Shadow Labyrinth Review - Close But No Power Pill
A little while ago, I was lucky enough to go hands-on with a preview build of Shadow Labyrinth, the reinvention of Pac-Man into a modern-day Metroidvania title. In that, somewhat fractured, playtime, I discovered the bones of a solid title that had quite a bit of potential, but I wasn’t sure how it would all play out in a full game. Well, now I have played and finished the full game and have the full picture, and sadly, I have to report that Shadow Labyrinth doesn’t quite reach that early potential.
I am not going to retread over old ground I covered in my preview, but the basics are this: Pac-Man is now a sidekick called Puck who guides you, the oddly named No. 8, on a quest to escape confinement on a strange world. This world has been designed in a classic Metroidvania structure, with many parts of the map out of reach initially until the appropriate powers are discovered and obtained. To keep the Pac-Man theme alive, there are sections where the player takes control of Puck and uses him to move along guided rails in something that looks similar to classic Pac-Man titles, but in reality is just an on-rails platforming section.
The story is, well, something. I won’t say it is bad, but it really struggles to get moving in a way that will draw players in. There are a lot of classic videogame writing issues on display here with leaps in logic, disjointed conversations and overplayed exposition, and this all combines to make a story that became background noise, not a reason to play. There are some cool elements in the tale, but the execution is just a little off, making it hard to find them. It is a shame, really, because it would have been nice to have a more palatable version of the story, but as it is, I feel most players will struggle to even take notice.
Thankfully, the gameplay is pretty tight for the most part. The platforming is precise and fun, especially once a few abilities like the airdash have been unlocked. Combat is also a pretty good time with a mix of basic attacks and unlockable abilities, making up the loop. Getting in a flow with dodges, dashes and air attacks can make for a hectic, yet fun combat experience that gives room for experimentation and will test players’ skills in fun ways. This ramps up as the game goes on and more abilities are unlocked, creating tougher, yet more satisfying combat challenges. In fact, I would say the game is certainly on the harder side of things. It isn’t as tough as Ori or Hollow Knight, but it is heading in that direction.
That challenging difficulty is somewhat defeated by the Mech mechanic, which I have a feeling will split players’ opinions. The main character can consume the bodies of defeated enemies to charge up an ability that transforms them into a giant mech. This becomes something of a get-out-of-jail free card as the mech does huge damage and is invincible, with enemy hits only reducing the time you can use it. So with judicious use, there really isn’t a combat encounter in the game, including boss battles, that can’t be solved by switching to the Mech. For me, I felt it was perhaps too much of a safety net, trivialising some of the challenge, but for others I can see it being a masterful inclusion.
I also want to cover the Puck sections of the game. As I mentioned previously, these are designed to resemble the original Pac-Man games but offer a different experience entirely. While these areas can offer a bit of fun, for the most part, I found it a little imprecise to control and often found myself wishing I was back in a traditional platforming area. Precision is tough in these sections, despite the game giving visual guidance to jump trajectories, and I found the inclusion of these sections to be a disjointed distraction from the meat and potatoes of the main game.
What I really did love is the aesthetic of the game. There is a real dark horror undertone to a lot of Shadow Labryinth, with everything from the enemy design to the way Puck becomes a giant dark beast to consume fallen bosses showing a flair for the dark side. The art team had a lot of fun here creating some memorable enemies and stunning backgrounds that shine in this type of game. Animations are simple yet feel appropriate, and the combat effects are effective and give the player all the required information as to their effectiveness, something that is essential in a tough Metroidvania title.
In the end, Shadow Labryinth is a noble attempt at doing something new with a classic character, but it doesn’t quite stick the landing. The great combat and cool design elements are held back by the disjointed Puck sections and some middling writing, meaning the game never quite reaches its obvious potential. That said, I hope the team sticks with it because I can see a potential sequel really knocking it out of the park. Shadow Labyrinth isn’t a bad game by any means, it is just one that carries with it a sense of missed opportunity and sometimes that stings a little more.
Shadow Labyrinth was reviewed on PC with code kindly supplied by the publisher.
