Summary
It’s no secret that low-poly first-person dungeon crawlers with crunchy textures and strange, moody atmospheres are in vogue right now. FromLunacidandDevil Spiretoupcoming games likeMonomythandVignettes: The Dream City, players are currently spoiled for choice when it comes to brutal throwback dungeon crawling. Yet, even in such a crowded space, sometimes a game still manages to stand out; one of those games isLabyrinth of the Demon King.
Originally announced in October 2021—but shown off again during Top Hat Studio’s showcase at this year’s Guerrilla Collective event—Labyrinth of the Demon Kingis a grim, disturbing first person adventure set in the heart of a supernaturally infested feudal Japan. Playing the role of the last surviving soldier after his unit was ambushed by demons, players are tasked with traveling deep into the Demon King’s labyrinth to find, fight, and kill the ruler of the realm.
Labyrinth of the Demon King Embraces The Latter Age of the Dharma
The most immediately striking thing aboutLabyrinth of the Demon King’s trailer is its world design. The game is set in an alternate feudal Japan during The Latter Age of the Dharma—a 10,000 year long ‘Degenerate Age’ where evil reigns and demons roam the Earth. Low-res textures and heavy shadows wrap around twisted evil creatures that shamble and slither toward the player. Tight, oppressive environments, a muted palette and eerie sound design immediately sell solo dev J. R. Hudepohl’s vision of anempty, apocalyptic Japanwracked by disease, famine, and supernatural evil.
The trailer also showcases the game’s core gameplay loops of exploration and combat. From swollen-headed peasants and large, stony Nuppeppo, to a man-spider reminiscent ofDark Souls’ Queelagand a pustule-covered Nuribotoke whose eyeballs hang down on exposed optic nerves—the enemies inLabyrinth of the Demon Kingare grotesque and numerous. Thankfully, the player’s arsenal of weapons is equally numerous. The dangers are legion in the Demon King’s labyrinth, but the player will be well armed and ready to take them on.
The Games That Inspired Labyrinth of the Demon King
From the trailer’s first moments, it’s clear thatLabyrinth of the Demon Kingseeks to combine the bleak hopelessness ofSilent Hillwith the oblique, uncanny atmosphere of early FromSoft games, in order to create something wholly new and deeply disturbing. With monster designs reminiscent ofSilent Hill 4: The Roomand cinematic sequences reminiscent ofSilent Hill 2, J. R. Hudepohl looks to be taking as much inspiration from fromSilent Hill’s most quixotic entryas from its most disturbing. There are also shades ofOnimusha, though that may simply be a result of the game’s setting.
As forLabyrinth of the Demon King’s gameplay, whileKing’s Field’s core structure is apparent, the gameplay itself eschews the slower, clunkier combat ofFromSoft’s iconic dungeon-crawling franchise, in favor of taking inspiration fromCondemned: Criminal Origins’ nasty, brutish and short melee brawls. Further in the vein ofCondemned, enemies also have ambush capabilities, and are able to use cabinet doors, chairs, and other environmental elements to attack the player.
On J. R. Hudepohl’s X page, a handful of screenshots and gameplay previews feature The Merchant, a character heavily inspired byResident Evil 4’s character of the same name. The Merchant is said to be one of the few friendly characters inLabyrinth of the Demon King’s hostile, demon-filled setting.
Labyrinth of the Demon King is Still in Active Development
Labyrinth of the Demon King’s Steam page just went up, and interested gamers are encouraged to add it to their wishlists. Other than some striking screenshots and a brief blurb explaining the game’s story, a post on the game’s Steam page promises that more exciting news and updates about the game will be released over the next few months asTop Hat Studiosbegins the game’s rollout.Labyrinth of the Demon Kingis set to release some time in 2025.
Silent Hill 4
WHERE TO PLAY
A room full of nightmares….Henry Townshend finds himself trapped in his apartment and the only escape is through a mysterious portal that leads to a horrifying alternate reality. With gruesome sights around every corner and his sanity being tested, he must find his way out of this nightmare. Enter The Room, a thrilling story in the most terrifying game series of all time.
