Labyrinth Legends is the newest game from Creat Studios and is available now for the PlayStation 3 om the PlayStation Network Store. The game is a hack and slash dungeon crawler with lots of puzzling elements thrown in. There is a small back story to the game that you are treated to at the start of the game. Basically it looks like you your marriage is cut short when an evil wizard of some sorts kidnaps your wife. From here, your journey will begin in a labyrinth filled world of danger and puzzle solving.

Graphics

Graphically, Labyrinth Legends does look pretty good. I mean it’s not what I would call next generation graphics but overall, it’s very good for the type of game it is. The game has some great lighting effects which you will notice when you’re crawling around in the dungeons. You’ll start off basically with a pitch black screen except for the current room that you start in. As you explore the maze of rooms, they will light up for you and you’ll be able to see more of the map. Again, as you move around the corridors and enter rooms, you’ll really notice how good the lighting effects are and how room subtly brighten and darken as you enter them. It’s a really nice touch that adds realism to the game.

Aside from that, most of the game seems pretty standard to me. It’s got cool character designs, definitely cool maze layouts with some very nice details such as background animations, flame effects, and it always seems like there is something moving on the screen which again is a great little addition as it really gives the whole game a sense of life.

I would say there is very little not to like about the way the game looks and I personally think it’s a gorgeous little game.

Gameplay

Gameplay is where Labyrinth Legends really shines. To me, gameplay is more important than how great the graphics look and thankfully here, the gameplay and the graphics work very well together. For starters, Labyrinth Legends plays a lot like a hack and slash, button mashing dungeon crawler. You explore mysterious dungeons to discover treasure and secrets while also fighting off enemies. For this portion of the game, you’ll be mashing buttons and collecting all the loot you can. This is traditional dungeon crawling right there. However, its the puzzle solving aspects of Labyrinth Legends that really sets it apart in my opinion and makes it worth a look.

The puzzles that are featured in the game are quite challenging. Unlike other puzzle games however that allow you to take your time to solve, many of the puzzles featured here have “hurry up and solve them before you die” attitude to them. For instance, I came across a room with a puzzle, but it was filled with poisonous gas. I had to go back and fight some enemies to find a gas mask to use in order to go into the puzzle room and solve it. However, halfway through, I took to long and my gas mask was spent causing me to inhale poisonous gas and lose health. I had to quickly leave the room and go find another mask to complete the rest of the puzzle. You’ll find plenty of puzzles like this in Labyrinth Legends that require quick thought to figure out, otherwise you end up losing a lot of health. Not a bad way really to keep you on your toes and keep the game moving along.

Outside of trying to complete each level, there is the secondary challenge of trying to collect all 5 stars in each as well as 3 bonus objectives. Finding all the stars isn’t a real necessity at the beginning, but you’ll need them later if you want to open up all the levels. Each level requires a set number of stars you need to have. That gives the game good replay value as you’ll want to go back to earlier levels and try to gain all the stars. Finding all the stars isn’t easy however and you’ll really need your best dungeon crawling skills to get them.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Labyrinth Legends is a wonderful game that has a lot to offer. The story is a bit generic, but the whole adventure itself is worth the journey. I enjoy a good hack and slash game every now and then but adding in the puzzling elements only makes it that much better and more interesting of a game. Each level you play gets progressively harder along with the puzzles and enemies you encounter and if you love challenges, you’ll love this. It’s great for casual gamers as well as hardcore gamers alike. The graphics are good, the game is engaging, and above all, it is fun to play.

What I also really love however is the fact that my kid even enjoys playing this. He loves the hack and slash elements and when hard puzzles come along, he hands the controller over to me. It ends up being a game that we play together which is a neat way to spend time doing something we love, and that is play games.

Look for Labyrinth Legends in the PlayStation Store, available now for $9.99.