Spoilers forSecret Level’s Pac-Man “Circle” episode ahead.
Shadow Labyrinthwas revealed at The Game Awards 2024, shocking viewers as the colorful mazes ofPac-Manhave been turned into a horrific sci-fi trap that a “chosen” swordsman must now escape from. What was once a simplistic arcade title has now been adapted into a Metroidvania filled with monsters, encouraging players to eat their kills to survive. The unique take onPac-Mancan be played sometime in 2025, but fans may already be aware of whatShadow Labyrinthentails through Amazon Prime’sSecret Levelanthology.
Indeed, what was originallya rather jarring adaptation ofPac-Manwas actually a jump into a new genre for the franchise in disguise. The reveal trailer forShadow Labyrinthshows impressive swordplay and movement abilities, as well as the potential to control a darker, terrifying Pac-Man shape, in ways that will likely make the title fun for players. Some of these were already teased with theSecret Levelepisode, but others takeShadow Labyrinthfurther than the episode ever did. To understand just howShadow Labyrinthcan still call itself aPac-Mangame, however, it’s worth evaluating the themes ofPac-Manthat the sameSecret Levelepisode highlights.
Shadow Labyrinth Takes Twists Pac-Man’s Themes While Leaving Them In-Tact
What Secret Level’s Pac-Man Episode Says About Shadow Labyrinth
Secret Level’s “Circle” episode confused many viewers upon release, making them question just how this tale about a swordsman had anything to deal with the iconic arcade game about fruits and ghosts. The short episode does indeed include fruits and ghosts, but instead, it takesthe core themes ofPac-Manas concepts and dares to take them in a different direction. It breaks down the gameplay to reach these conclusions while also tackling the concepts of games themselves.
Pac-Manas a game is relatively simple and easy to jump into, with no lore or any prerequisites to start, beyond a simple quarter. All players know is the maze, to eat the pellets and ghosts, and eventually they’ll make their way through the levels. TheSecret Levelepisode does indeed keep all of these elements in different ways, with a maze that the chosen swordsman has to escape with ghosts floating through it, and the eating is there in a haunting fashion. It even turns the idea of replays and mastering a game overtime into something terrifying, with the mantra of “strength in repetition” having more consequences than just simple perseverance. It could be said that this one episode in thefirst batch ofSecret Levelshortsmanages to heighten the fear that players may feel when a ghost gets close too fast while playing the classic game as well.
Shadow Labyrinth Has the Chance to Take Secret Level’s Premise Further
As part ofBandai Namco’s already interesting 2025 line up,Shadow Labyrinthmay deliver on the concepts that Secret Level introduced on a broader scale. After all, there’s only so much that the short could go into during its 11-minute runtime. Already, the trailer has shown tons of enemies and bosses that expand beyond what the TV show displayed. There are also a few more things worked in, such as the strange classicPac-Manmaze sections that offer edible pellets to increase movement options, as well as a way to control the powered-up Puck that the episode’s swordsman couldn’t accomplish, that illustrate there are far more secrets to uncover with this take on the franchise.
If players were asking just what lurked beyond the door in “Circle,” they thankfully have a game to look forward to that might answer that very question. If anything, it almost feels as ifShadow Labyrinthmakes the ending of “Circle” much more chilling by even existing, as the way Puck faces the camera now gives off the feeling that the player is their next “chosen one.” Fans of whatShadow Labyrinthis adding toPac-Mancan look forward to more news on this interesting title in 2025.
Pac-Man
Pac-Man was developed by Namco and originally released in arcades in 1980. Gameplay featured navigating a maze to eat dots while avoiding the patrolling ghost enemies.
