GAME ON!

Three new releases for consoles and PCs

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Although now can be a slow period for new video games, there were a few major releases in recent weeks.

Our critic considered Donkey Kong Bananza a strong addition to the Nintendo Switch 2 library, praising the “lavishly animated extravaganza”. Another critic thought the auteur Hideo Kojima was a bit heavy-handed in Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, which addresses the pitfalls of connection.

Here are three other games you may have missed this month.

SHADOW LABYRINTH

When it comes to choosing a movie to watch on an airplane, I always opt for something that rests comfortably on the lower range of good. I steer clear from things I really want to see because I’m an uptight cinephile who would prefer to watch the best stuff in front of a nice setup without ambient distractions.

I thought about those preferences while playing Shadow Labyrinth, a good but by no means great Metroidvania. In keeping with the genre, it offers the lulling comfort of crisscrossing a mazelike structure and acquiring power-ups that allow the player to unlock previously inaccessible areas.

Shadow Labyrinth won't blow anyone away with its visuals, which come across as a mildly souped-up take on retro-style graphics, but it features a strong hook: Imagine if you took Pac-Man — the OG video game maze-runner — and thrust him into a sci-fi world where he assists a hooded sword-wielding warrior.