Recently, I had free time between tasks when Labyrinthe, a horror game developed and published by Valko Game Studios, landed in my inbox. In the ever-abundant horror genre, a game really has to shine to make an impression, as most ideas truly have been beaten to death.

Labyrinthine, unfortunately, doesn’t quite shine; in fact, it’s closer to being pitch black, even with its brightness turned all the way up. The brightness was, in fact, the first thing I noticed as soon as I entered the tutorial.

Now, I understand that horror games are supposed to utilise darkness and the unknown to their advantage, but here, the darkness is actually detrimental to the player’s experience. Even when using the torch or other light source, you can barely see a couple of meters in front of you, so it isn’t exactly scary when you can’t even see the monster that is supposed to scare you.

With no real way to see, I ended up completing the tutorial by simply wandering through the darkness. Back at the menu, you start new games via the quest board.

Story Mode consists of a series of different quests that investigate various disappearances within mazes, such as a police officer searching for his missing child or an investigator who vanishes. However, I couldn’t really tell you how cohesive the overall narrative is, and I didn’t particularly care for it.

The real fun is found in Case Files, short missions that range from easy to hard, where you and your friends must complete objectives without losing all your lives to the specific monster hunting you and completing puzzles. Throughout the review period, I played solo, which was my own fault, as the game is definitely better with friends, where the enjoyment comes from working together and making your own fun while surviving.

Puzzles are generally straightforward, where either trial and error or simply finding the solution within a couple of minutes is effective. Though I guess, being hunted by a monster at the same time means puzzles shouldn’t really be all that confusing, even if I would’ve liked a little more challenge from them.

The monster variety is actually quite decent overall. While I had a hard time seeing them and was never particularly scared, navigating the confusing mazes was the absolute highlight, and having different types of monsters added to the experience. Some monsters can’t see, requiring you to stay quiet when nearby, while others can see quite well, meaning hiding is your best play.

It was easy to get lost within the maze as soon as you saw a threat and had to get away, a benefit of the game being so dark. The layout is so narrow that if you get caught up in the greenery and get turned around, suddenly you’re back where you started. Better equipment can be found in levels and unlocked via the ticket system, though even the best torch didn’t really provide you much in the way of visibility.

You can find glow sticks, which are vital in marking your way so you can remember where you have and haven’t explored, or a compass, which can be crucial in keeping you on the right direction, just to name a few.

Upon completing the case and its objectives, you gain XP to level up and receive tickets, which can be spent in the tent. Challenges that reset periodically also grant these same rewards. The challenges are usually time-based or objective-based, such as finishing a case in under 15 minutes or destroying X number of effigies. Back at the tent, it serves as your form of customisation, which is a bit lacklustre. To edit your character, you have to reach level 100 or level 1000, which seems like an unnecessary grind for cosmetics.

Fortunately, you can purchase other equipment or cosmetics at the store using your tickets. A revival tool that can revive yourself, or a flare gun, which came in pretty handy. Cosmetically, you can purchase different hats or styles of glow sticks. Though these cost upwards of 500 to 1000 tickets, so once again, the grind is pretty extreme.

Overall, Labyrinthine isn’t aiming to be the next massive horror-defining game, falling short in multiple areas; however, if you would like to get lost in a maze, mess around with your friends while escaping a nice variety of monsters, there is some occasional fun to be found here.

Written by: Dylan Kocins