This interview has been edited for clarity.
Wakka wakka wakka wakka… So goes the iconic sound of the legendary yellow pellet-muncher Pac-Man, one of gaming’s most well-known characters from when the 8-bit icon was originally a classic 1980 arcade game, also known as Puck Man in Japan. To say that the character has left a legacy would certainly be an understatement, as not only did the original game receive widespread critical and commercial success on release, it also led to multiple sequels, spin-offs and remakes over the years, including Ms. Pac-Man and most recently, Pac-Man World Re-Pac.
As the official mascot of publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment (then known as Namco), it is no surprise that the character is finally receiving a long-overdue refresh for a new generation of gamers. What is surprising though, is how developer Bandai Namco Studios has handled this revival, reimagining the friendly puck as a dark, edgy side-scrolling action Metroidvania with Shadow Labyrinth, a 2D action-adventure game with a premise first seen in Amazon Prime Video’s animated anthology series Secret Level episode, “Circle“.
For game producer Seigo Aizawa, it all began with a simple concept of, What if Pac-Man went dark? “We’ve been providing the Pac-Man games as a family experience over the years, and have always been thinking, how we can allow new players to experience a Pac-Man game?” he explains.
“That’s when the original concept for a dark Pac-Man began.”
Then, in the midst of developing the game, a proposal came, one from Amazon and Blur Studio, no less, to create a series of animated shorts recognising and celebrating the rich legacy of video games.
“When we got the proposal, we brought up the concept of Dark Pac-Man,” Aizawa recalls. “Then they were like, ‘Oh, this is cool’, and that’s how the Secret Level episode came to be.” The episode not only offered a glimpse of the game prior to its reveal at The Game Awards 2024, but it also served as a narrative tie-in, as a prequel to the game itself.
Aizawa also reveals why Shadow Labyrinth’s main protagonist, Swordsman No. 8, was named as such, unveiling the connection between him and the character from Secret Level, who was his direct predecessor.
“In the story, Puck (the reimagined version of Pac-Man) summons the swordsman into the world, and the number associated with him refers to how many attempts Puck had made thus far,” he explains, “Actually, the swordsman seen in Secret Level was number 7, so now in Shadow Labyrinth, it’s number 8’s turn.”
As Swordsman No. 8 and Puck, players won’t just be confined to a rectangular maze like before, with the new game instead bending the series’ genre in a way it has never done before, presenting a 2D side-scrolling action adventure with Metroidvania elements, all wrapped up in a darker, almost horror-inspired tone. A stark departure from its source material, that’s for sure, but one decision intentionally made by the team to draw in new audiences.
But with a genre already filled with amazing experiences, how did the team ensure that Shadow Labyrinth can stand out from the crowd of video games on PCs, consoles and even mobile devices? The solution, according to Aizawa, was looking inward to the three core pillars of the original Pac-Man experience of eat, escape and maze. During development, the team realised that these themes fit particularly well within the Metroidvania genre, thus incorporating Pac-Man’s unique identity into the game.
“We gave glimpses of how the three pillars of Pac-Man were incorporated into the game’s trailer. For example, you see Dark Puck appear at the very end and eats enemies, and this is how you earn new skills, which fits the Metroidvania style,” Aizawa explained.
“The game also features a maze-like level design which can be navigated with Puck’s powers, like how Puck combines with the Swordsman to transform into a larger Puck, which gives players access to places where humans cannot traverse.”
So what about Pac-Man’s final pillar, escape? To this end, the team looked to incorporate not only the act of fleeing or evading enemies, but also how it ties into the concept of flipping the tables, as seen in the original title with the Power Pellets, which Pac-Man can consume to power up and eat the chasing ghosts. To achieve this, the team adopted an open-ended approach to level design in Shadow Labyrinth, to allow for different play styles.
“During exploration, there might be times when there are multiple enemies in the way, and for players who are not as good at action titles, they can find another way around these encounters, such as transforming into Puck to access an alternate route. This works the same way in some boss battles too, as you can transform to Puck to escape certain attacks and gain the upper hand.”
With its transition to a Metroidvania style, a genre commonly associated with high skill ceilings and difficulty, a pertinent concern arises regarding the barrier to entry for fans who are not used to such action titles. To this end, Aizawa clarifies that while Shadow Labyrinth aims to mirror the difficulty levels of similar games in the genre, there will always be opportunities within the game to take detours and acquire items that enhance a player’s powers, providing them the ability to better handle encounters.
Aizawa’s emphasis on how the game incorporates the maze theme from the original also alludes to the fact that the title’s map will not only be sprawling, but intentionally confusing too, with different winding and interconnected paths, much in theme with Metroidvanias. While genre fans will most likely rejoice at this aspect, newcomers might understandably be a little intimidated by the prospect.
To this end, fans don’t have to worry too much, as the game will feature various accessibility features to guide players, especially those new to the genre.
“Apart from having an in-game map to show players where they are at any given time, we also have a fast travel system alongside level markers, so players can jump back to previous locations to explore previously locked areas,” explains Aizawa.
“Since this is a non-linear game that features some backtracking, there will also be shortcuts to discover, which makes travelling between locations faster.”
In the same vein, Shadow Labyrinth will also feature the same level of accessibility in terms of its plot, as according to Aizawa, the game will have a completely original storyline which does not require prior knowledge of the franchise, including the recent episode currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
“This will be a 100% original story. The game doesn’t require any knowledge of the Secret Level episode. We do recommend watching it to immerse yourself in the world, but it’s not required at all to play the game.”
With Shadow Labyrinth, the transition to the action Metroidvania genre looks set to draw in a brand new audience, combining fans of the genre with those who grew up playing the classic arcade games. And with Aizawa revealing that the game will be around 30 hours long, even up to 40 hours for completionists, that certainly leaves ample time to fully enjoy Pac-Man in this whole new light.
Prepare to eat and escape the maze when Shadow Labyrinth drops sometime in 2025 for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
Si Jia
