and souls-like touches. The result is an entertaining, enjoyable game that's hard to put down. And it also comes with a free upgrade to Switch 2.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
This is an utterly fascinating experience, and a wonderful exercise in a team taking something mundane and being relentlessly creative. Tons of people will probably hate it. But folks who gel with this particular brand of crazy have a potential new cult classic in their libraries.
Shadow Labyrinth is a hard game to nail down. It does some cool things here and there but is bogged down by poor level design and tedious Metroidvania game play. I wanted to love it, but came away just slightly entertained.
Strangely, while Shadow Labyrinth is a solid Metroidvania that carries inspiration from various sources, it doesn't feel inspired because it leans too heavily on the nostalgia of Puck's Pac-Man sensibilities. Serviceable is the best way to describe Shadow Labyrinth because it's a competent experience and it might be satisfying if all you're looking for is a general Metroidvania experience.
Shadow Labyrinth is a mid-tier metroidvania featuring a few interesting concepts, but it quickly fades from memory after completion.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Shadow Labyrinth takes Pac-Man in some strange places, but often too poorly designed to really enjoy the brilliant idea behind an anyway good metroidvania.
Review in Italian | Read full review
All in all, Shadow Labyrinth is an ambitious reimagining of a classic franchise that works much better than it has any right to to. That said, the presentation is still a bit rusty, and it’s really difficult at times. I hope you’re prepared to spend six tries to get past almost every boss and nasty platforming section.
Shadow Labyrinth is an admirable big swing that places Pac-Man in a strange new space. Unfortunately, while there are some fun elements taken from the arcade classic and a few neat ideas sprinkled in, the majority of the game is a by-the-numbers Metroidvania that doesn't quite come together. It feels like a game built to please Pac-fans and hardcore players that lap up the likes of Hollow Knight, but the end result is something that underserves both. It's not bad, but with so many incredible 2D Metroidvanias these days, this one doesn't quite do enough to measure up.