Pac-Man is one of the most iconic characters in all of video games. Him and his wife took over arcades across the world in the 1980s. To celebrate his 45th anniversary, Bandai Namco decided to take him in a new, darker, more surreal direction with the the upcoming release of Shadow Labyrinth. At Summer Games Fest, we got to go hands-on with the game and see just how different this new direction is for one of video game’s most iconic characters.

Shadow Labyrinth is completely different from anything Pac-Man has been before. Gone are the classic puzzles of the classic games or the family friendly vibes of the 1990s adventure games.  This time Pac-Man is a dark and sci-fi Metriodvania where you’re battling and devouring alien creatures, but you don’t play as the iconic character in this game. Instead, you play as a person and Pac-Man accompanies you throughout your journey.

Gameplay for Shadow Labyrinth is the typical Metriodvania style, but the abilities are were it gets the most interesting. You have a grappling hook to help you explore harder to reach areas if there’s a grapple point nearby. You can jump to colored wall and Pac-Man will take over and the game plays more akin to the classic games as you move about the wall. You can also jump off the walls to perform a speedy attack on enemies. The game has a shield or parry system that you can switch between at any time, and the developers said that over 90% of attacks can be parried in the game. Thus, you can choose whichever fits your type of playstyle best. Then, there’s the big one. The ability to combine with Pac-Man to form GAIA which is a giant mech where you are basically unstoppable for a short amount of time. Plus, when we defeated the boss we encountered, Pac-Man did what he does best and devoured it in a very dark way.

Overall, the new and dark take on the series is something most studios wouldn’t dare do, but Bandai Namco took the chance and it seems to be a good decision. Players who are interested in the game won’t have to wait much longer as Shadow Labyrinth releases next month on July 18, 2025.