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After a late 2024 announcement, now we know when Shadow Labyrinth — the dark reboot of Bandai Namco’s Pac-Man franchise — will be available for fans to play for themselves. As revealed during today’s Nintendo Direct livestream, the game will be available this July, for anyone with a healthy appetite.

Spinning out of the Pac-Man episode of Prime Video’s Secret Level animated series, Shadow Labyrinth is a 2D side-scroller that lets the player become Swordsman No. 8, a mysterious character trapped on an alien planet where their only ally is Puck — a Pac-Man-esque character that guides the player through a maze and helps when faced with opposition. And, by help, I mean “merges with the player to form Gaia, a giant mech that can eat its opponents.”

Of course, it’s not all fun new dietary requirements; as the Direct stream teased, players must “work to uncover Puck’s true goal,” because the little yellow floating ball isn’t exactly a good guy, as anyone who saw the ‘Circle’ episode of Secret Level already knows…

Shadow Labyrinth launches on the Nintendo Switch July 18.

The gaming industry has come a long way since Pong blew all our minds in the 70s. We've got everything you need to know about the next big thing in games. Of course, Grand Theft Auto VI is going to be the big game of 2026, but there are plenty of other games coming out between now and then. Here is our starter guide for every gamer:

• All upcoming games in 2025 and beyond
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And be sure to check Popverse regularly for the latest gaming news.