Labyrinth of Zangetsu

This game is a very low effort dungeon crawler that wants to be punishing early on. However, the devs forgot that an early over-rotation of party members with a high cost of resurrection early on kinda sucks to play vs the many other games that prefer to keep your interest by allowing you time to build your group up before presenting a challenge to test your setup. This game prefers the low hp high dmg approach which means you can leave the tutorial with dead teammates mostly due to rng and have a sour taste in your mouth which makes you wonder why should I care to continue playing this game over others. It makes things worse if you have already played other games with QoL features available or even the other games inspired by Wizardly which already go above and beyond this bare minimal approach to a dungeon crawler. And yes the stat loss on level appears starting on the first one for level 2 so if you like progress being reverted because reasons, but not due to complex character chemistry like in other games that would have required extra effort, and this is one of the most barebones dungeon crawler that you could make in 2022.

Not very fun. It is too grindy and not as thrilling as I hoped. The harshest criticism I can give: I'm not even mad. I'm just disappointed.

It's a decent dungeon crawler. Unfortunately the graphical style, while interesting at first, causes all the environments to look very samey after a while. Nothing super interesting to see here, but it's alright if you like the genre.

This is just another dime-a-dozen typical RNG-reliant dungeon crawler that uses the same formula as 90% of all the other same types of dungeon crawler. limited spell slots for casters, you need someone that cna identify and disarm traps, front line attackers don't get ♥♥♥♥ for skills and they also have no cost so once you do have them you just spam them, 99% trash useless garbage drops that don't sell for ♥♥♥♥ at the store so if anyone dies, you're going to have to pretty much just make a new character or lose all your money resurrecting your dead one, you don't get a spell to be able to leave the dungeon until lvl 13, so every single time you're going to have to FULLY backtrack all the way to the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ beginning. Only decent thing this game has is the art style. Everything else is the same recycled crap. I'm really glad the Etrian series and Labyrinth of Refrain exist to change things up from this stale and dry formula.

Labyrinth of Zangetsu, developed by ACQUIRE Corp. and KaeruPanda Inc. and published by PQube, is a dungeon-crawling role-playing game that embraces classic design philosophy while presenting it through a memorable visual identity. Instead of chasing modern trends centered around accessibility and speed, the game builds itself around methodical exploration, difficult encounters, and careful preparation. Set in a dark interpretation of feudal Japan, players enter a world consumed by a supernatural disaster known as the Ink of Ruin, a corruption that twists both the environment and its inhabitants into terrifying forms. From its first moments, the game establishes a haunting atmosphere that becomes one of its greatest strengths. Its visual direction immediately separates it from countless fantasy role-playing games. The entire adventure is presented with a striking monochromatic art style inspired by traditional Japanese ink paintings. Dungeons appear like moving brushwork brought to life, creating an eerie blend of beauty and horror. Black shadows swallow corridors, monsters emerge from darkness like unfinished paintings, and every environment feels intentionally crafted to create d…

A fun DRPG / Blobber / Wizardry like. I had an enjoyable time with this game. Maybe originally put off by the black and white ascetics i quickly got used to it. I enjoyed the switching classes during the later parts of the game. Would like to see a sequel to this. Only needed to check a game guide a few times when i felt i got stuck. Played mostly on the steamdeck.