Shadow Labyrinth’s Weird Metroidvania Take on Pac-Man…Actually Works!

As an ancient gamer (now 32), I’ve had plenty of experience playing Pac-Man. During my pre-teen years, many of my summer days were spent losing quarters to my local arcade, attempting to reach the mythical “split-screen level.” As a devoted fan of the franchise, I admittedly had reservations going into my PAX East preview of Bandai Namco’s new, unconventional take on the series, Shadow Labyrinth.

On paper, Shadow Labyrinth should not work. Pac-Man as a dark sci-fi metroidvania where he turns into a giant mech and shoots lasers out of his mouth sounds like bad gaming Wattpad fiction. Yet, that is exactly what it is…and Puck, Man, it was glorious.

The story takes place shortly after the events of the Prime Video animated short, Secret Wars, as the protagonist, the dark and brooding Swordsman No. 8, wakes up surrounded by monsters and aliens. He soon meets a mysterious figure known as Puck, a yellow circular creature who looks like he enjoys eating pellets, fruit, and blue ghosts. After a brief introduction, the duo vows to work together by combining their unique abilities of strength and mobility in the hopes that they can navigate the treacherous world and survive the darkness that awaits.

That darkness comes in many shapes and sizes, as the setting features a handful of different biomes, each with distinct personalities, backdrops, and characteristics. No two mazes in this 2D adventure will have the same layout, and enemy designs and types will change depending on the region that is being explored.

My preview started by placing me in an underground tech biome filled with various melee, flying, and ranged enemy types that could only exist underground, like bat-creatures and angry hedgehogs. Gameplay was straightforward and intuitive enough initially. Combat and dodging reminded me a lot of the original Castlevania titles, and its platforming elements are akin to a love child of Ori and the Blind Forest and Celeste, thanks to Puck’s ability to grapple onto spots, adding extra layers of maneuverability.

Combining the grapple with aerial attacks makes for interesting gameplay against enemies, especially when challenge rooms come into play. Like many other Metroidvanias, Shadow Labyrinth has rooms that will seal off once entered, requiring the Swordsman to defeat each combatant inside to unlock the room.

Enemies spawn in from all over the room, attempting to overwhelm with quantity and variety, making for a bullet-sponge-like environment. I frantically grappled to avoid ground foe charges while dodging flying enemies simultaneously, failing to do so multiple times, and needing to respawn.

After getting the hang of their patterns and placements, I grappled up and used melee attacks to chain movements in the air, then slammed my sword down from above on the enemies below, making for an immensely satisfying victory. While I only experienced two challenge rooms in this particular build, I was impressed with how difficult but rewarding each room was. But despite how much I enjoyed this, the true beauty of Shadow Labyrinth’s platforming and combat comes to light when Puck becomes the controllable character.

The platforming element of controlling Puck is both clever and nostalgic, as the Swordsman will morph into him and ride waves of electricity to help them move around areas otherwise blocked by environmental hazards or inaccessible heights. While riding the wave, you’ll move identically to the old Pac-Man games, but with an added twist.

Puck is still limited to moving left, right, up, or down on the violet electricity line, but he is no longer limited to a lined grid and can also stop, aim, and jump. While this might sound simple, it adds a new layer to movement and combat. Some challenge rooms even feature these lines, which can be used to execute sword attacks, creating an entirely new approach to beating each room’s combat puzzle.

My favorite instance of this occurred halfway through the preview during the Kaiju boss battle (yes, you read that right). The fight is similar to a challenge room in the sense that it blocks off any retreat, but this time it is a one-on-one fight, as the boss is much bigger than Swordsman No. 8. To combat the size difference, Swordsman No. 8 can use Puck’s ability to ride up the wall to not only get a height advantage and deal extra damage to the enemy’s horn weak spot, but also avoid massive laser attacks that would otherwise kill them both.

As it turns out, the boss isn’t the only one wielding a laser, which leads to my other favorite, absurd moment in this preview: Puck can turn into a giant mecha named Gaia. Yes, this is a Metroidvania Pac-Man game where you can control a Gundam and fight Kaiju. Again, this should not work, but it does so marvelously, resulting in an epic crescendo to a fever dream of a boss battle and transformation.

Even after the boss battle ended, there was still plenty to explore in Shadow Labyrinth. The first thing I unlocked afterward was a pared-down version of Gaia’s laser ability, which the Swordsman can use by holding down the charge button. Not only is this move great for dispelling large groups of foes blocking an area, but it can also be thrown into attacks in locations like the challenge rooms to make for some delightful combo kills.

Alongside the new power move, I also unlocked a new location featuring another strangely familiar-looking set of enemies that would begin to float through the level toward me until they touched the ground. At first, I was confused about how to beat them, as hitting them with a sword wasn’t working.

It wasn’t until I started listening to the music and sound effects and remembering why the enemies’ movements looked so familiar that a lightbulb went off: these are the Pooka from Dig Dug. Just like the 1982 classic arcade title, the only way to destroy Pooka is to stun and inflate it when they are materialized. After experimenting, it turns out that using Puck’s grapple ability on them to knock them out and then using it again to inflate them is the only way to kill them.

This is just one of the many references to Bandai Namco’s library of beloved arcade games, as the story and setting of Shadow Labyrinth are set to include plenty of references and modernized takes on a handful of other iconic games. While there was no hint or mention of which one it would be, the developers teased that the war-torn world of Shadow Labyrinth itself will be a major reveal as the narrative progresses.

If you had told me back then that one day someone would make a Metroidvania version of everyone’s favorite Puck Man, I’d probably think you’re insane. After playing Shadow Labyrinth at PAX East 2025, that statement is probably still true, but I’m right there beside you, enjoying the insanity.

Whether it is the fluidity of Puck’s grappling hook and wall traversal combined with Swordsman No. 8’s raw power and durability, or the fact that Pac-Man can turn into a mech that shoots lasers out of its mouth, everything about this Metroidvania is absurdly fun. The game features something for everyone here, as the platforming, combat, and puzzles each stand out on their own as enjoyable experiences.

I implore you to suspend your disbelief about how this bizarre concept can even work, and at least give Shadow Labyrinth a try when it is released, as this insane creative bet by Bandai looks like it might actually pay off.