There’s no secret formula to figuring out just the right amount of friction to include in a video game. Every player has a different level of tolerance for all the little inconveniences that can pop up when engaging with certain genres, and that’s why it’s possible for a title to be a genuine masterpiece while also alienating half of its audience due to some unconventional design. In cases like these, I’d argue that neither the developers nor the gamers are at fault, as despite what the ESRB tells us, there’s no such thing as a game for “Everyone.”
And if there’s one recent release that insists on committing to the bit even if that means losing some of the more frustration-prone players along the way, it has to be J. R. Hudepohl’s surprise indie hit, Labyrinth of the Demon King. Borne from an amalgamation of conflicting ideas that somehow blend together into a single, cohesive vision, this unique take on both First-Person Dungeon Crawlers and Survival Horror feels like a gift from an alternate timeline where the golden age of ’90s gaming lasted just a little bit longer.
However, despite its eerily period-accurate aesthetics, Labyrinth of the Demon King is actually the result of a four-year-long passion project helmed by a New-Zealand-based indie developer. While the game was released on Steam to little fanfare back on May 13th, word-of-mouth has elevated it to something of a sleeper hit, and Hudepohl is still providing the title with new updates meant to fix bugs, improve quality of life and even add new weapons into your feudal arsenal (such as a spiked knuckle-duster that looks extremely satisfying to use).
In the game itself, players take on the role of a nameless warrior in an apocalyptic version of Feudal Japan who embarks on a perilous quest to slay the titular Demon King after it betrayed his Master. Initially armed only with your wits and a broken katana, you must traverse a series of interconnected dungeons housing mysterious allies, undead enemies and corrupted Yokai as you attempt to avenge your deceased lord and escape from a decidedly hellish nightmare.
In practice, this means that you’ll spend your time navigating appropriately labyrinthian environments as you solve item-based puzzles and uncover cryptic bits of lore hinting at the inner workings of this supernatural otherworld – all the while managing limited resources and fighting against gloriously low-poly monsters through a deceptively simple combat system that blends Souls-like stamina management with first-person brawling.
If you die, however, you’ll be mysteriously revived and returned to the last shrine at which you prayed. Fortunately, these are never so far apart that backtracking becomes a chore. This means that, unlike many other games with similar mechanics, it’s easy to become lost in this addictive loop of death, revival and sustained progression. In fact, this flow-state is likely the reason why the experience goes by so fast despite the game being much longer than most other PSX-inspired indie horror titles (at least during your first run).
Of course, the chilling lo-fi aesthetics also play a part in making it difficult to put down the controller, with this game world ultimately feeling more alive than its grungy textures initially suggest. Monsters fight amongst themselves in this infernal realm, and the maze-like architecture actually makes sense in a dream-logic sort of way. It’s not exactly pretty, but it’s one hell of an atmospheric setting.
Labyrinth of the Demon King would still be worth the price of admission even if the haunting presentation (which also includes eerie music worthy of a classic Silent Hill game) wasn’t accompanied by interesting mechanics. However, the title’s audiovisual flare is only enhanced by surprisingly nuanced combat mechanics that use the primitive engine’s jank in its favor, which is likely why so many players are comparing it to Monolith’s Condemned duology.
Of course, there are traces of many other memorable games here, with Labyrinth containing hints of early FromSoft titles, Fatal Frame and even my personal favorite videogame, Silent Hill 4: The Room (with this last one having a particularly noticeable impact on Labyrinth’s grimy visuals). And yet, this contradictory cocktail of disparate ideas results in an experience unlike any of its inspirations.
I mean, even the game’s alleged Soulslike difficulty is something of a red herring. Sure, the map screen refuses to show your precise location and even the weakest enemies have a decent chance of killing you if you don’t pay attention, but these elements are nothing more than a crafty deception. Once you get past the learning curve, veteran gamers may find Labyrinth of the Demon King to be almost disappointingly forgiving.
It’s actually quite easy to get past the unkillable stalker that often pursues you through the dungeons, and you’re really only forced to engage with combat during boss battles. And while I often perished due to panicked button-mashing and poison build-up, death has no real downside here other than wasting a little bit of your time as you trek back to where you were before. You don’t even lose any items or experience, and after a certain point you can even teleport away to a safe area at any given moment. That’s not even mentioning how you can save up enough ammo to trivialize most bosses if you can’t get the hang of melee attacks, or the fact that you have a comically large parry window when compared to most other action games.
Peeking through the curtain and realizing just how powerful you are can make Labyrinth of the Demon King a lot less scary, especially once you master combat and find that most enemies are little more than minor obstacles blocking your path rather than the insurmountable terrors that you first assumed them to be, but I think that this gradual shift in genre is the entire point. If you zoom out and look at the big picture, the gameplay and level design are steadily weaving a story about a haunted warrior descending to the depths of hell to seek revenge and then overcoming demons both inner and literal as you climb your way out.
It seems like this genre mash-up shouldn’t work, but all the little idiosyncrasies add up to make Labyrinth my tentative Game of the Year – with the only caveat being the fact that the experience only works if you choose to engage with the game on its own terms. That means relishing in the same minor inconveniences that used to season the Survival Horror classics of yesteryear. After all, this doesn’t just look like a PSX release – it plays like one too!
If that doesn’t sound like your kind of thing, then this game probably isn’t for you, and that’s okay! However, if you’re up for a retro challenge, Hudepohl has got you covered. You may find yourself struggling with the combat for the first couple of hours and you might even resort to a walkthrough after missing a couple of key items while stumbling around in the dark, but if you can make it past the steep learning curve, I think you’ll find that Labyrinth of the Demon King is one of the most masterfully crafted horror games in recent memory and a must-play for genre fans.
Just be sure to wait as long as you can before fixing that Katana!
The post ‘Labyrinth of the Demon King’ Is an Authentic Love Letter to PSX Horror [Review] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
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