Shadow Labyrinth

About

Shadow Labyrinth is a single player platformer game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Bandai Namco Studios Inc. and was released on July 17, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Deluxe Edition Includes: • Shadow Labyrinth • Digital Artbook & Soundtrack

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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63%

Audience ScoreBased on 217 reviews

story18 positive mentions

grinding11 negative mentions

Unique and ambitious mix of Pac-Man and Metroidvania genres with a dark and gritty atmosphere.
Large, expansive world with lots of exploration, collectibles, and varied boss fights that offer a solid challenge.
Engaging combat that improves over time with upgrades, plus nostalgia-rich references to Namco arcade classics.

Clunky and sluggish controls, especially during Pac-Man maze sections and some combat sequences.
Sparse and poorly placed checkpoints cause frustrating backtracking and resource management issues.
Level design is overly large, bloated, with many empty or repetitive areas, leading to slow pacing and tedious exploration.

story
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
68%
6%
The story is generally seen as intriguing and rich in Namco lore, connecting decades-old arcade games into a broader canon, though it can feel convoluted, slow-paced, and obscure at times. Many appreciate the depth and world-building, but its presentation—often through hidden lore entries and sparse in-game guidance—can lead to confusion and frustration. While not groundbreaking or universally praised, the story adds meaningful context and atmosphere for fans familiar with the franchise's history.
- “The story builds up on Namco lore built over the past 40 years in really interesting ways.”
- “Decades of lore from games such as Galaga, Bosconian, Xevious, and Dig Dug finally stitched together into a story that seems to mark a significant turning point in the UGSF series.”
- “Without spoiling too much, this game has probably the most complete coherent story we've had for the UGSF timeline ever.”
- “The story is pretty cringey and reads like a middle-schooler's creative writing assignment.”
- “And jfc the story...whoever wrote this needs to lay off the adderall, it's so needlessly pretentious and obscure; even reading the little logs you can collect make the world building just as much of a slog as the rest of the game.”
- “Edit2: if you must know, the story is completely uninspired and instead of giving you any sort of background whatsoever, tries to breadcrumb you along so that you spend more than two hours trying to learn something.”
gameplay
57 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
77%
5%
The gameplay draws heavily from Hollow Knight and classic Metroidvania styles, offering solid exploration and steady progression but often hindered by simplistic combat, finicky mechanics, and tedious difficulty spikes. Unique elements like the Pac-Man maze sections add fun innovation, though they rarely integrate deeply with the core gameplay. Overall, while challenge and mechanics depth are appreciated by some, many find the gameplay frustrating, slow-paced, and uneven in quality.
- “Gameplay is fun, exploration and progression are solid, and the enemy designs are great. Visually it’s a bit generic but still enjoyable, and the sound design is strong.”
- “There's a steady progression to abilities, mechanics, and movement which feels at about the right pace.”
- “Once you gain mechanics such as the grappling hook, air dodge, and double jump, the game truly does open up.”
- “Jumping mechanics puzzles are unchanged, and some of those are brutal, but combat is broken.”
- “This is a metroidvania, yes, but the combat mechanics were too simple, the movement abilities too limited and the souls-inspired checkpoint system maddening.”
- “Enemies have sometimes obnoxiously large hitboxes, are hidden behind obstacles or are just plain thrown at you in massive waves that cannot be very well handled by your measly 3 hit combo and cumbersome special moves that use the same stamina as your dodge mechanics.”
graphics
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
64%
8%
The game's graphics receive mixed feedback, with many praising its unique and appealing art style, especially in certain areas and cutscenes, while others find the visuals inconsistent, sometimes cheap, or lacking in polish. Several reviewers note issues like poorly aligned tiles, sluggish menus, and a disjointed aesthetic that detracts from immersion, though some appreciate the nod to classic styles and enjoy the overall atmosphere. Overall, the graphics are seen as a polarizing aspect that may appeal to fans of simpler or nostalgic art but disappoint those expecting a more refined or cohesive visual experience.
- “The graphics, the mechanics, and the maps are great.”
- “The actual artwork and levels are visually appealing enough and the game is clearly meant to be a love letter to Bandai Namco ranging back to Xevius and Galaga.”
- “Love the art style as well, wasn't expecting it but the setting really makes the aesthetic pop.”
- “Now we move onto the negatives: the graphics and the writing were probably made using AI and it shows.”
- “Maybe it opens up later and gives you more interesting things to do, but right now the game has basically set a precedent for meh map design, awful exploration, inconsistent combat, and indistinct, cheap visuals that remind me of the mid 90s.”
- “You only have to look at the background graphics, the transparent PNG fog textures, or how none of the assets have any kind of visual consistency to feel like this was a game made by a committee of artists rather than someone with a distinctive vision.”
music
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
46%
8%
The music in the game receives mixed but generally positive feedback, with several standout tracks—especially from reused Pac-Man CE series tunes—enhancing the atmosphere and complementing the gameplay. While much of the soundtrack leans toward ambient and atmospheric styles that some find less memorable on their own, others appreciate its effectiveness in maintaining a dark, immersive mood. Overall, the soundtrack is praised for fitting the game world well, though it may not appeal broadly outside the context of gameplay.
- “It has a large variety of enemies and environments, a great soundtrack, and a huge world.”
- “The flaws are obvious, like the map design and some asset issues, but the atmosphere, the combat and the music is great.”
- “The music is simple but really effective at maintaining that wonderfully dark and oppressive atmosphere that makes Shadow Labyrinth just work.”
- “Ambient OST makes the whole process of exploring feel even more exhausting.”
- “I have little to say about the music: it fits the atmosphere but I'm not gonna be humming along to any of it or remembering any once I've finished.”
- “This ain't it Namco, the game is just boring, the music is so boring for a Metroidvania.”
grinding
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is widely criticized for being tedious, monotonous, and overly repetitive, with frequent backtracking and resource farming that detracts from the overall experience. Specific sections like the Shadow Labyrinth and material farming are particularly frustrating, often leading to player fatigue and frustration due to poor design choices and lack of checkpoints.
- “It just feels too redundant and like too much going back and forth and grinding to figure out how to get around dead-ends.”
- “Another thing that was unnecessarily painful was grinding rare mats.”
- “Farming for all amulets is a little bit too much.”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
11%
33%
The atmosphere is widely praised for its dark, detailed, and immersive art style, complemented by effective, ambient music that enhances the game's oppressive and haunting mood. While some minor flaws exist, such as map design and asset issues, the overall atmosphere significantly contributes to the game's appeal.
- “Atmosphere is huge and full of detailed art.”
- “The flaws are obvious, like the map design and some asset issues, but the atmosphere, the combat, and the music are great.”
- “The music is simple but really effective at maintaining that wonderfully dark and oppressive atmosphere that makes Shadow Labyrinth just work.”
- “A bit of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night also has some input into both the gameplay and atmosphere to a lesser extent.”
- “Turning to visuals and the game's overall atmosphere: I'm no stranger to simpler graphics and I'd say this game looks pretty close to Ghost Song.”
- “I have little to say about the music: it fits the atmosphere but I'm not going to be humming along to any of it or remembering any once I've finished.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game demonstrates excellent stability, running smoothly across various platforms including Linux-based systems like Steam Deck, Legion Go S, and Void Linux, providing a consistently great performance experience.
- “Also, runs great on Linux (Steam Deck, Legion Go S, & Void Linux).”
- “Besides that, I think the game looks great, runs great, plays great.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is highlighted by inspired and visually striking designs, complemented by beautiful backgrounds that enhance the overall aesthetic.