Shadow Labyrinth Reviews
An uninspired effort to infuse nostalgic IP with edgy nonsense, Shadow Labrynth offers up some fine enough Metroidvania action but fails to give players much of a reason to care about it beyond sheer novelty. Tucked away in its sprawling maps are beacons of joy in the form of classic Pac-Man mazes, but there’s only a ghost of a game built around them.
Shadow Labyrinth is such a fascinating reinvention of PAC-MAN that completely changes the concept of what a PAC-MAN game can be. It's a completely unapologetic, brutal reimagining that fully commits to this vision. It pays off in its best moments, whether you're fighting a huge boss or weaving through some difficult platforming, but the punishing early game and confusing design choices really weigh it down. It's far from the most flawless Metroidvania, but if you can stomach the difficulty, it's a compelling new PAC-MAN experience.
Shadow Labyrinth is a very polished and well-balanced experience that is well worth the effort you will put into learning its mechanics. While its controls could use a bit of tweaking to perfect, it's a game that showcases the best of Bandai Namco both literally and figuratively, and is one that I was delighted to play thanks to its story and excellent level design.
Shadow Labyrinth has a few interesting ideas, but this dark interpretation of PAC-MAN fails to deliver on the fundamentals of a Metroid-like experience.
Shadow Labyrinth is a bold experiment by its developer and one that still deserves credit for its creativity and willingness to push boundaries. It offers a fresh, darker take on a beloved franchise, blending classic elements with modern genre conventions that almost suceeds.
A bold metroidvania that places Pac-Man in a dark, narrative-driven world. Strong concept and solid fanservice, but held back by unpolished mechanics, uneven difficulty, and imprecise controls. Still, a unique and entertaining entry point for newcomers to the genre.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Shadow Labyrinth isn’t an awful game. It is fairly competent on a technical level and provides a lot of weapons and abilities to unlock. Unfortunately, it is lengthy and the way it is paced means the majority of it ends up dull and repetitive. The strength of its story and the occasional high points in gameplay prevent it from being terrible, but in a genre as oversaturated as search-action, this is just not good enough.
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.
Pac-Man in a Metroidvania game? Yeah – Shadow Labyrinth is an intriguing use of a much-loved IP, but the end result leaves a little to be desired. There's fun to be had here, but frustrating design choices, such as a lack of checkpoints and healing options, mean it's a middling Metroidvania, outshined by plenty others in the genre.
Shadow Labyrinth is a title that demonstrates potential in its mechanics, context, and story. However, everything is let down by the frustration of several different elements, such as the extremely large maps, the uneven combat, and more. It's a good game, and I hope Bandai Namco continues to experiment and polish this formula until they develop something truly special.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Bandai Namco's bold attempt to reimagine the core concepts of the beloved Pac-Man franchise as a modern Metroidvania shows promise but ultimately falls short of its full potential. Shadow Labyrinth delivers a dark, mysterious story and fast-paced combat, but brings little new to the table, leaning too heavily on the Pac-Man name to make an impact.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Shadow Labyrinth is a decent Metroidvania experience that doesn't go beyond that. The biggest attraction of this experience is the darker twist it has implemented on the Pac-Man franchise and has been able to create a captivating and mysterious world and story in line with it. On the other hand, the creators' efforts to meaningfully connect this experience with the classic Pac-Man gameplay structure are admirable, and perhaps their creativity in this area can be considered one of the strengths of the experience. The game's combat system, despite various perks, suffers from a lack of variety in weapons and how to interact with this system. Also, the game's sinusoidal performance in implementing some bosses and environments prevents Shadow Labyrinth from standing alongside some of the outstanding works of this genre, but nevertheless, it is still a decent experience that is especially recommended to Pac-Man fans.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Overall, while Shadow Labyrinth doesn’t quite rank among the top-tier Metroidvania games of recent years, it’s definitely worth experiencing at least once. The game offers a good variety of core mechanics, fun character-switching between different creatures, some well-designed boss fights, and diverse environments. However, these strengths are somewhat overshadowed by flaws like inconsistent difficulty balancing, occasionally stiff and clunky combat, and graphics that fall short of expectations.
Review in Persian | Read full review
I had a blast exploring this dark corner of the Namco multiverse that is essentially Pac-Man's mid-life crisis. Shadow Labyrinth is assuredly the most interesting Pac-Man evolution since the hero's 20s. Sometimes the biggest series left turns wind up being a hell of a good time.
Shadow Labyrinth innovated within the Pac-Man games by boldly venturing into a dark and gritty direction no one expected. However, in terms of art style and substance, the game offers little that sets it apart in an already crowded market
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Shadow Labyrinth is a bold experiment that only partially succeeds: a compelling and demanding metroidvania, held back by frustrating design choices and an underwhelming narrative.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Shadow Labyrinth is a tremendously interesting reimagining of Pac-Man, adapting its mythology and gameplay to the standards of a fun and addictive metroidvania.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Shadow Labyrinth is one of the weirdest and most unexpected games that I've ever played. Despite everything, the formula just works and the sense of satisfaction from completing its brutally tough segments and exploring its variety-filled world is superb. 🟡
Shadow Labyrinth is weird, bold, and incredibly compelling. It takes one of gaming’s most iconic franchises and reimagines it into something brooding, mysterious, and challenging — and somehow, it works. The moment-to-moment gameplay is satisfying, the world design is smart, and the mix of lore, mechanics, and visual storytelling is impressive.
To celebrate Pac-Man’s 45th anniversary, Bandai Namco decided to adapt the famous character to a sci-fi universe with the bold and mysterious vision of Shadow Labyrinth. Unfortunately, no one remembered they also had to think about the gameplay.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review