Nintendo’s hybrid handheld console is a buffet with offerings from just about every genre imaginable, but when it comes to classic dungeon crawlers on Switch, there’s surprisingly little choice. With Atlus’ hit Etrian Odyssey series on extended hiatus since the Nintendo 3DS’ retirement, there’s a notable absence of classic, first-person dungeon crawlers, but Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society from NIS America is stepping in to fill that gap in 2023 with its unique take on the genre and highly customizable combat system, and it’s coming to PS4 and Steam as well.
Labyrinth of Galleria follows an unorthodox protagonist and their companions as they investigate the mysteries of an ancient labyrinth under a strange and mildly sinister mansion on behalf of a majestic witch. The witch Marta isn’t the tale’s hero, nor is Eureka, the kindly girl featured on Galleria’s cover art. It’s the spirit in the lamp Eureka holds, the Lanterne de Phasmagorie.
The labyrinth holds countless surprises both cruel and kind, but fortunately for you, the lantern spirit can imbue puppets with the essence of life and recruit them to its cause. You build a small army of puppets to tackle the labyrinth’s dangers and can customize everything from their combat class to their likes, with an extensive list of weapons and abilities to kit them out with as well.
You’ll head into battle with several of these newly-animated warriors in teams of three, relying on the combination of their abilities and a bit of luck to overcome the obstacles you encounter. Or, more likely, to die trying a few times before figuring out the best strategy to move forward with. Labyrinth of Galleria’s monsters don’t play nicely.
Along with the various spirits, gremlins, and tree-covered crabs that want to cause you harm is the labyrinth itself, a suitably twisty maze with traps, surprise boons, underwater corridors, and so much more waiting for you to explore. While you can’t draw and customize the map like you can in Etrian Odyssey, you can affect the layout in other ways. You can destroy walls and create new paths, leap over certain obstacles to reach previously inaccessible areas, or try your luck with some of the seemingly benign – but probably deadly – discoveries you stumble upon in its shadowy, dank corridors.
If that sounds right up your alley, you won’t have to wait long for your foray into the abyss. Labyrinth of Galleria launches on Switch, PS4, and Steam on Feb. 14, 2023.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
