Labyrinth of the Demon King is a analogue journée through the accursed annals of Feudal Japanese fear
Lo-fi terror delivered through heightened mechanical means.
As a current resident of Japan, I am often beset by a particular paralysis in parsing my measures of navigation. If my phone were to inadvertently plunge into the great 鴨川, I would likely wander its serpentining streets for hours; intoxicated by its richness of character, nonetheless. Thus, Top Hat Studios’ Labyrinth of the Demon King, featured as part of Steam Scream 2024, is a maddening, minimalistic manifestation of my most pressing fear - though I may have slightly exaggerated my concerns, I have lived here long enough to survive on a compass and konbini coffee alone.
The pillarboxed, PlayStation 1 presentation removes peripheral oversight, toying with the modern survival sensibility.
J.R. Hudepohl’s design cannily crosses four generations through its balance of technical sophistication and antiquated aesthetic, infusing Silent Hill’s murky milieu with the contemporary craft of an immersive sim. Enemies are animated with lucid precision, breaking from their pixelated prism to challenge your limited toolset. As an 足軽, a term denoting base infantry eminently active during the Sengoku period, your standing as one of ‘light foot’ provides swift, yet considered means of locomotion; you are challenged to improvise in light of restriction upon your arsenal. This concept is an effective evolution on the survival-horror genre of yore, pitting an ordinary, yet capable avatar against beasts of an implacable persuasion.
“Over here, stranger!”
Similarly to an audiophile’s appreciation for a serene, lacquered vinyl, the velvet ridges of gaming’s fifth-generation have an appeal of their own: a triumph of creative direction against abject technical limitation. Thus, Labyrinth of the Demon King, drawing upon the master presses coded through Resident Evil and its ilk, employs an inventory bearing brief descriptions of an item’s purpose; the relationship between these artifacts and gameplay is revised to remove residual clunkiness. Furthermore, cutscenes choreograph setpieces in a real-time manner, revolutionising the punctuated presentation of old.
Combat encounters are robust; their animations, followed by flourishes of gore, are notably fluid and frightening.
Through your journey in the ambient forest, you may encounter rogue, yet beguiling allies; the element of risk and reward provides its disquieting atmosphere with a tenuous reprieve. Furthermore, its sound design enhances the vague detail to a remarkable end - pattering rain is met with crunchy footsteps, succeeded by an ominous hum through the map’s twisting terrain. Reams of dialogue unveil the mystery in an emergent regard; this principle is designed to unify material history with sinister concepts of corrupted mysticism.
The clean UI draws greater attention to its carefully curated locations.
Should you reserve the wherewithal to slash, bargain, and sneak your way through the underbelly of its malevolent woods, Labyrinth of the Demon King may be a profound exercise in terror delivered through the pentameter of a generation past. Depth can be approximated through engagement, rather than graphical prowess - wear headphones, though only if you dare.
How did I miss this? Downloading the demo right now.