Calling Shadow Labyrinth an anomaly would be an understatement. Released exactly a year ago, this fairly dark metroidvania where you play as "Swordsman No. 8" is actually a follow-up to the "Circle" episode from the Secret Level anthology series. A bit of a messy background, to say the least, which ultimately led to a rather lukewarm reception from both critics and players.
But one thing is for sure: Bandai Namco didn't skimp on the music. Helmed by Katsuro Tajima (Klonoa 2, Ace Combat 4, Ace Combat 5, Tekken 7...), the OST spans nearly four and a half hours and boasts impressive variety. Katsuro Tajima, Satoshi Okubo, Chami Ishi, Kayoko Naoe, Hitomi Koto, Kanaya Oki, Mei Osawa, Takeshi Watanabe are all also credited on the album.
Bombastic orchestrations, unhinged electric guitars, frantic synths, chilling choirs... Shadow Labyrinth covers the entire atmospheric spectrum. While I have to admit I still don't quite see how any of this connects to PAC-MAN, I thoroughly enjoyed discovering what this insanely talented team put together.
Find all listening links for Shadow Labyrinth (Original Soundtrack) by Bandai Namco Game Music on its dedicated page:
→ https://nwpl.ing/shadow-labyrinth
