%-Guy: Shadow Labyrinth Evaluate – Evaluate

%-Guy is celebrating his forty fifth anniversary in 2025 and to have a good time, Bandai Namco made a depressing dystopian Metroidvania starring a perhaps nefarious incarnation of the gaming icon known as Shadow Labyrinth that follows up on a strange quick movie from ultimate 12 months’s Amazon Top sequence Secret Stage. Glad birthday, %-Guy, hope you favor darkish sci-fi. To mention this can be a bizarre proposition is a sarcasm. Surroundings apart the provocative setup, Shadow Labyrinth is if truth be told a in reality amusing Metroidvania. It’s now not an all-timer, however this can be a well-built journey that includes a wealth of novel exploration, artful map layouts, and wild references to Bandai Namco’s bafflingly complete timeline.

Let’s again up and arrange the tale, or no less than as easiest as I will be able to as a result of a few of this in truth is going excess of my head. Throughout a tight choice of their legacy arcade video games, Bandai Namco has been holding a unified timeline for the United Galaxy Area Power. It contains the likes of Galaga, Galaxian, Bosconian, and Xevious. Mr. Driller and Dig Dug issue into this timeline. Cyber Sled, too. Oddly sufficient, %-Guy hasn’t been a first-rate a part of it, till now. Shadow Labyrinth is about a ways on the finish of the timeline with the galaxy in some form of spoil in the end the wars and occasions of all of the different video games.

You keep an eye on Swordsman No. 8, who wakes up and is greeted via a %-Guy-looking fella named Puck. The unvoiced Swordsman is then guided via Puck all over other environments with the function of escaping the planet and finishing the challenge Puck has been seeking to end for years. Plot is thrown at you numerous, with communicate of wars and operations and all forms of names you could have the urge to seek for on-line to peer if it’s tied to Cyber Sled or Megastar Blade or one thing. I identified a handful of references to Namco video games, however at the same time as anyone who has performed quite a lot of Namco Museum video games that includes the video games on this shared universe, maximum of this didn’t ring any bells for me. However the writing here’s tight sufficient that I’m keen to put out of your mind one of the most absurdity of this tale, particularly because the %-Guy ghosts are charmingly labored into it as ordinary enemies known as “G-Hosts” that still every so often power you right into a %-Guy maze. It’s any such gonzo transfer to make this the brand new %-Guy recreation and thru all of it, it more or less works.

Despite the fact that the tale handiest works for the reason that foundational gameplay is forged. Whilst it has some tough patches, particularly within the first 3rd, Shadow Labyrinth is an relaxing Metroidvania. It’s very eager about melee battle, which is the place one of the most early problems come from. Your Swordsman has few choices early on, with only a fundamental combo and a token particular talent. This made for some irritating brick partitions, particularly within the first main branching trail area as you’ll bump into some tricky non-compulsory bosses which can be tricky to inform in the event that they’re at the essential trail or now not. However after you have get right of entry to to extra talents and customization choices, you’ll track your Swordsman to fit your play taste. Whilst I’ve indubitably performed video games on this style that extra closely depend on battle and kill rooms, one of the most reliance on battle right here will get irritating in large part as a result of some reasonably unclear hit detection and moderately punishing fail states. Dodging and parrying is essential in battle, however every now and then it’s tricky to inform if you happen to’re secure or now not relying at the enemy placement and state of affairs. Additionally for a recreation so eager about exploration, one false step can set you again many rooms, regardless that fortunately you keep any collectibles and foreign money you received alongside the best way.

Along with a slate of unlocks that function twin objective battle and exploration gear, like an air dodge with horizontal motion and a grapple, you’ll additionally equip quite a few Perks. Those Perks enhance particular talents, building up the variety of talents and assaults, upload on additional well being, or energy up the large mech you’ll turn out to be into. Sure, you’ll turn out to be into an enormous mech on this recreation, too. Referred to as GAIA, this massive mech can be utilized to avoid some hazards however it’s easiest utilized in tricky battles as a borderline get-out-of-jail-free card. It’s time-limited so you’ll’t abuse it, however it’s at all times amusing to develop into a mech. GAIA additionally introduces a strange mechanic the place you consume enemies after you kill them to earn fabrics which can be then used to shop for Perks and pieces in addition to carry out some upgrades. I perceive %-Guy eats issues and this assists in keeping that component alive, however including in fabrics as every other factor to trace as you play this recreation felt like overkill.

Shadow Labyrinth is unusually large, following a large number of twists and turns of the tale. It’s within the ballpark of 15 or so hours to finishing touch, with 100%-ing including much more. The other spaces you seek advice from have each visible and structural selection. A woodland you seek advice from has a large number of branching paths and dead-ends, however then a futuristic-looking tower has a moderately simple climb with extra of a hub and spoke format.

Whilst I basically performed on Transfer 2, this recreation is to be had on each Transfer 1 and a pair of, with a loose improve to be had if you are going to buy it on Transfer 1. The Transfer 2 model runs on 4K and 60 frames in step with 2d, regardless that I skilled some slowdown all over extra in depth moments. In the meantime over on Transfer 1 you’re nonetheless getting 60 frames in step with 2d, however answer is dropped right down to a max of 720p. Loading instances also are reasonably longer regardless that now not excessively so. Each variations are utterly high-quality with an identical content material.

I admittedly idea Shadow Labyrinth used to be a dumb shaggy dog story recreation when it used to be first introduced. As Bandai Namco confirmed off the sport regardless that, it’s obviously made via individuals who wish to simply make a amusing recreation with the wild %-Guy lore as a mechanical overlay. I had a blast exploring this darkish nook of the Namco multiverse this is necessarily %-Guy’s mid-life disaster. Shadow Labyrinth is usually probably the most fascinating %-Guy evolution for the reason that hero’s 20s. Every now and then the most important sequence left turns finally end up being a hell of a great time.