Shadow Labyrinth is not the anniversary game I expected!
(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
Pac-Man will be 45 years old in 2025, so what can we expect from the celebrations? A remastered or reissued game? Erm, well developer Bandai Namco Entertainment plans to deliver something less expected: a Pac-Man-inspired sci-fi action-platformer that adds a dark twist to the franchise.
Revealed as the Game Awards, Shadow Labyrinth is set in a Sci-Fi universe and promises a "thrilling and visceral new take" on our favourite hungry yellow puck. It's the latest twist on the franchise after that live version of Pac-Man.
We got a taster of Shadow Labyrinth in Secret Level, Amazon Prime Video’s adult-animated anthology series, and some fans were taken aback by the dark approach to Pac-Man lore. Bandai Namco has confirmed that the episode was made as a tie-in while the game was in production and it introduced what will be the setting for the new 2D game.
Players will take on the role of a different character as protagonist: Swordsman No. 8. Following the events introduced in the Secret Level animated short, they will find themselves on an alien planet still ravaged by war and monsters and will come across Puck, who explains the need to eat their way out of the hostile alien world, consuming everything in their path to become the planet’s apex predator.
Bandai Namco admits that the game is "a broad departure from any previous Pac-Man game." While the maze-filled world will feature some familiar enemies and puzzles, much will be new and very different. Bandai says success requires a mastery of fluid combat and exploration to uncover increasingly powerful abilities and skills and conquering challenging bosses along the way
"The game draws even wider inspiration for story and setting from Bandai Namco’s broader library of beloved arcade games. While there is much more to reveal about this thrilling new adventure, astute fans will find early hints of connections to other iconic games in the reveal trailer," the company says.
Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.
