Shadow Labyrinth

A disappointing darker reinvention of Pac-Man as a 2D Metroidvania, undermined by a dull, opaque, overly self-serious story that never capitalizes on its intriguing Puck setup. Exploration is rote thanks to repetitive cave and industrial environments, vague signposting, and slow upgrade pacing, while combat suffers from one-note enemies, inconsistent hitboxes, contact damage, and punishing checkpoints that don't refill healing items. The Pac-Man maze sections are a bright spot, but it ultimately settles for merely fine when it isn't actively frustrating.

A bold Pac-Man Metroidvania with tight stamina-based combat and interesting traversal mechanics, but hampered by brutal pacing issues, a massively oversized world that feels bloated and empty, and frustrating maze sections that undermine the experience.