Shadow Labyrinth

Shadow Labyrinth is a dark and gritty Pac-Man spinoff that somehow manages to be one of the best Metroidvanias in recent memory.

The 45th anniversary of Pac-Man brings fans a unique take on the iconic series of games. Shadow Labyrinth takes on a new role for the franchise, bringing you into a new piece of the Pac-Man universe with a darker tone and a new genre. Players must use their abilities to survive, consume enemies and level Swordsman No. 8 to their highest potential.

Shadow Labyrinth takes the classic Pac-Man formula and throws it into a dark, challenging world that’s more Dark Souls than arcade fun. This review covers everything you need to know about this unforgiving metroidvania – from its punishing combat system to its rewarding exploration, along with who should (and shouldn’t) consider picking it up.

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 earns the right to have its darker version of Pac-Man be taken seriously. Its solid exploration and combat mechanics make for an excellent game that gets further elevated by its fun integration and celebration of Namco history into its design. While at times the game can feel a little too bloated with ideas, it’s okay to overeat during a celebration.

Video games being self-referential is about as special as grocery store sushi, but Shadow Labyrinth is like how Kroger started dusting its spicy California rolls with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos crumbs. The team behind this monstrosity basically asked: “Pac-Man’s 45th birthday is here; what if instead of the usual stuff we made everything as weird and gross as possible?” And folks, these people succeeded. Shadow Labyrinth is a massive, complicated, stressful Metroidvania that is full of self-referential material presented in supremely unhinged (but shockingly narratively cohesive) fashion.

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.

Shadows of Our Past

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.

I wish I could go back in time to the 80s, hit up an arcade and show someone playing the original PAC-MAN a glimpse of Shadow Labyrinth. Imagine it. Hey, you know that yellow cheese-wheel looking guy you’re guiding through a maze right now? Well, in 2025, he looks like this.

When a developer chooses to take a long-running franchise and change its gameplay formula, it is a high-risk, high-reward situation. Taking Pac-Man and deciding to create a Metroidvania using the character is the risk Bandai Namco has taken to celebrate 45 years of the icon. Has that high risk come to fruition in Shadow Labyrinth? The answer is no.

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.