Shadow Labyrinth Developers Discuss Its Origins and Vision [Interview]

Of the most iconic and influential video game figures, Pac-Man would rightly be high on the list. The little yellow circle that consumes all it sees in pursuit of escaping a seemingly endless maze is firmly etched into gaming history. Pac-Man‘s popularity continued to thrive over the course of decades, and the IP has had an impressive number of releases throughout. Some of these experimented a bit with the formula, but many generally kept to the familiar action and style that fans had become accustomed to.

That’s now changed with the recent reveal of a brand-new game based on Pac-Man, Shadow Labyrinth, at the 2024 Game Awards. The title marks a surprising and bold shift in direction, and for fans who’ve seen Amazon’s Secret Level episode based on it, it looks to be moving into some truly terrifying territory. Game Rant recently sat down with Shadow Labyrinth producer Seigo Aizawa and Pac-Man Brand Marketing Manager for Bandai Namco Entertainment America Knoah Piasek to find out more about the upcoming entry. The pair divulged how they worked with Secret Level to unveil Shadow Labyrinth, and how it diverges from expectations to forge a path through a new genre for Pac-Man while presenting a much more intense design and vision. The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Shadow Labyrinth’s History and Collaboration With Secret Level

Q: Can you give a brief overview of Shadow Labyrinth?

Aizawa: When we thought about this game, we wanted to reach a new audience that we never had before. When you think about Pac-Man, you know, it’s legendary and it’s a family-friendly game. We wanted to do a new take on it and create a darker version of Pac-Man and the world.

Q: Was Shadow Labyrinth in development and then the Secret Level studios worked with you to make an episode based on it? How did the collaboration work?

Aizawa: It’s a little bit of an inside story, but we actually didn’t plan for it to be a simultaneous release. Production on Shadow Labyrinth actually started four years ago before Secret Level. When we were working on it, we received a proposal from Amazon and Blur Studios regarding the Secret Level project. We re-proposed to them using our Shadow Labyrinth concept. They then took that concept and created the prequel story as a Secret Level episode. It just happened to be that the production finished on time, and we had an opportunity to coincide it with Secret Level. It was a very lucky moment for us.

Q: Secret Level just came out, and lots of fans probably weren’t expecting to find out about a new Pac-Man game at the same time. But what has the feedback you’ve gotten so far been like?

Piasek: So far, it’s been super divisive. Some people love it, and some are like, “What the f–k is this?” But our strategy this entire time has been to shock people. There is a little bit of a pun there with the one character being named Puck and Puck Man being Pac-Man’s original name. We want to make people say, “What the puck?” [laughs]

That’s exactly the response that we’re looking for.

Shadow Labyrinth’s Core Genre Elements and Gameplay Loops

Q: Based on the trailer and the episode, Shadow Labyrinth seems a lot like a platformer or maybe a rogue-like Metroidvania. What genre is it?

Aizawa: It’s going to be a 2-D action platformer with exploration. It will have a main story. However, there is a nonlinear portion to it, so players can explore the map and acquire various lore and abilities.

Piasek: We are specifically not using the term Metroidvania, but we acknowledge that’s exactly what people are going to categorize it as. That’s fair enough, we’re not disputing that, but we’re just calling it a 2-D action platformer.

Q: Shadow Labyrinth doesn’t look like Pac-Man, but there are references. Can you talk a bit about making it more mature and scarier, and how it diverts from expectations of Pac-Man but also has those elements?

Aizawa: The main concept and reasoning behind this darker Pac-Man was to reach a new audience. In order to do that, we needed to really re-invent a lot of the core Pac-Man ideas. We took the key elements of the maze and the eating concepts, and how, within a snap, the table turns and Pac-Man becomes the alpha predator. That’s the idea behind Shadow Labyrinth’s take.

Q: I saw a little bit of traversal, some combat, and what looked like boss fights. Can you talk about the balancing and structuring of those elements in Shadow Labyrinth?

Aizawa: ​​​​​​You’re right that there are Metroidvania elements included, and the main concept is to explore the maze. However, if you look closely at the trailer, you will see a moment where The Swordsman turns into Puck, and it kind of shows that classic Pac-Man movement. We have that little mixture built into Shadow Labyrinth.

Regarding the boss battles, there are about 30 different types. Each boss has a unique characteristic. In order to beat them, players will need to acquire a certain ability, play a certain way, or transform into Puck. There are many tactical ideas and mechanics incorporated.

Q: You mentioned you were working on Shadow Labyrinth for four years. 2-D action platformers and side-scrollers have gone through waves during that time and are pretty popular lately. How did that affect or reinforce development based on what you were seeing in the industry at large?

Aizawa: We understand there is a high demand for 2-D action platformers. We wanted to challenge ourselves by creating a really high-quality game that could be great competition within these kinds of titles. Again, we wanted to explore Pac-Man‘s key element, which is the maze. When we thought about the maze, a 2-D action platformer with a Metroidvania vibe was the perfect fit to explore our challenge of introducing the “dark Pac-Man.”

Q: Shadow Labyrinth’s tone is a bit more adult and mature. Are you aiming to appeal to a certain type of audience that’s looking for a harder challenge? What kind of berth is there in terms of difficulty and options?

Aizawa: In the 2-D action platformer genre, I think there is an expectation that there needs to be perhaps a more difficult design and at a certain level where it’s not too easy. In order to deliver that, we created the game so that, say, if you take a detour to acquire certain items, it will be easier to defeat certain bosses.

Q: You mentioned the central idea of focusing on the maze along with having players go “What the puck?” But was there anything you looked at beyond those in terms of design sensibilities or maybe other inspirations that you wanted to do your own takes on?

Aizawa: When it comes to Shadow Labyrinth’s design, we wanted to incorporate that dark sci-fi taste into it. We referenced a lot of ancient animals, and those types of monsters and bosses are included in it. The little sneak peek in the announcement trailer really is just a small portion of the whole. When you start playing and exploring, you’ll find many different types of stages and bosses all designed in certain ways.

Q: Within this genre, there are often a lot of rewarding players for exploration. Can you talk a little bit about what Shadow Labyrinth will offer in terms of replayability or rewarding players for doing something that maybe the average person wouldn’t think of? Are there puzzles or other hidden things to find?

Aizawa: There’s a scene in the trailer where Puck eats the boss. That’s how The Swordsman obtains new abilities and moves on in the story, which will allow him to explore new maps and the world of Shadow Labyrinth.

Q: In terms of The Swordsman and combat, do you have any reference points for how combat works and feels? Are there any touchstones for existing games to point to?

Aizawa: There’s not specifically a benchmark. But basically, it’s like a “hit and away” style of action while also using the skills, augments, and enhancers.

Shadow Labyrinth Celebrates Pac-Man’s 45th Anniversary and Promises More to Come

Q: You can obviously see the inspiration, but why the choice of Shadow Labyrinth and not any reference to Pac-Man in the title? Were there any discussions about whether to include it?

Aizawa: There were many discussions about that. However, we decided not to, just because we wanted to reach a new audience and present it as an independent game unto itself. But if you take a closer look at the key visual within the logo, you can see a little drop of the Pac-Man element in the shadow there. If fans play the game, I think that it will speak for itself. They’ll see and talk about it, and Pac-Man Easter eggs and references will be there. So, we decided there was no need to include it in the title.

This interview took place before its debut at The Game Awards.

Q: You’re about to show Shadow Labyrinth’s trailer at The Game Awards in a few hours, and I’m sure there will be some unexpected roars from the audience. What are your thoughts and feelings about that at the moment? Are you nervous or excited?

Aizawa: We’re very eager and excited to present it!

Piasek: 2025 is going to be Pac-Man’s 45th anniversary, so we’re doing a whole bunch of stuff to celebrate all year long. This is kind of like the new, crazy, and cool side of what we’re doing amidst many other things that would probably be expected from the brand.

Aizawa: Also, the anniversary’s theme is to make an impact. In that sense too, I think Shadow Labyrinth will make an impact on audiences, so we’re excited about that as well.

Q: Is there anything you’re looking forward to as far as being able to show more of Shadow Labyrinth or do you want to keep it mostly mysterious?

Aizawa: The core themes of the game are exploration and discovery, so we’d like to keep as much hidden as possible. The main objective of this first announcement is to evoke that “what the puck” moment for audiences. However, with that said, later on, we will start showing a little more of the gameplay, bosses, and other things.

Q: Can you give a firm release date for Shadow Labyrinth?

Aizawa: We’re only saying a 2025 release window right now.

Piasek: Without accidentally giving away our launch date by saying how long the marketing campaign is, there are beats coming where we’ll be showing more, but for now we’re keeping some stuff hidden.

GR: Awesome, thanks. Congratulations on the game, we’re excited about it!

Piasek: Thanks, we’re excited that you’re excited!

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Shadow Labyrinth has a 2025 release window for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.