Labyrinth of Zangetsu - Review

Gamegrin reviewed the dungeon crawler Labyrinth of Zangetsu:

Labyrinth of Zangetsu Review

First-person dungeon crawlers have always been a bit of a niche genre that has some great titles, well-revered by fans. Developer ACQUIRE attempts to capture the magic of similar games with Labyrinth of Zangetsu, a Japanese folklore-inspired dungeon crawler with a fantastic aesthetic and traditional gameplay for the genre. But does this game have enough going for it to make it stand apart from the rest? Let’s take a look.

The Ink of Ruin, a corruption set on destroying the land and bringing forth an eternal darkness, plagues the region of Tokinokuni. Who will stop this blight and put an end to the nightmarish fiends it brings forth? Well, you, obviously. In order to fight back against the Ink of Ruin, you’ll train a force known as the Blightbane Conscripts and lead them to victory. The last bastion of defence is Ido, with its magical Zangetsu Barrier, repelling the mysterious force for the time being.

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Whilst I never felt that Labyrinth of Zangetsu broke any ground to become a must-play for the dungeon crawler genre, the art style and oppressive atmosphere certainly drew me in. The staying power to see it through wore off after a few hours, though, thanks in part to the lack of an interesting narrative. Coupled with a frustrating death system, and gameplay mechanics that feel almost outdated, this is a title that is worth a look if you’re a fan of similar games, but won’t do much to tempt new players into sticking with it until the credits roll.

Score: 6.5/10