During The Game Awards, Bandai Namco revealed Shadow Labyrinth, a new Pac-Man inspired game that will be released in 2025. While Pac-Man has gotten a number of unique takes over the decades, it seems the developers have still managed to come up with something radically different. The game is a new 2D sidescroller, where players will be put in the role of a character named Swordsman No. 8. The protagonist has been awoken by Puck, a floating yellow creature. Puck’s motivations are unclear, but the creature and Swordsman No. 8 will work together to complete puzzles, defeat foes, and “become the apex predator.”
Videos by ComicBook.com
In Shadow Labyrinth, players will unlock new abilities that help them to uncover new parts of a dark and mysterious world, which has apparently been ravaged by an interstellar war. In that regard, the game appears to be a Metroidvania, and the gameplay shows Swordsman No. 8 swinging and jumping across interesting new locations. It also appears that Puck will be able to take over Swordsman No. 8’s body in order to devour defeated enemies. That’s clearly a nod to the original arcade game, but instead of turning blue, Puck turns into a monstrous red and black form with giant, foreboding teeth. A trailer for the game can be found below.
At this time, details about Shadow Labyrinth are very slim, but with the game slated to be released next year, we should start to get a lot more details soon. As far as Pac-Man games are concerned, this looks really unique, and could be the start of something fresh and different for the character. One of the few things we do know about Shadow Labyrinth right is what platforms the game will be on, and those will include Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC via Steam.
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