Class launched by Bandai NamcoGalaxy CityThe game “Dark Labyrinth” is now officially released, and the media distribution has also been lifted. At present, 32 media outlets have an average score of 70 points, of which IGN gave a five-point rating.
IGN pointed out that although “Dark Labyrinth” has certain highlights in terms of art style and original concept, the overall performance is not satisfactory. The review believes that the main process of about 30 hours of the work is “long and dull”, and the “vague and routine” dialogue promotes a slightly pale paragraphscience fictionNarrative. Although the predecessor short film successfully restores the philosophical meaning of Pac-Man’s classic gameplay through the metaphor of “survival loop”, the main game is full of large setting stacks and lack of tension when expanding the plot, making it difficult for players to continue to invest.
In terms of gameplay, IGN commented that its combat system is “single repetitive”, and even if mechanisms such as gliding, hooking, and charging slashing are added later, it has not been able to effectively break the monotonous rhythm of “winning in a row”. Overly strict save point settings also increase player frustration. In addition, “Dark Fighting Labyrinth” has the problem of unclear guidance and complex map structure, and players often repeatedly test between the side and main lines, mistakenly entering difficult areas, resulting in a large amount of progress loss.
However, IGN also affirmed the highlight design of the game – the “MAZE” maze level. This link uses the element of “transforming into a bean to eat beans” to reproduce the classic arcade experience, and integrates mechanisms and puzzle design, with a tight rhythm and quite creative. IGN commented that these maze levels “are more like a true inheritance of the spirit of Pac-Man than the main story”.
In the end, IGN believes that although “Dark Labyrinth” has a novel starting point and commendable ambitions, it is “far inferior to similar works” in terms of dual execution of gameplay and narrative, and fails to fully realize the narrative potential shown by its previous short films. As an alternative reinterpretation of the classic IP, the game is obviously more suitable for players with nostalgia and exploration patience.
