Shadow Labyrinth review

Introduction

Shadow Labyrinth casts players as a cloaked Swordsman waking on a mysterious planet littered with the relics of past wars, haunted by the ghost of Puck as they consume enemies to grow from prey into apex predator. Developed by Bandai Namco Studios and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment as a genre-twisting reinterpretation of Pac-Man, it released 17 July 2025 to a genuinely "Mixed" reception: 114 of its 192 English-language reviews recommend it, a sample of which this review reads 100. Few games in this review series split their audience quite as evenly as this one, with passionate defenders and frustrated detractors often describing what sounds like two different games entirely.

An audacious, unexpected reinvention of a beloved mascot

The most consistently praised element is simply how far the game pushes its source material. One reviewer imagines the pitch meeting as "let's make a HORROR metroidvania about PACMAN, where you CONSUME enemies and transform into a GIANT MECHA," adding that "Nintendo would NEVER attempt anything this unique." Several reviewers who came in skeptical after the mixed reception found themselves won over, with one writing "I really don't understand the current 52% positive Steam rating. I'm a Metroidvania fanatic, and this is a great game." Others highlight the world and lore as unexpectedly compelling for a game built around an arcade mascot, with one noting "the Pac-Man lore is not cringe" and another praising "surprisingly cool" worldbuilding buried in optional lore entries.

A slow-burn that rewards patience, according to its defenders

Multiple reviewers describe an experience that improves dramatically the longer you stick with it. One who reviewed after finishing the game and its side content writes "this game is way better than it's being given credit," noting "it really does take a while to get rolling, but it's enormous and way longer than it first appears." Defenders of the game's difficulty push back directly against critics, with one arguing "the math ain't mathing" on complaints about movement and checkpoints, insisting the game "delivers where it counts" on challenge for players with genuine metroidvania pedigree.

Checkpoints, hit detection, and a punishing early game

The sample's sharpest and most frequent criticism targets the game's checkpoint spacing. One frustrated reviewer demands in all caps, "JUST PUT A CHECKPOINT BEFORE THE DAMN BOSS ARENA," describing repeated multi-minute runbacks to retry fights as needlessly punishing. Beyond checkpoints, several reviewers report inconsistent combat feedback, with one listing specific examples: "sometimes contact with an enemy or boss damages you, sometimes it doesn't," calling it the kind of flaw "you would commonly see in an Alpha Build" rather than a finished retail release. A separate, recurring complaint concerns pacing, with reviewers noting core traversal tools like the double jump remain locked away for several hours, leaving an unusually slow, frustrating opening stretch before the game's better ideas surface.

A late-game difficulty spike that soured even fans

Notably, even some reviewers who enjoyed most of their time with the game report a sharp quality drop near the end. One writes that "up until around the last 5 hours of the game I would've considered this a high B-to-low-A-tier" metroidvania, but that the final sections are "so seriously unfun" they retroactively soured earlier positive impressions. Another describes the endgame difficulty as "hard like the Lion King, not Sekiro," implying frustration rather than fair challenge, a sentiment echoed by several reviewers who report the developers have already issued balance patches in response to community feedback.

What the achievement data shows

Shadow Labyrinth's 19 tracked achievements show a very steep drop-off typical of a difficult, back-loaded metroidvania. The earliest story milestone sits at 92.3 percent, but the next achievement in sequence falls to 59.5 percent, and by the midpoint of the list most achievements sit in the 13-29 percent range. The final story and completionist achievements bottom out below 8 percent, with the rarest at just 2.9 percent, a curve consistent with reviewer accounts of a game that loses a large share of its audience well before the credits roll.

A community split on whether the genre's rules even apply

Part of what makes this reception so unusual is that several defenders argue critics are judging the game by the wrong standard entirely. One writes bluntly, "these reviews are just weird. Boss runbacks? Backtracking? What genre did you all think this was? This is a blue-blooded metroidvania through and through, warts of the genre and all." Another goes further, suggesting the negative reception says more about the current audience than the game itself, arguing that longtime genre veterans understand what they signed up for while newer fans expect modern conveniences the genre has never traditionally offered. This framing doesn't fully explain the scale of the frustration in the sample, since several of the harshest critical reviews come from players with substantial playtime and clear prior metroidvania experience, but it does help explain why the same mechanical choices read as authentic to some players and as unpolished to others.

Value

At NZ$54.95, or roughly half that with the 50 percent discount active at review time, Shadow Labyrinth sits at the pricier end for an indie-adjacent metroidvania, and several reviewers explicitly call the pricing fair for the amount of content on offer even while criticizing its execution. Given the genuinely split reception and real friction points around checkpoints and hit detection, it reads as a stronger value at a discount than at full price, particularly for players uncertain whether its ambitious premise will land for them.

Final Verdict

Shadow Labyrinth is a genuinely audacious, deeply divisive metroidvania that reinvents Pac-Man as something stranger and darker than anyone likely expected, earning real praise from dedicated genre fans for its scope, lore, and challenge. Sparse checkpoints, inconsistent hit detection, and a slow, frustrating opening are legitimate, oft-repeated complaints that keep it from being a clear recommendation, and even some of its defenders report a rough final stretch that undercuts the goodwill built earlier. For hardcore metroidvania players willing to tolerate real jank in pursuit of something genuinely different, it's worth a look, ideally on sale.