Whenever a new game for a historically significant property is announced, it can take one of two directions. The first is to be more of the same. Release what fans love for modern platforms with shinier graphics and more features, and call it a day. The second option is to take a completely new direction that resembles nothing of what came before to enter a new era for that series.
With the announcement of its gritty metroidvania version of PAC-MAN, titled Shadow Labyrinth, Bandai Namco seemed to be going down the latter path. We were invited to go hands-on with Shadow Labyrinth during PAX East 2025, and after doing that, it’s honestly impressive how much the soul of PAC-MAN exists in this game.
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To kick things off, you don’t play as Pac-Man in Shadow Labyrinth. You play as a swordsman named Swordsman No. 8, who was awoken on a planet by a yellow orb creature named PUCK. This Pac-Man-like creature bestows No. 8 with incredible powers beyond their skills with a sword. They can cling to walls and collect yellow orbs. They can consume creatures using PUCK to gain incredible abilities.
They can even fuse with PUCK to become a Mecha-like being rivaling the EVAs from Neon Genesis Evangelion. With No. 8’s help, you and PUCK will find a way off this planet and discover its battle-scarred history and all the secrets of this land. These events occur after the associated episode of Prime Video’s Secret Level show. The show isn’t a required watch to understand everything; this game will explain everything happening for newcomers or those who didn’t watch.
Exploring each area of Shadow Labyrinth revealed more and more secrets.
For this preview of Shadow Labyrinth, we were plopped a little ways into the game with most of the mechanics unlocked. Mostly, the map was minimal. Shockingly, nothing felt gimmicky. Like you know, you’re playing a game inspired by a 1980s arcade game where a yellow ball ate pellets and had ghosts chasing after it. But in this world, it all somehow makes sense. From what was shown, the mechanics of PAC-MAN work well in a metroidvania-style for exploration, combat, and upgrade paths. Moreover, it explores a side of PAC-MAN that has almost been joked about for ages, similarly to Kirby.
With a creature we know so little about, Pac-Man has had an interesting life. He got married, had kids, and even has a Pac-Dog. His earliest form could easily be seen as a horror game if looked at under a different light. Why is this creature all-consuming? Why could it eat ghosts? If you were in a maze, Pac-Man could be seen as an ultimate hunter that killed all just to sate its undying hunger. Shadow Labyrinth takes that idea and creates something entirely new out of it that works so well.
The combat and exploration, so far, are top tier. We were given a taste of the skill needed to get around several rooms, and they push you to know what you’re doing with the Swordsman’s and PUCK’s abilities. For example, getting around certain corners requires using PUCK’s ball mode to waka-waka-waka up some yellow orbs and reach secret areas. Or use the grappling hook to grab some tethers to get a flying enemy shooting at you. It all works seamlessly, and each has oomph when you use it.
As for the boss fight in Shadow Labyrinth, it ended in an epic Kaiju vs Mecha fight. The fight was complex, with several attacks to avoid that needed all I had to learn up to this point to come out on top. This was also where I got to try the transformation into the mecha form. Think of this form as your “oh crap” card to play when in a sticky situation. It was visually cool in its own right and changed the tide of battle with massive attacks.
Activating it felt like an actual choice that had to be made. We got to play as a more upgraded version of this beast, which lasted much longer than it would at this same point in the game. Regardless, it felt like a great saving grace when in a sticky situation to come out on top. With upgrades and so many explorable nooks and crannies, I can’t wait to play more to find every secret Shadow Labyrinth has.
Shadow Labyrinth is the right way to modernize the PAC-MAN series after 45 years.
Speaking of secrets, we also got a tease that this game will surprise fans of classic Bandai arcade games. Without spoiling much, Shadow Labyrinth values Bandai’s history beyond the yellow guy without straying far from the tone this game sets. It speaks to modern audiences who may want more than a never-ending game of exploring mazes. And what is more a dark maze of life and death than a Metroidvania?
On the surface, Shadow Labyrinth looks very loosely connected to the detailed history of PAC-MAN. After getting hands-on with it, Shadow Labyrinth feels like a natural evolution of the yellow ghost-eating monster. The explorability elements in the short playable snippet were exciting and pushed my skills to the limit for fun rewards. The boss fight was shockingly intense and ended in a 2-D Kaiju vs. Mecha fight. And ultimately, it feels like a modern love letter to Bandai Namco’s history for modern audiences. And I can’t wait to play more.
Shadow Labyrinth will be available July 18th, 2025, on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
