We had the opportunity to interview Seigo Aizawa, the producer behind the upcoming action-platformer Shadow Labyrinth and veteran of beloved titles like PAC-MAN COMMUNITY and PAC-MAN 99. In our extensive conversation, Aizawa shared fascinating insights into the ambitious reimagining of the iconic PAC-MAN franchise.

Origins and Redefining a Classic

The genesis of Shadow Labyrinth emerged from a desire to introduce PAC-MAN to new audiences, with the concept of “Dark PAC-MAN” serving as the foundation. “We’ve been providing the Pac-Man game as a family game for over the years and we’ve always been thinking how we can allow the new player who has never played a PAC-MAN game to try. That’s why the concept idea, Dark Pac-Man, comes up first,” Aizawa explains. This vision found its footing in 2021 when Amazon expressed interest in the darker take on the franchise, leading to the Secret Level episode which serves as a prequel to the game.

While many fans have labeled Shadow Labyrinth as a Metroidvania, Aizawa and the team prefer to describe it as a 2D action platformer. “We acknowledge the most of the community say this is the Metrovania, but from the Namco side, we say 2D Action Platformers,” notes Aizawa. The game is built around three core PAC-MAN pillars: eat/consume mechanics, flip battles, and maze elements.

“What makes this game unique is there are three pillars of PAC-MAN gameplay like eat/consume, flip the battle, and the maze. These are the elements that we incorporate in the game,” he elaborates. Players control Swordsman No. 8 – a number significant because it represents previous failed attempts by PAC to summon warriors into this world.

Development Journey

The game’s development, spanning four years since 2021, presented unique challenges. “We’ve been developing the game for four years since back in 2021. As far as difficulty goes during the development, I think the biggest one is more on the marketing side like whether we include PAC-MAN in the game or not,” Aizawa reveals.

The team ultimately chose a subtle approach, with Aizawa explaining, “We’ve been discussing for so many years about whether we should include PAC-MAN into the logo or not, but we finally decided not to because our main purpose is reaching out to new audiences who have never played PAC-MAN before.”

Gameplay and Artistic Vision

Players can expect a substantial experience, with Aizawa confirming “the estimated play time is 30 hours and up to 40 hours for completionists.” Regarding difficulty balance, he notes, “We’re aiming for the same level of high difficulty gameplay but not only for gamers who really love the challenge but also to those who are not good at action games. So if you take a detour and get the item or enhance yourself, we really want to make sure to provide the way for those fans who are not good at action games to enjoy Shadow Labyrinth too.”

Developed in Unity to support multiple platforms, Aizawa explains the engine choice: “To support the multiplatform since the game will launch for PS5, XSX, Switch, and PC, Unity engine is the best option for us.”

The visual style took considerable time to perfect, with Aizawa noting, “We’ve been discussing it for about a year. Even in the characters, it took about one year to settle down with the current art directions.”

Connection and Community Reception

The game maintains interesting connections to the broader PAC-MAN universe. “The connection between the Secret Level and the Shadow Labyrinth is actually the Secret Level is a prequel,” Aizawa explains.

“Shadow Labyrinth doesn’t require any knowledge from the Secret Level so don’t worry about it, but if you played Shadow Labyrinth and also watched the Secret Level, then you can enjoy or appreciate the world more.”

The development team has been encouraged by fan response. “Of course we have confidence about the game quality that everyone would enjoy and thanks to the fans’ feedback, the dev team is trying to make it better and better now,” Aizawa shares.

The game promises unique gameplay elements, with Aizawa highlighting, “By eating the boss you can get the skill that helps to explore the map… not only just expands the exploration, but also to help the action battles.”