Alright, so here’s the deal. I’ve been messing around with this new game — mind you, it’s called Shadow Labyrinth or something like that. And oh boy, Pac-Man’s got a bit of a facelift, but kinda more like, uh, an extreme makeover.
Now, I sat down with my Nintendo Switch, cozied up at PAX East 2025 — yeah, don’t ask me how I got there. Next to me was this dude on a massive PC screen, looking all intense. Oh, and there’s this Amazon show, Secret Level. Apparently, if you wanna know why Pac-Man’s suddenly in a Metroidvania, that’s your crash course. I watched like two minutes — or maybe not — but hey, I catch on quick.
Let’s talk frames per second, ‘kay? Switch ran at like a smooth 30, bit of a bummer. But the PC? Sweet 60 FPS, slicker than… well, something that’s slick. Fret not, Switch 2’s coming to the rescue with 60 FPS. Thank you, Bandai Namco dude for the confirmation!
So, what did I do in the game, you ask? Jumped. Dashed. Grapple hooks — I mean, who thought of that? Transformed into this tiny Pac-Man dude (or PUCK, they call him) and gobbled pellets. I tried this platforming marathon — didn’t last long, blame the convention chaos around me. Like, how do you focus there?
Combat — another beast entirely. There’s attacks and dodges, all jazz. Thankfully, there’s a cheat sheet on the screen because who remembers button configs on the fly? Attacks felt fluid, like a dance but with more pixelated violence. Parried this giant boss, though he reminded me of a Metroid boss.
Oh, funny bit — after knocking out that boss, you gobble him for a laser upgrade. Next path had this wall — laser, blast, bam! Then, I found myself in Dig Dug land, pumping weird monsters with air until they popped. My delight was… palpable? Yeah, that. Galaga, Rolling Thunder, those might pop up elsewhere. Fingers crossed!
Jot this down: July 18. That’s when you can grab Shadow Labyrinth on basically any console you own. Three editions, folks! The Secret Edition even has a black light for hidden map goodies — less than 100 bucks. Steal or not, depends if you’re treasure hunt-inclined I guess.
Walking away from this, my brain’s still whirring. A gritty Metroidvania with a dash of Bandai Namco nostalgia — it’s puzzlingly charismatic. It’s got those Hollow Knight vibes — if you’re into that — and, well, keep it on your radar. I know I am… sorta.
