Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Genre Fusion
Clunky Controls
Derivative Design
Shadow Labyrinth blends dark Metroidvania exploration with Pac‑Man‑inspired mechanics and layered combat, creating a unique fusion that feels ambitious but uneven. Its atmospheric world and inventive ideas shine, though pacing and controls can feel frustrating at times.
Shadow Labyrinth - Preorder Trailer
Shadow Labyrinth - Maze Reveal Trailer
Shadow Labyrinth - Release Date Announcement
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.
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.
It doesn't have enough Pac-Man for fans of that franchise, and its Metroidvania elements are too weak to appeal to fans of the genre, so why did they make a Pac-Man Metroidvania? After spending 40 hours with the game, I still don't know, and that makes it difficult to recommend.
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.
