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Labyrinth of Zangetsu

A beautifully designed title that truly brings the Sumi-e artistic style to life, Labyrinth of Zangetsu, unfortunately, doesn’t quite do enough with its gameplay to create the next must-own dungeon crawler.
Labyrinth of Zangetsu Game Cover
78%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:graphics, atmosphere
Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, grinding
79% User Score Based on 54 reviews
Critic Score 76%Based on 6 reviews

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Nintendo SwitchPCPlaystation 4WindowsPlayStation
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Labyrinth of Zangetsu Game Cover

About Labyrinth of Zangetsu

Labyrinth of Zangetsu is a single player and multiplayer tactical hack and slash game with fantasy, anime and historical themes. It was developed by KaeruPanda Inc. and was released on April 20, 2023. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

Labyrinth of Zangetsu is new 3D dungeon RPG by Acquire. Its gameplay systems are a return to the "roots" of hack-and-slash. It is a title that emphasizes "wa" (the Japanese-style), which is Acquire’s specialty. It depicts a “deep” world view illustrated by ink painting brush strokes. And features a “mixture of wa” sound that channels the music of Japan’s various eras, from "gagaku" (traditional Ja…

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Labyrinth of Zangetsu screenshot
Labyrinth of Zangetsu screenshot
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Labyrinth of Zangetsu screenshot
Labyrinth of Zangetsu screenshot
Labyrinth of Zangetsu screenshot
Labyrinth of Zangetsu screenshot
Labyrinth of Zangetsu screenshot
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Reviews

79%Audience ScoreBased on 54 reviews
graphics6 positive mentions
grinding19 negative mentions
  • Unique and striking monochromatic art style inspired by traditional Japanese ink paintings that creates an immersive and eerie atmosphere.
  • Faithful homage to classic dungeon crawlers like Wizardry with modern quality-of-life improvements, delivering satisfying strategic turn-based combat and party customization.
  • Well-designed gameplay loop emphasizing careful planning, exploration, and challenging encounters that give a rewarding sense of accomplishment, especially for fans of old-school dungeon crawlers.
  • Steep and sometimes punishing difficulty curve early on, with RNG elements such as permanent character loss on resurrection failure and random stat losses on level-up frustrating many players.
  • Repetitive dungeon and item design with slow-paced exploration, tedious chest disarming mechanics, and grinding that can become tiresome, particularly in the early to mid-game.
  • Limited content length and world size, with few dungeons overall and lack of story depth, making the overall experience feel somewhat short and lacking variety.

  • graphics

    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    27% positive mentions, 59% neutral mentions, 14% negative mentions

    The game’s standout feature is its unique monochromatic art style inspired by traditional Japanese ink paintings, creating a striking and atmospheric visual experience. However, some find the graphics repetitive and the dungeon visuals decline in quality after the first area, with a dark, nearly monochromatic palette that may feel limiting over time. Overall, the distinctive aesthetic is praised for blending well with the story and gameplay, but it may not appeal to everyone due to its consistent visual tone.

    • “The entire adventure is presented with a striking monochromatic art style inspired by traditional Japanese ink paintings.”
    • “The dark atmosphere and ink aesthetics give a great look to the game and blend well the story and gameplay.”
    • “The art style is without a doubt the biggest selling point to this game and rightly so.”
    • “Also hampered by lackluster dungeon graphics past the first dungeon and a weird difficulty curve.”
    • “Dungeon graphics are a bit weaker: the first major dungeon is a gorgeous blend of 2D and 3D, but everything after looks like PS2 textures as seen through a crappy black-and-white filter.”
    • “But just like its traditional-ink focused art style, Zangetsu finds beauty in what’s old… just don’t forget that sometimes that means clicking a dozen prompts to open one chest.”

  • gameplay

    21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    14% positive mentions, 72% neutral mentions, 14% negative mentions

    The gameplay is a traditional, old-school dungeon crawler reminiscent of classic Wizardry titles, featuring a customizable party and straightforward dungeon expeditions. While it includes some quality-of-life improvements like automatic level-ups and streamlined town visits, certain mechanics, such as party recovery in dungeons, feel outdated and unforgiving, potentially challenging new players. The demanding gameplay paired with unique artistic direction and folklore-inspired themes creates a distinctive experience, though it may feel obtuse or lacking risk-reward depth for some.

    • “Gameplay follows traditional dungeon-crawling structure, placing players in control of a customizable party that ventures deep into dangerous labyrinths.”
    • “It's all there, from the classes to the mechanics - plus a few quality of life improvements such as no need to rest, automatic level-ups, and quick sell when returning to town.”
    • “Its combination of challenging gameplay, folklore-inspired horror, and unforgettable visual presentation creates an experience that stands apart from many contemporary role-playing releases.”
    • “Some mechanics feel intentionally unforgiving.”
    • “It does play rather obtusely and it doesn't explain all the mechanics in game anywhere.”
    • “For all the talk about this game having quality of life adjustments to move it beyond the original Wizardry, it's mind-boggling why such a player-hostile mechanic was left in despite multiple balance patches (and allegedly poor reviews from the Japanese playerbase).”

  • grinding

    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    Grinding in the game is a mixed experience, with some players finding it fun and a balanced part of the mid-game, while others criticize it as overly tedious and excessively time-consuming. The grind often involves repetitive farming, inventory management, and overcoming frustrating obstacles, which can detract from the overall enjoyment, especially given the game's length and price. However, once past the initial grind, many find the core dungeon-crawling experience rewarding.

    • “It is too grindy and not as thrilling as I hoped.”
    • “Essentially, the game is about 20-30 hours of actual play, with a further 30 hours of grinding achievements, and then 40+ hours of leaving the game running in the background while you do something else, which is limited by your PC as the game has to be the active main application to generate playtime, else it automatically pauses itself.”
    • “I'm not particularly enthused about spending four or five hours in a 15-hour game grinding, especially when said game costs $40 CAD.”

  • story

    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    23% positive mentions, 54% neutral mentions, 23% negative mentions

    The story in Labyrinth of Zangetsu is minimalistic and somewhat underdeveloped, focusing on themes of corruption and spiritual decay rather than typical fantasy tropes. Its dark, ink-brush art style and atmosphere complement the narrative’s tone, though players often feel a lack of meaningful involvement or depth in the plot. Overall, the story serves more as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a compelling or richly detailed experience.

    • “Rather than relying on familiar fantasy kingdoms and predictable heroes-versus-evil storytelling, Labyrinth of Zangetsu explores themes of corruption, spiritual decay, and survival against unnatural forces.”
    • “The dark atmosphere and ink aesthetics give a great look to the game and blend well the story and gameplay.”
    • “It’s art, it’s story, and its gameplay all harken back to a mythologized Japan of old; both with its ink-infused hand brush style and its ‘dudes in a line’ first person dungeon crawling RPG gameplay.”
    • “Story: lackluster, nothing of note worth mentioning.”
    • “The story is another minimal aspect to the game.”
    • “I never really felt I had input in the story at any point, which is a shame.”

  • music

    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    43% positive mentions, 14% neutral mentions, 43% negative mentions

    The music is praised for its outstanding quality and atmospheric tension, enhancing the sense of isolation without being overwhelming. However, some players find certain themes, like the battle music, to be repetitive or drawn out, which can detract from the experience over time. Overall, the soundtrack effectively complements the game's artistic direction.

    • “Rather than overwhelming players with constant dramatic music, the soundscape emphasizes tension and isolation.”
    • “The music is outstanding, but the battle theme's lead-in is longer than the average encounter; it wore on me before the game was out.”
    • “Other than that, I love the artistic direction of the game, I love the music, the sounds, and the atmosphere.”
    • “Music sounds very similar to Dragon Quest music.”
    • “Music sounds very similar to Dragon Quest music.”
    • “Music, while it matches the atmosphere, can be repetitive.”

  • atmosphere

    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    67% positive mentions, 33% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game excels in creating a haunting and distinct atmosphere through its mythology-inspired world, ink-brush visuals, and unsettling audio design. Its dark, immersive ambiance effectively blends story and gameplay, though some may find the pacing slow and the music repetitive. Fans of atmospheric, strategic dungeon exploration will find it particularly rewarding.

    • “From its first moments, the game establishes a haunting atmosphere that becomes one of its greatest strengths.”
    • “The world feels distinct because it draws from mythology and atmosphere rather than generic fantasy conventions.”
    • “Combined with the ink-brush presentation, the audio helps create an atmosphere that feels consistently unsettling without relying on cheap scares.”

  • optimization

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The optimization is generally poor, though still within an acceptable range.

  • replayability

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 100% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game offers limited modern features mainly focused on controller-friendly UI improvements, which enhance playability without compromising the core experience, supporting decent replayability.

  • emotional

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    Users express a strong emotional impact from the game, indicating it elicited significant feelings or emotional distress.

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Critic Reviews

76%Critics’ scoreBased on 6 critic reviews
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Labyrinth of Zangetsu is a tactical hack and slash game with fantasy, anime and historical themes. Common tags for Labyrinth of Zangetsu include turn-based, demons, abstract, mythology, dungeon crawler and others.

Labyrinth of Zangetsu is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Windows and others.

Labyrinth of Zangetsu was released on April 20, 2023.

Labyrinth of Zangetsu was developed by KaeruPanda Inc..

Labyrinth of Zangetsu has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked Labyrinth of Zangetsu for its graphics but disliked it for its gameplay.

Labyrinth of Zangetsu is a single player game with multiplayer support.

Similar games include Stranger of Sword City, Heroes of Steel RPG, Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls, Wizardry: The Five Ordeals, Archaelund and others.