Pac-Man is doing a Prince Of Persia: Warrior Within, everybody. That’s to say, the Bandai Namco series is doing one of those dark, edgy iterations. It’s called Shadow Labyrinth, it’s out in 2025, and it’s a 2D hack-and-slash with gruesome monster designs. But none so gruesome as Pac-Man, who can transform into a huge champing black hole. Wakkawakkawakkawould you play this?
You don’t seem to control Pac-Man in Shadow Labyrinth. You play a lanky human warrior instead, with Pac-Man floating along behind like a Chinese lantern. It appears that if you feed him up, he’ll do the black hole routine and devour your foes. I can think of no more dreadful way to die than to be eaten by Pac-Man. He doesn’t even chew.
Some blurb from the developers: “As Swordsman No. 8, awoken by a floating yellow orb, PUCK, on a mysterious planet amidst relics of wars past, you are chosen to become the instrument of its will. To survive you will discover many secrets, consume your enemies, and grow from prey to the apex predator as you embrace your true purpose.”
This probably isn’t the first “dark” Pac-Man game, but they’ve certainly pulled out the stops. It’s definitely teetering on the edge of unintentional comedy, though. Do Kirby next, games industry, he’s appalling.
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