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The Verge
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Verge
A gritty Pac-Man reboot makes for surprisingly solid Metroid-style action
Shadow Labyrinth didn't make the best first impression, though I'm not talking about the game itself. The concept of a gritty reboot of Pac-Man first reared its strange head in Secret Level, an anthology that turned notable video games into animated shorts that mostly felt like extended commercials. And that's exactly what the episode 'Circle,' which reimagined Pac-Man as a blood-soaked survival story, turned out to be. But as off-putting as the episode was, it turns out that the premise actually works for a Metroid-style action game. For those who didn't watch Secret Level, Shadow Labyrinth puts you in the role of an unnamed, hooded swordmaster, who awakens to find himself inside some sort of dark alien labyrinth. He's greeted by a floating drone named Puck, who serves as both a guide and a partner to survive in this treacherous world. Puck, of course, is Pac-Man. For the most part, the game plays a lot like a typical Metroidvania. It's a side-scrolling game that's heavy on action, like Metroid Dread, and as you defeat bosses and collect gold, you'll slowly expand your arsenal of skills, which opens up the game further. The twisting, maze-like map is full of dead ends that you can't explore until you get the right ability, which include staples like a double jump and grappling hook. You can also craft various upgrades, both permanent and temporary, so you can customize the character to your liking. It's a satisfying loop of exploration, combat, and problem-solving (usually involving some kind of platforming sequence), punctuated by tense, elaborate boss fights that depend a lot on pattern memorization. I could be describing a lot of other games here, but there are a few elements that make Shadow Labyrinth unique. And it mostly has to do with Puck. Scattered throughout the labyrinth are rails that Puck can ride on, sort of like Pac-Man moving his way through a classic arcade maze. It's reminiscent of Samus' morph ball ability, except it's relegated to predetermined areas of the map. Later on, there are actual Pac-Man mazes to play through, too, complete with pellets and ghosts to eat. The game is at its best when you're quickly swapping between Puck and the swordmaster, either to navigate a tricky platforming sequence or defeat enemies. In one early boss battle, I was able to use a rail on the ceiling to avoid projectiles, and then drop behind the enemy for some quick sneak attacks. Early on, Puck and the swordmaster gain the ability to temporarily fuse together to create a power-up that's sort of like a mech suit, which you can use to devastate most enemies and even avoid environmental hazards. Oh, and when you're a mech, you can eat your enemies to gain materials needed for those important unlocks. One of the nice things about Shadow Labyrinth is that, unlike the animated short that preceded it, it doesn't overdo it with the grim tone. It can get a little bloody when you're slicing through creatures, but it's not gratuitous. In fact, much like Dread, the oppressive tone creates an interesting kind of tension, one that makes the rare moments of respite feel especially welcome. That said, the cutscenes are self-serious and convoluted, and there are silly moments where Puck becomes giant and eats the corpses of bosses, but these are mostly easy to ignore if all you want to do is explore a complex map, Metroid-style. That's really what the game offers. The combat is solid, the platforming is challenging, and the bosses are exciting. And thankfully, the tone mostly doesn't intrude on the experience, while the Pac-Man theme brings just enough new to add an interesting twist for those well-versed in Metroidvanias. Secret Level may have been a commercial, but it was a pretty poor one: it missed what actually makes Shadow Labyrinth worth playing. Shadow Labyrinth launches on July 18th on the PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Digital Trends
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
I'm loving how fast and furious Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is
When I think about the 2D action games I loved growing up, 'fast' isn't a word that usually comes to mind. Something like a Ninja Turtles side scrolling beat-em-up looks a little slow in my mind, filled with heavy one on one punch outs. The exact pace changes from game to game, but it's not usually what I'd call quick. So I was in for a bit of a shock when I booted up a demo of Shinobi: Art of Vengeance at Summer Game Fest. Sega's new revival may call back to some of the retro games I played as a kid, but it leaves them all in the dust in its constant blitz of sword slashing. Developed by Lizardcube, the studio behind the terrific Streets of Rage 4, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance looks to take a classic Sega series back to its roots. It's a side scrolling action game where I need to slash through enemies, vanquish bosses, and do a bit of platforming for good measure. My 45-minute demo let me run wild through two of its gorgeously animated levels, getting a feel for the balance Lizardcube is striking here between retro and modern. When I try to describe it on paper, it might sound a little boilerplate. The platforming has me double jumping and air dashing around 2D environments. Combat is a matter of dishing out sword combos, hitting evasive rolls, tossing out a shuriken or two, and spending energy to activate special skills. It's all par for the course, I know, but those familiar ideas are made thrilling once I start to realize just how quickly I can take out a screen full of enemies. Recommended Videos Art of Vengeance is designed in such a way that I never felt like I needed to stop moving during a fight. If an enemy tries to attack me during a combo, I can hit my evasive dodge and exit it into a new combo. If I need to jump in the air to avoid an unblockable attack, I can come back down with a dive kick by hitting my heavy attack button and chain into a combo from there. My favorite detail comes anytime I stun an enemy. When a red mark appears above a foe, I can press both bumpers to launching into a finishing strike that will also ricochet through every other stunned enemy in the room. The more I get all of this down, the more I realize that I simply never have to stop moving once I get on a roll. It feels as much like a fighting game as it does a side scroller. That sense of lethal speed goes a long way towards making Art of Vengeance feel more exciting than a lot of recent retro brawlers that are very similar to it on paper. It aims to make Shinobi feel like a phantom that cut through waves of enemies in the blink of an eye. Even when I'm dropped into familiar scenarios, like when I need to stay on a boat as enemies fall in around me, it feels like I'm playing something entirely new rather than another cookie cutter retro cash-in. I'm eager to see how much deeper it all goes. My demo only gave me a taste of its exploration, as I could occasionally find platforming challenges that led me to hidden collectibles. Each level has five to find and those can be spent at shops to unlock even more maneuvers, like one that extended my combos even further with additional hits. I had tons of moves to work into my attack strings by the end of the second level I played, including a charged punch and a counter stance skill. I hope more moves keep trickling in in later missions, giving me more attacks I can pepper into my ballet of blades. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance launches on August 28 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Digital Trends
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Marvel's Deadpool VR is just as bloody as you'd expect
I've flown through the air as Iron Man. I've used my detective instincts to investigate a prison as Batman. And now, I've picked up my own decapitated arm and beaten my attacker to death with it. I probably don't have to say I was playing as Deadpool in that last one. I'm sure you already guessed that. Revealed at Summer Game Fest 2025, Marvel's Deadpool VR is a new action game coming exclusively to Meta Quest 3 and 3S later this year. It's the latest title from Twisted Pixel, the developer behind 2009's 'Splosion Man, and will be its first game since becoming a subsidiary of Oculus Studios in 2021. For its grand debut under the Meta banner, the studio is putting its history of irreverent humor and over the top action to the ultimate test by letting players embody the Merc With a Mouth as they cut through dimwitted goons Recommended Videos Ahead of its reveal, I played a slice of Marvel's Deadpool VR and got more details on the project from Twisted Pixel. It's every bit as bloody as you'd expect a Deadpool game to be. Though what's even more impressive is how it's pushing the Meta Quest 3's power to create one of the fastest and more fluid action games I've tried in VR to date. Merc with a headset Marvel's Deadpool VR is a first-person action game that has players dual wielding katanas, picking up any gun they can find, and creating moments of improvised violence across what Twisted Pixel calls a 'full campaign' complete with secret levels and unannounced replayability hooks. It tells a completely original story centered around the villain Mojo rather than adapting any specific comic book arc, though characters like Flag-Smasher and Lady Deathstroke play a role in it. It also features a new voice for Deadpool: Neil Patrick Harris, who is a dead ringer for Ryan Reynolds here. The first moments of my demo immediately tell me what I'm in for. I'm in first-person, but looking through the eyes of Deadpool's decapitated head. I take control of his nearby body and kick the scientist who presumably carried the beheading out, all while a peppy Neil Patrick Harris kicks out a barrage of fourth wall-breaking one-liners (including a very dated 'Damn Daniel' reference). After retrieving my weapons, I lob off the scientist's hand, use it to open a door, and get ready to butcher my way through a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. All of this unfolds in a vibrant pop art style that puts the Quest 3's power to good use. To properly adapt the character, Twisted Pixel had to figure out what it would mean to embody the character. It wouldn't make sense to have him play like the Caped Crusader does in Batman: Arkham Shadow, after all. To make him stand out from other heroes, Game Director Daniel Bullock says that speed was the key. 'We had early conversations with Marvel where we were talking about what makes Deadpool Deadpool,' Bullock tells Digital Trends. 'One of the things that came up was that Deadpool is basically Spider-Man with no webs. That kind of set us thinking early on about how we could push the movement and the fast pace and really make the player feel like a ninja.' That philosophy becomes apparent quickly once I enter a room full of enemies. I have two pistols, one I can grab from each hip, and a katana on each shoulder. Dual wielding is key in battle, as I can use those weapons on the fly in whatever configuration I choose. If I want, I can throw a sword in each hand and slash my foes to death. Or I can mix and match a katana with a handgun and try attacking two enemies at once while moving. It's remarkably complex for a VR game — and that's just the beginning. The deeper I get, and the heavier the waves of enemies become, the more I see just how much I can do in battle. I can toss my sword at an enemy, pinning their body to a wall. I can divekick into a guy, jump off his head, and fire my pistols down at him. When I get a grappling hook late in the demo, I'm able to launch myself up to a rafter with one hand while shooting with the other. The action is non-stop as I juggle my weapons with any ones that my fallen enemies leave behind, from shotguns to electrified batons. Weapon upgrades will deepen the slapstick routine too, as they'll give Deadpool's tools unique perks like the ability to turn a tossed gun into a boomerang. Twisted Pixel says it has a 'say yes to the player' mentality here; it wants players to be able to pull off anything they think should work. The routine works remarkably well thanks to responsive controls that let me very quickly grab tools off my body, toss them aside, and pick something else up without any friction. I've never quite been able to move this efficiently in VR before, and without a hint of motion sickness to boot. It's a blood-soaked ballet that does away with the flimsiness many VR action games bump into. I only got a taste of the project, but the demo I tried teased a full adventure game that isn't just about clearing out enemies to move on to the next room. I got a quick introduction to the story, which will see Wade Wilson fighting through Mojoworld. There will be sequences that have players driving cars and manning turrets. Mobility is important outside of battle, as my demo had me wall running and grappling out of a trap room. I even did a puzzle or two, grabbing a grenade off my wrist and tossing it into a hole to blow open an explorable path. All of those things could happen in any superhero game, but Twisted Pixel really tried to pay attention to how Deadpool would tackle them compared to any other cape. 'When we're developing our features, we do ask ourselves that,' Executive Producer Jody Coglianese tells Digital Trends. 'Okay, this is a cool thing, but why is it going to be cool for Deadpool? What's going to set us apart from another superhero? And then you kind of have to put your mind in a different bad place sometimes. We have a couple puzzles. Puzzles are fun! But what would be Deadpool's way on this puzzle? And you can kind of maybe put some … gestures in there to figure out what would make that happen.' Based on my first demo, it looks like Twisted Pixel have cracked how to make a hero that moves and acts like Deadpool rather than tossing players under a mask that could be on any old hero. So long as you have the tolerance for a few hacky jokes — and you'd have to if you're already a fan of the character — then Marvel's Deadpool VR should deliver a bloody good power fantasy fitting of an antihero. Marvel's Deadpool VR launches in late 2025 for Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest 3S.
The Verge
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Killer Inn is Square Enix's new ‘murder mystery action' game
Square Enix just announced Killer Inn, a new 'murder mystery action' game, as part of Summer Game Fest on Friday. In a Killer Inn match, 24 players are divided into two teams of 'wolves' and 'lambs,' and it's the job of the lambs to discover and kill all the wolves or for the wolves to kill the lambs. (Just to be clear, you play as humans, but with the title of wolves or lambs.) When wolves kill a lamb, they'll leave clues like a piece of hair or clothing that the lambs can use to try and identify the wolves. Killer Inn is coming to PC, and it will be getting a closed beta 'soon.' You can apply for the beta on the game's Steam page.
Digital Trends
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
PlayStation has a new studio and it's making a ‘frog-type game,' whatever that is
Today, PlayStation announced a new member of PlayStation Studios: teamLFG, a studio that originated at Bungie but has since spun off into its own entity. That said, the PlayStation Blog post making the announcement also hinted at the studio's first game, calling it 'an ambitious incubation project.' While it might be ambitious, it's also downright confusing. According to teamLFG, 'Our first game is a team-based action game that draws inspiration from fighting games, platformers, MOBAs, life sims, and frog-type games. Players will inhabit a lighthearted, comedic world set in brand-new, mythic, science-fantasy universe. We can't wait to reveal more.' Recommended Videos That's a wild combination of genres and only raises questions about what, exactly, a 'frog-type' game is. Regardless of the final shape it takes, it sounds promising. The studio is comprised of veteran developers who worked on titles like Halo, League of Legends, Fortnite, and Roblox, as well as 'industry newcomers with fresh creative perspectives and skills.' Chances are high that this project is the same one first teased by Bungie almost two years ago, when a social media post hinted at a rather intriguing project. However, Bungie won't be the official publisher of whatever this title might be. That credit goes to teamLFG. One of our favorite incubation projects is a team-based action game inspired by several genres in a brand-new, science-fantasy universe. It draws inspiration from fighting games, platformers, MOBAs, life sims, and frog-type games, wrapped up in a lighthearted, comedic world. — Bungie (@Bungie) August 18, 2023 This new studio brings a starry-eyed perspective to the gaming industry, and the passion teamLFG has for gaming is evident in its message. 'We are driven by a mission to create games where players can find friendship, community, and belonging. We want our players to feel excited when they log on to discover their teammates already hanging out online. We want our players to recognize familiar names and to make myths and memes out of each other. We want our players to love remembering that one time where they pulled off That Play that changed the whole story of the match.' There's a consistent thread throughout teamLFG's introduction: gaming is meant to be social. The studio says it wants to make 'immersive multiplayer worlds' and 'build games with [its] communities.' The studio believes that gaming is best enjoyed with friends, and that the best moments happen in multiplayer. There's one more hint to the nature of the mysterious 'frog-like' game. It will likely be a live-service title, based on a line near the end of the studio's introduction. '…but throughout live service as we continue to grow the game and community for years to come.' For now, teamLFG hasn't provided a title or a release date for its upcoming game. Please enable Javascript to view this content
