I knew absolutely nothing about Labyrinth Legend before playing but I’m glad I did. Labyrinth Legend is a retro inspired, indie dungeon crawler. It’s one of a few indie games, like Giraffe and Annika, being published by NIS America. Apparently, it first released on mobile and PC back in 2020 and has now finally hit the Nintendo Switch. These seem like the perfect platforms for it to be if you ask me.
Labyrinth Legend begins with a text scroll explaining your objective in the game. You are a lone adventurer who has made their way to the Kingdom of Kanata in search of a royal treasure. Once you enter the kingdom, you find out you can’t leave because it’s been cursed by its queen and the only way out is to lift the curse. And that’s pretty much it when it comes to story. You have a hub village where you can talk to npcs but there isn’t an actual plot. Which is fine because the gameplay is the star of this show.
The Grind
The land of Kanata has multiple dungeons that need exploring. They are all randomly generated and have five floors. Gameplay is your typical hack and slash in that you climb the various floors and destroy everything in your path as you level up and collect loot. You’re able to equip different weapons like swords, whips, spells, and so forth. All of your gear can be upgraded at the blacksmith using materials you find during your adventure. Gear can only but upgraded five times so you’re forced to switch up and keep things fresh.
Combat is simple. You have two buttons dedicated to attacking using whatever two main weapons you equipped to those buttons. On top of that you can buy a single special move for each weapon type. I found the loop fun but I did have a problem with hit detection in later dungeons. There’s a dodge mechanic that can be a little finnicky when there are multiple enemies on the screen. Every dungeon ends with a boss fight and this is where combat truly shines. In these battles you truly have to make use of all of the games mechanics to persevere.
Each dungeon has a recommended level and sometimes you’ll have to go back to earlier dungeons to grind for gear and levels. Fortunately, the procedural nature of the dungeons keep you from thinking about how you visited this area before. It makes sense for a game like this to be as grindy as it is. You can beat a level in ten minutes or less.
Presentation
I love the style of this game. The graphics are presented in a 16 bit style reminiscent of a Super Nintendo game. Not only that but there are so many cool effects that that classic system probably couldn’t handle. The music is also great. It sounds like something from a Nihon Falcom game.
Conclusion
Labyrinth Legend is hidden gem on the Nintendo Switch. It’s the perfect game to play when you just want to play one more level when you a little free time. While some may take issue with the grindy nature of the late game, others will adore it.
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