Labyrinth Legend is a neat game that defied expectations when played. What was expected was a story-filled repetitive RPG instead became an action-packed real-time battle pixel art top-down action game with RPG elements. The story is simple enough and only really there to set the stage for the action, and that works best to the game’s benefit.
The story sees an adventurer looking to make a name for themselves entering Kanata village in search of treasure. When arriving in the village though, the adventurer becomes unable to leave due to a curse on the village. The only way out will be to find the truth behind the labyrinth and what lies within.
This window dressing may seem generic, but that does not hurt the game at all. The main draw is the action in the Labyrinth which is simple yet addictive. These areas are shot, fast-paced levels that see you go through enemies, find weapons and items and work your way up to a boss.
The game requires you to grind constantly, and the short levels make this much less of a chore than it needs to be. Levelling up is key, but so is finding the right weapons and gear to help you succeed. Finding and improving weapons and gear becomes something that far from being frustrating, making you truly consider what is and is not important in the game.
Some armour may give you a buff to some states, but other armour will give you better defence without buffs. The same is true for weapons, which will have either higher damage or a special attribute that will make them desirable. It could be better implemented though, because the levels are over quickly, and you can actually start to breeze through the enemies once you are at a high enough level.
What makes Labyrinth legend a must-play though is its levels in general. This is a perfect pick-up and play game, where you will spend a few minutes defeating enemies and then put it down and move on to something else. The game realizes this strength and does all it can to make each level feel like something you want to play through a few times, such as by adding secrets to find or new items to unlock.
The music and art are both simplistic as well, but that comes with the territory of a smaller game like this. It is not that it works in the game’s favour like some of the other aspects, but rather that it just doesn’t get in the way. Still, a few of the tunes can be quite a bit catchy.
Labyrinth Legend is a good smaller game. It may not have an involving story, and the lack of touchscreen compared to the interface the game had on PC is odd, but the level design and action just manage to appeal on a basic level. This is a game that you can enjoy in small bursts and never really get tired of it. This is one that is very easy to recommend checking out for any Switch owner.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided