Namco Bandai gave the Secret Level “Pac-Man” a game

When I watched Secret Level on Prime Video (our season 1 review here), my jaw dropped when I saw what I thought was Blur Studios’ interpretation of Bandai Namco’s iconic pill popping character. I instantly had flashbacks to what Hudson Soft did to Bomberman when they released Bomberman: Act Zero and was like why would Bandai Namco sign off on this. Well it seems the joke was on me, because not only did they absolutely sign, but this strange setting is getting game in the form of Shadow Labyrinth.

This Metroidvania looking title will put you in the role of Swordsman No. 8 and you need to fight, consume, and survive on a harsh planet. According to the press release that accompanied the announcement of the title we should expect other references to the company’s arcade titles, in fact I think there’s a dig dug reference around the trailer’s 33 second mark where the Swordsman seemingly inflates and pops an enemy. 

While I might’ve had a bad first impression with Shadow Labyrinth, I am curious as to what the game holds in store for us. I guess we’ll find out when the game comes out on PC, Switch, Xbox Series X|S and the PlayStation 5 in 2025.

If you want to see the game’s stealth announcement, check out Prime Video’s Secret Level series linked here.

Shadow Labyrinth – Reveal Trailer

Shadow Labyrinth screens: