A Metroidvania based on the world of Record of Lodoss War? It seems like a joke, but that's how Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is, and don't be fooled by its classic style, it is a game that has surprises and interesting things that I will be telling you in this review.
Record of Lodoss War is an anime of a fantasy-medieval type, its popularity occurred in the late 80s and early 90s. Even with all the clichés that can be expected, it is an anime that stood out a lot for the construction of its world and its beautiful drawing. In fact, there have not been many games based on this franchise, mainly because its fame exploded more than two decades ago, but it is Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth, the game that accompanies us today, which will be in charge of redeeming this franchise. . And as strange as it sounds, yes, it is a metroidvania based on this saga.
One thing we all agree on is that the Metroidvania genre is not the most remarkable when it comes to stories, and from the trailers and glimpses of the game that we saw it showed that it was not the exception, hardly and has a plot. Deedlit is trapped in something like a dream maze, and will have to use her wits and strength to escape from there. Despite the fact that the game was supervised by Ryo Muzuno himself and that it connects with the novel, going through the labyrinth gives the feeling that the characters are forced to appear only to be remembered by fans of the saga.
Removing that complaint about the game's narrative, I have to say that Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is one of the most interesting Metroidvanias that have been released in recent years, at least as far as I am concerned. What stands out the most at first glance is its pixel art, the kind that falls in love with just seeing an image. It also has its resemblance to Symphony of the Night, because it replicates the animations of Alucard's cape, and the trails that we leave behind are a similar detail too, but despite this, they are details that don't matter when you have such a game. well focused and interesting.
I do not think that Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is a really short game, but compact, it is a game that does not lengthen unnecessarily, it is more of an adventure of fast levels and that does not waste your time. Obviously, like any game of the genre that is respected, it has many shortcuts and secondary paths that can help you discover new weapons and of course skills, but all at your own pace, which is appreciated.
Something that I also like a lot is that the enemies are not there simply to let themselves be killed, but that they have their own patterns and that sometimes they join up with other enemies to counteract their weaknesses. Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is a somewhat more difficult game than others of the genre, mostly because of the bosses, despite its duration, which is approximately 6 hours, everything is well mixed. If the game is beautiful in itself, the bosses are a real spectacle, especially because some of them occupy a large part of the screen, they have brutal animations and an interesting learning pattern, some of them are a challenge, so don't just hit and heal you. One of the most interesting ideas in the game is its healing system, which focuses on the two spirits that accompany us during the adventure. The air one, Sylph, and the fire one, Salamander. Combining both is an art, each one allows us to absorb the attacks of the enemies of the same element, and ends up having a dynamic very similar to that of the classic Ikaruga.
In fact, this system is not only that, since apart from potions, we can also heal ourselves using spirits, reaching level 3 and using them to increase our life. If they hit us and we will go down in level, so using them wisely is essential to have a gradual healing at all times. This system is more demanding as we progress through the game, we also have a bow and magic attacks, although not all of them are very useful to say the least. As for the puzzles, there really are not many, but the few that there are are interesting despite not being a great challenge.
In short, although my main complaint about Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is its short duration, since most games of the genre are around 15-20 hours, I see in this game a good design and level decision, because it omits the repetition of enemies and corridors to give us constant and innovative entertainment at every step we take, in terms of rhythm, it is one of the most interesting metroidvania in recent years. It is a game that does not take unnecessarily long, it has a good duration for the type of design you want to aim for, in short, it is a fast game, more complex than it appears and full of surprises.