Dr Kobushi's Labyrinthine Laboratory

About

Dr. Kobushi's Labyrinthine Laboratory is a challenging single-player adventure game with a spectacular soundtrack, where you guide Ayla through over 100 levels of puzzle mayhem to save her dog, Falafel, from the Puppet Panics. Critics have praised its complex puzzles, comparing it to a combination of Pac-Man and chess. The game is available for purchase on Steam.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Dr Kobushi's Labyrinthine Laboratory screenshot

93%

Audience ScoreBased on 76 reviews

music24 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game features clever and challenging puzzles that ramp up in difficulty, providing a satisfying experience for puzzle enthusiasts.
The soundtrack by Fearofdark is highly praised, adding charm and nostalgia to the gameplay.
The pixel art style and character design are enjoyable, contributing to a fun and engaging atmosphere.

The game lacks basic quality of life features such as an undo button and options to skip dialogue, which can lead to frustration.
Some players find the initial levels to be overly difficult and the difficulty curve bumpy, making it hard to progress.
The visuals and overall presentation have been criticized for not meeting modern standards, leading some to feel the game looks outdated.

music
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
53%
5%
The music in the game, primarily composed by fearofdark, has received widespread acclaim for its catchy chiptune style and high-quality production, enhancing the overall experience. Many players were drawn to the game specifically for the soundtrack, which they describe as fantastic and integral to the game's charm, with some tracks even featuring nostalgic elements reminiscent of classic games. However, a few critiques mention a lack of options to customize the music experience, which detracts from the overall enjoyment for some players.
- “The music is amazingly crafted with care, and worth buying the soundtrack for.”
- “Nothing beats a game with solid puzzles, fun characters, and a catchy soundtrack.”
- “Each world's unique art, dialogue, and music (especially music, fearofdark knocked it out of the park) bring a lot of flavor to what would otherwise be a somewhat monotonous game.”
- “The basic puzzles coupled with non-existent game settings (such as the possibility of turning music off or skipping the dialog at the beginning of levels) and uninspired soundtrack and visuals makes it difficult to recommend this puzzle game over other more revolutionary and more entertaining puzzle games such as Recursed, Toki Tori 2, Markov Alg, chr$(143), Ittle Dew 2+, and Tri: Of Friendship and Madness.”
- “The basic puzzles coupled with non-existent game settings (such as the possibility of turning music off or skipping the dialog at the beginning of levels) and uninspired soundtrack and visuals makes it difficult to recommend this puzzle game over other more revolutionary and more entertaining puzzle games such as Recursed, Toki Tori 2, Markov Alg, chr$(143), Ittle Dew 2+, and Tri: Of Friendship and Madness.”
- “Each world's unique art, dialogue, and music (especially music, fearofdark knocked it out of the park) bring a lot of flavour to what would otherwise be a somewhat monotonous game.”
gameplay
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
72%
9%
The gameplay features around 100 levels with a well-paced difficulty curve and a variety of mechanics that keep puzzles engaging without becoming overwhelming. While the initial levels can be frustrating due to deceptively simple mechanics leading to challenging puzzles, the introduction of new mechanics enhances the experience and allows for satisfying problem-solving. Overall, the game successfully combines and expands on its mechanics, though some players may find the frequent introduction of new elements disruptive to their progress.
- “Dr. Kobushi's labyrinthine laboratory does a lot with a little in terms of its core game mechanics, and it absolutely works in its favor.”
- “New mechanics are regularly introduced, and interactions between different mechanics are well thought out, resulting in puzzles that are extremely satisfying to solve.”
- “I'm about a third of the way through so far, but the game continues to throw new mechanics at you to keep the puzzles fresh, but not in a way that feels overwhelming.”
- “This is your typical isometric puzzle game from the 90s that brings nothing new to the genre in terms of gameplay.”
- “It isn't fun to almost solve a puzzle, get hit by a mechanic you forgot about, and have to do the entire ~2 minute solve again just to change your last few moves.”
- “As soon as you get 'comfortable' and start getting a hang of the mechanics of the game, the characters in the game throw you a new curve ball that upsets everything all over again.”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
36%
21%
The graphics of the game are well-polished and evoke a nostalgic retro feel, reminiscent of early console and classic MS-DOS games, featuring enjoyable pixel art and a charming art style. However, some users noted that the visuals can occasionally hinder gameplay, such as directional arrows being obscured. While the overall aesthetic is appreciated, the lack of customizable settings and an uninspired soundtrack detracts from the experience compared to more innovative puzzle games.
- “Well-polished, with a few nice touches in both audio and visuals.”
- “The visuals are both enjoyable to look at and easy to understand (minus the occasional directional floor arrow being hidden by a wall in the foreground).”
- “The basic puzzles coupled with non-existent game settings (such as the possibility of turning music off or skipping the dialog at the beginning of levels) and uninspired soundtrack and visuals make it difficult to recommend this puzzle game over other more revolutionary and more entertaining puzzle games such as Recursed, Toki Tori 2, Markov Alg, chr$(143), Ittle Dew 2+, and Tri: Of Friendship and Madness.”
- “This game not only looks retro with its pixel graphics, it also feels retro, as if you're playing a modern port of a classic MS-DOS game, like Chip's Challenge or God of Thunder.”
- “Everything from the sound to the graphics brings back the nostalgia of the early console era.”
story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
38%
38%
The game's story is minimal and primarily serves the puzzle mechanics, often breaking the fourth wall, which some players found detracted from character depth. While the characters are charming and the gameplay is engaging, the lack of a substantial narrative or lore left many feeling that the story was unimportant. Players expressed a desire for more narrative elements, such as unlockable cutscenes or backstory, to enhance the overall experience.
- “What you get is roughly 100 levels with a good ramp-up in difficulty and mechanics, a minimal story very blatantly in service of the puzzling, and a small cast of fun characters that I genuinely liked.”
- “Came for the music and stayed for the puzzles; the game is challenging but not impossible, hard but not unfair. Characters are mysterious but charming, the plot is null but unimportant.”
- “The plot is null but unimportant.”
- “The writing for the 5th puzzle master wasn't impressive with the fourth wall breaking, and it felt like it cheapened the quality of the other characters' roles in the overall experience.”
- “It'd be terrific if different amounts of collected gems or disks could unlock something fun like cutscenes, or secret dialogue with the puppet panics, or lore or backstory.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its funny characters and witty dialogue, reminiscent of the charm found in Undertale. Players appreciate the combination of engaging puzzles, fantastic music, and a vibrant art style that complements the comedic elements, making it a delightful experience for fans of old-school puzzle games.
- “If you like old school puzzle games with nice music and funny characters, check this one out!”
- “The characters are fun and funny with dialogues giving an Undertale vibe which feels right at home with the graphics.”
- “The variety of puzzles is great, music is fantastic, love the art style, and the dialogue is hilarious.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a relaxing atmosphere enhanced by captivating music and engaging character dialogue, making the turn-based puzzle-solving experience enjoyable and immersive.
- “A solid chill tile and turn-based puzzle game with amazing tunes and a nice general atmosphere as you're solving, complemented by some fun character dialogue throughout.”