Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth (Xbox Series X)
Record of Lodoss War is a long-running and intricate series spread across multiple mediums, many of which don’t have proper English translations. Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is in an interesting spot though, its construction built off pre-existing elements from the series but telling a story that doesn’t necessarily require familiarity with other source material to follow along with. Centralizing the conflict on one character and making it more of a guiding line for an exploration-focused platformer rather than an intricate tale that has much narrative weight on its own, it might not exactly provide a rich tale for the franchise’s fans but is able to use its history to make a different video game experience.
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth takes place after the pivotal moments of previous installments, the war on the island of Lodoss won thanks to the united efforts of six brave heroes. Deedlit, a high elf, fell in love with another member of the group Parn and had hoped to find a peaceful life of happiness with him after, but sometime later she finds herself awaking in a labyrinth of monsters, her mind cloudy on how she ended up here and the only lead she really has being the sight of Parn heading deeper into the mysterious dungeon. As she begins to explore though, Deedlit encounters plenty of familiar faces, from the heroes she fought alongside to even the villains she once defeated, and while this is an important element of the grander mystery at play, it does mean a lot of the encounters have her introducing a character with the same expression of shock at their presence. However, their changed behavior begins to hint at why she finds herself in this strange domain and things do start to come together into a plot that can build off old memories without necessarily requiring the player to have the same level of recognition as Deedlit, this plot mostly just a guiding hand to bring you to its boss fights and justify the existence of the area you find yourself exploring.
As the titles implies, this exploration-focused platformer is focused on the navigation of the wonder labyrinth, an interconnected space that mostly has a Gothic air to its interior spaces but still breaks up the aesthetics some so nature can sneak in either through lovely but subdued background details or areas that still feel enclosed enough thanks to cavern walls so that some more diverse natural environments can slip in reasonably. Different areas of the map can still blend together aesthetically a bit despite this, but overall the world isn’t too large nor the adventure so long that it stagnates, especially since the game can introduce new hazards like an abundance of lava or spikes and brand new enemy types so you can identify spaces by the threats they present if not always their appearance. Over the course of the adventure you will gradually get new abilities that expand how you can explore the labyrinth, earlier areas opening up as you can start to do things like jump higher and fire a bow that interacts with various gears and pulleys in a gradually expanding series of small tests, but the more compelling part of your abilities in Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth actually arise from something granted to you fairly early in your journey: the two spirits.
Deedlit herself is a fairly agile fighter gifted with a few weapons, the player able to even acquire different weapons types over the adventure that vary in their strength, reach, and swing speed, but her most important ability for navigating the world and fighting foes are those that arise from the wind spirit Sylph and the fire spirit Salamander. Depending on which spirit she has active, Deedlit’s abilities shift in small but important ways. Sylph will let her hover in the air while Salamander will let her move through lava and fire without concern, and while these are useful for overcoming expected obstacles, these also give you important edges in battles against bosses or rooms filled with a multitude of enemies. Deedlit might need to hover to get around a room covered in spikes, but at the same time fire barriers require her to time her movement well to slip through them by swapping the spirits quickly and while under attack from skeletal warriors. More interestingly, certain enemies can resist either partially or completely the different elements the spirits embody, so while walking through a room full of lava with Salamander’s protection active is a breeze, the large birds that patrol it take no damage from you while the fire power inhabits your weapon. Much of Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth ends up being about the frequent management of which spirit you have active, bosses in particular often about identifying how their mix of wind and fire attacks are going to play out so you can accurately time when to swap to survive.
Normal villains and even the bosses can still pose a threat even if you swap the spirits expertly, partially because your different weapon options will necessitate adjusting your battle plan. A strong knife will require getting very close to foes who likely have some ranged attack in their arsenal but the weapons that can cover more space are often slow to swing so you have to pick your moments. Weapons can be found randomly as drops from monsters, on the other side of small puzzle rooms that involve trick shooting, and can be purchased from the dwarf Ghim, but money is slow to accrue even if you fight monsters often so purchasing decisions are weighty. That does make items like healing potions hard to justify buying, but there is another reason why healing and special one-use items might not be worth your time. The spirit system has another layer to it, that being that both of them can be built up through hurting enemies without getting hurt yourself. Land enough hits while one spirit is equipped and the level of the other spirit will increase up to 3, this making their attacks stronger when active and it’s not too difficult to build these up even in the midst of a boss battle. When at level 3 though, a spirit will also passively heal you, and with many pattern focused bosses, you can just build up a spirit to level 3 and recover a bit too easily. It is nice to have a way beyond save points to heal up of course when out exploring the labyrinth, the safe areas actually spaced well so it is likely you might sometimes die while exploring and need to tidy up your play when you head back out, but some bosses lose their edge when you can offset the damage without much investment. Recovery isn’t so fast it invalidates the challenge and you will need to learn attacks to avoid them while recovering, but some of the intensity is lessened when this option always exists and isn’t too hard to access.
There are a few extras here and there like a gambling minigame if you want to better afford new tools and the labyrinth is spaced well to introduce new areas regularly and connect them all with reasonably spaced teleports. The developers Team Ladybug did also work on Touhou Luna Nights which feels like a more creative exploration-based platformer though and even has perhaps a better execution of a character finding themselves in a familiar but strange labyrinth, but that doesn’t diminish the quality of what is presented here. A lot of Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth’s effectiveness hinges on the two spirit system, but it is well handled and not even omnipresent in every activity so that there is some for other ideas to breathe. The bow is a useful tool for combat and navigational puzzles but you also gradually unlock magical spells that draw from the same resource as the bow, the player able to choose if they want a powerful attack that they’ll need to set up well or the more flexible utility of quick arrow shots based on the situation and foe. It dabbles in just enough outside the spirit swapping that the game can offer more than just managing Sylph and Salamander, but it doesn’t deviate it from so long that it feels it loses the most interesting part of its identity exploring more familiar action platformer ideas.
THE VERDICT: Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth keeps its story lean and clean to avoid scaring off new players so it can instead draw them in with how well its dual spirit system intersects with the exploration and action. While the healing it provides might be a bit generous, the area design and boss strength can still pose a reasonable threat so proper spirit use isn’t the only required element for consistent success across this quick and entertaining excursion through a rather navigable labyrinth.
And so, I give Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth for Xbox Series X…
A GOOD rating. While the plot has a bit of heart, most of your time with Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth will be spent exploring its areas and making use of Sylph or Salamander, the effect those spirits have on the world mostly well-balanced. The game can construct a room that is challenging because you need to skillfully swap between them when it feels like it’s pulling you in different directions, but you can also receive simpler rewards for picking the right spirit to deal more damage or give you some mobility options during a fight. The fire spirit may resist an enemy’s attacks better, but maybe floating with Sylph and firing arrows at them would be a safer battle style, especially if your weapon of choice otherwise asks for getting in close to deal some damage. While a lot of the game’s movement and fighting will come back to the spirits in some way, you still have some influence on how it unfolds thanks to your choices in the moment or finding which magic spells and weapons suit your preferred fighting style best. The wonder labyrinth is varied enough despite its limited size and visual identity that is still supported with generally lovely sprite art, but there could be room for greater diversity if the game was expanded beyond its manageable but somewhat quick playtime of around 6 or 7 hours. The arrow and pulley puzzles are spread out enough they don’t feel like they’re leaned on too much and the action ends up the primary focus as it should be, but there could be a bit more spice to the affair if the healing didn’t come so easily and elements like buying healing potions would feel more purposeful for it.
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth maybe doesn’t do too much to sell the massive series it is tied to but that’s because it’s not much of a sales pitch for it. Players can enjoy the entertaining action and exploration elements with a story that even justifies its approach to presenting its history without alienating someone with the wealth of callbacks present. The balancing of the two spirits ends up being the satisfying core here and the game builds around it well though, it not feeling like it is self-contained but still forming a pretty cohesive package that explores its ideas properly before wrapping things up. With even the healing not undermining the better fights and feeling a fine accommodation for more dangerous moments of exploration, Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth keeps its energy and difficulty at a good level because it keeps its attention where it will prove most effective.