PAX East 2025: Shadow Labyrinth Reinvents Pac-Man

Okay, so imagine this—you’re sitting there, thinking about how to redo the legendary Pac-Man. Is there a proper method? Beats me. Maybe you create another game where you pelt him with rocks to make him go left or right, which is just… no thanks. Or, or! Make him a sidekick in a Metroidvania called “Shadow Labyrinth.” The latter sounds way more fun, right?

Anyway, I stumbled upon this sneak peek of “Shadow Labyrinth” at PAX East 2025. Played it on a Nintendo Switch while some other guy gamed on a PC. Oh, before I forget, you might wanna catch the Amazon show “Secret Level” first—it’s kinda a prequel, sets the scene sorta thing. So, the game’s running at 30 FPS on the Switch, which is always a bummer with Nintendo. It’s smoother on the PC—60 FPS, man. But good news! Switch 2 promises the same refresh rate as the PC. Whoop whoop!

Now imagine this—a crowded hall, everyone’s buzzing about the platforming antics and combat challenges. Our hero, Swordsman No. 8, is busy with jumps and grapples (yep, with Pac-Man in PUCK form munching pellets—cool, huh?).

Combat, too! You got moves galore—attacks, dodges, parries—spicing things up. Felt fluid, not teeth-grinding difficult. And yeah, there’s this boss that screams Metroid Dread vibes. So there I was, pulling off a parry like a pro. Felt pretty epic.

And oh, this bit made my day. After crunching the boss, I acquired—a laser. Yep, had to laser down a wall to progress. Then, Dig Dug deja vu happened. Special enemies were waddling around. My pal, more eagle-eyed than me, used a grapple hook to air pump ’em till they popped. Delightful chaos, right? Confirmed with the rep—more Bandai Namco throwbacks are scattered all over, waiting to be discovered. Imagine Galaga and Rolling Thunder nods whisking your nostalgia away.

Mark it down—July 18 is when “Shadow Labyrinth” drops for all the big consoles. Cool editions too, with a black light map thingy. $30 gets you the basics, $60 for some deluxe glow-in-the-dark fun. Quite the bargain if you ask me.

Left me curious, admittedly. A gutsy Metroidvania filled with Bandai Namco magic? Could be a hit. And with a hint of Hollow Knight inspiration? Count me in.