With the ominous weight shadowed on its being released this day as a dark and twisted reimagination of Pac-Man, the players have begun to test its alien and weird world. Standing along with Swordsman No.8 and Puck in their surreal adventures, shadow labyrinth is geared to inject fresh shadow, mystery, and perhaps even a dash of existential dread into the old arcade classic.
Being called by players as “novel” and “super cool,” some have even compared it to the bizarre kind of vibes generated by the Secret Level episode (and if you haven’t watched that yet, now would be a great time). On the flip side, others have maintained that it is a great irony for a game called Shadow Labyrinth to not have enough shadows.
With a mixed reaction: one guy has managed to get the Japanese PS5 release for $64 AUD (lucky him!), and another girl is here to demand a Dig Dug survival-horror roguelike. The third one sits there, still waiting for OG Resident Evil 2/3 to happen. Priorities, man.
But what else about the game is interesting? Shadow Labyrinth is a good alien exploration-an uneasy but hypnotizing experience that simply is not Pac-Man with some moody filters. That trailer screams slick visuals all on its own, and early entries are already calling the game “really good,” with one caveat: Uh… nobody apparently seems to know the price. Someone asked, and no one has answered. Classic.
Naturally, not everybody is too happy about this. You’ve got your usual griping about PlayStation support and a few questioning the legitimacy of this so-called “dark” twist, wondering whether it’s just a veil for edge. However, judging by Pixel Luma’s tagline-the tagline that is-“gotta catch ’em all… or die trying,” this might actually be the weirdest, most ambitious Pac-Man spin-off ever.
That said, two things about Shadow Labyrinth: either it is going to be your next internet sensation or your pick-up-once-during-a-late-night-and-never-look-back-again game. At least it’s a conversation starter. Now, does anyone have that sandwich?
