At PAX East 2025, we had the chance to play through a Shadow Labyrinth preview build while chatting with Bandai Namco Senior Pac-Man Brand Manager Knoah Piasek about this new experience: a game that combines fast-paced action gameplay with classic Pac-Man mechanics.
Brilliantly designed with crisp gameplay, Shadow Labyrinth is an exciting new metroidvania that captivated me with its impressive enemy design and challenging boss battles. After getting killed a few times, its mechanics clicked and I found myself taking on more difficult enemies and defeating bosses many times my size.
Shadow Labyrinth is definitely a game worth looking forward to – read more on our thoughts in our Shadow Labyrinth preview!
Shadow Labyrinth's Gameplay - A Three-Pronged Approach
At its core, Shadow Labyrinth is a metroidvania that splits its gameplay into three unique aspects. The majority of the time, the player will be the Swordsman, jumping and slashing their way through the environments and using a grappling hook to get some verticality.
To climb on walls, The Swordsman can turn into Pac-Man on certain surfaces, adding another dimension to traversing the environment. In true Pac-Man fashion, you're also able to consume upgrades as you move along. This also leads into some of the trickier puzzle sections, requiring you to quickly jump from surface to surface while avoiding blades and other obstacles.
The third and final form is Gaia, a powerful and huge transformation that gives you an edge against tough boss battles. The Gaia form can only be held for a limited time, so use it wisely.
"That's the brute-force form," Piasek said. "Great for boss battles, but there are some environmental puzzles where Gaia is helpful, too. Areas with breakable walls you can blast through."
Exploring the maze-like worlds and switching between each form will allow players to find upgrades like new health tanks and gain the resources required to upgrade attacks and weapons. I was able to upgrade the damage on my sword during my Shadow Labyrinth preview, making my first boss encounter much more manageable.
Meet the Unique & Challenging Shadow Labyrinth Bosses
Shadow Labyrinth's boss battles felt reminiscent of battles I encountered while playing Metroid Dread several years ago. Going up against a dinosaur-looking monster many times my size, with capabilities you're not yet familiar with, was an absolute blast that kept me on my toes.
I had to use all three forms to battle this boss – slashing at him with my sword, climbing the walls as Pac-Man to avoid massive energy blasts, and transforming into Gaia to deal as much damage as possible once he was stunned. Though I nearly died on my attempt, I was able to take this boss down. It also helped that Piasek was by my side helping to instruct me on when to dodge and attack.
For fans of metroidvania-style games with unique boss battles that test your reflexes to the limit, Shadow Labyrinth has plenty to offer in this department, and this mechanic is just one of the many reasons why I'm looking forward to the Shadow Labyrinth release date later this summer.
Shadow Labyrinth Preview | Final Thoughts
When I was preparing for PAX East this year, I did not think I'd be seeing a game that combines the classic arcade-style of Pac-Man with labyrinth-crawling swordplay, but here we are. Initially, I was impressed at just how easy the Shadow Labyrinth gameplay was to pick up.
"The development team wanted to keep this as simple and intuitive as possible, while including hardcore action," Piasek said.
While I played through my Shadow Labyrinth preview on a PC at PAX East, I did ask about the console release as well, including how Shadow Labyrinth will run on Switch 2.
"It runs great on Switch," Piasek said. "On Switch 2, it runs 4K 60 FPS, and full-HD in handheld mode. It's the best way to play portable, and the best way to play if you're a Nintendo ecosystem-only gamer."
Shadow Labyrinth releases on July 18, 2025, and it'll give fans of games like Hollow Knight and Metroid Dread much to look forward to this summer!
*Shadow Labyrinth was previewed on a PC at PAX East 2025.
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Dan is a Boston-based writer who has been with TechRaptor since the end of 2020. He has been working in the online writing, editing and SEO space for nearly… More about Dan
