Secret Level Pac-Man Episode Is Getting Turned Into a Metroidvania With Katsuhiro Harada Producing – The Game Awards 2024

Secret Level’s Pac-Man episode is getting its very own game. Titled Shadow Labyrinth, it picks up the story of the darker and edgier version of the classic Bandai Namco character.

Like the Secret Level episode, you take the role of a character running a maze; their only goal being to “eat.” Based on the trailer, it looks to be a Metroidvania — a marked shift for the classic franchise.

Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada is among the developers involved with the development of Shadow Laybrinth, which is being made using Unity. Bandai Namco tells IGN that Shadow Labyrinth has been in development for about four years and that the Secret Level episode was made in conjunction with the game.

We admittedly weren’t the biggest fans of the Secret Level episode, writing, “You might, as I did, assume the Pac-Man episode will provide some badly needed variety, but don’t hold your breath. In the single worst episode of Secret Level, the iconic character is crammed into a maze of generic, gritty, sci-fi adventure gore. It’s the only story to wholly reinterpret the source material, which the series could use more of. But adding a sword and some bloody entrails to dangle from Pac-Man only
makes it feel like everything else in Secret Level.”

Bandai Namco didn’t share a set release date for the game, but it looks to be out sometime in 2025. Stay tuned for our exclusive interview with Harada going live tomorrow.

In the meantime, there’s plenty of other announcements at The Game Awards, including a new Ninja Gaiden game by Dotemu and more. Check out our complete list of awards winners as well as everything announced right here.

Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.