Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth

I'm not trying to make you feel old, but it has been more than a decade since Konami made a proper side-scrolling Castlevania game. Thankfully, indie studios from around the world stepped up to fill the castle-shaped hole in our hearts and release their own takes on the 'Vania formula. We saw versions starring a luchador, set underwater, found in a cave, based on a movie, full of furries, procedurally-generated and even one featuring a boy who is also an owl. But what if you want something that looks, plays and has the same atmosphere as a game like Symphony of the Night? If that describes you, then let me introduce you to Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth, a game so similar to Castlevania that you can almost hear Dracula shaking in his cape. But don't write this off as just another clone, because this is one of the best side-scrolling action games I've played this year.

I should mention right at the top that I'm not familiar with the Record of Lodoss War series. I haven't read the manga, watched the anime or played any of the video game adaptations, so I went into Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth with no prior knowledge or expectations. I didn't even know that Deedlit was the name of a character. The good news is that you don't need to be well-versed on the source material, or even know anything at all, because this new game does an excellent job of bringing everybody along for the ride. It's about a high elf named Deedlit who wakes up in a familiar place for a mysterious reason. We're just as confused as she is, which sets up a compelling mystery that involves a lost love, an evil witch and a whole lot of secrets that are worth dredging up.

Like most games in this genre, Record of Lodoss War is more about the exploration and action than the storytelling. There's enough of a mystery to keep us invested, but the real goal of the game is to investigate this familiar world, fight a bunch of monsters and then find power-ups and abilities that will open up even more of the map to explore. If you've played Symphony of the Night or one of the many 2D Castlevania games from the early 2000s, then you will feel right at home in the Wonder Labyrinth.

That's not to say that there aren't any fresh ideas here, because there definitely are. Right off the bat, Deedlit is able to float above the ground, opening up a lot of fun platforming elements you don't normally see in this type of game. She also gains the ability to switch between wind and fire attacks. This is where the game begins to feel more like the classic shoot 'em up Ikaruga than Castlevania. Deedlit will be able to absorb blue attacks when she's harnessing wind and red attacks when she's using fire. And it's not just the magic that enemies will throw at her, but also the barriers that stand in the way and flame pits that can only be navigated by using her fiery side. Being able to switch between the two elements at the push of a button adds a lot of new possibilities when it comes to obstacles and boss attacks, and I love how unique this game feels because of it.

Record of Lodoss War also does some interesting things with the weapons. Instead of getting more powerful as you level up, our hero is able to pick up dozens of swords, spears, hammers, axes and bows and switch between them at any time. You can also buy and sell them at the item shop. I like that we're not only finding new weapons as we explore the labyrinth, but also earning them from killing monsters. We're able to hold a melee, bow and magic spell at the same time, allowing for a lot of fun ways to take on the wide assortment of cool bad guys and bosses. And the weapons aren't only for killing, as the bow will often work double duty when it comes to solving the labyrinth's many puzzles. It's another great example of the developer putting a lot of thought and care into every aspect of the gameplay.

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That's the sentiment I kept coming back to time and time again while playing through Record of Lodoss War. Between the gorgeous pixel graphics, the smooth animation, the tight gameplay, the challenging boss fights and even the moody music, Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth delivers in almost every way possible. And it's not just the big things that it gets right, but also the tiny details that make this world so much fun to live in. This looks and plays exactly like something Konami would have made at the height of Castlevania's popularity. It's that authentic. We've seen a lot of these types of games released by smaller studios, but this one impressed me a lot more than I was expecting.

The only noticeable downside to all this polish is the game's length. Split into only a few chapters, Record of Lodoss War is a bit shorter than other games in the genre. It's about half the length of Castlevania great like Symphony of the Night, Dawn of Sorrow and Harmony of Dissonance. The map is also a lot more straight-forward than those games. There's still plenty of incentive to explore the labyrinth and discover all of its secret areas, but I have a hunch that most people are going to whip through this game in only a few hours. I was more than a little surprised when I got to the end. Not necessarily disappointed, but definitely surprised.

But even with the short length, it's hard to not fall in love Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth. It not only gets all of the fundamentals right, but also exceeds expectations by adding a lot of new elements to the age-old formula. It also looks and plays exactly like a classic 2D Castlevania game, which made me feel surprisingly nostalgic. If Konami isn't going to make these types of games anymore, then I'm happy that somebody is there to keep the fire lit.