

Finding hidden pathways always leads to treasure or a star, and it pays to be observant. The puzzle layout is also a strong point, especially for the few that don't even resemble puzzles. This gives the game an odd sort of balance where a little bit of recklessness is fine as long as you're willing to put up a fight when it's necessary. By contrast, enemies that mob you take more health because you don't get a grace period of invincibility after each hit. Death due to pits and other traps only takes away a little bit of your health or armor. You'll encounter switches, enemies, and deadly instruments a little too late, catching you off-guard most of the time unless you've traversed the level before. Much like an RTS title's fog of war, every room you encounter is covered in darkness until you move, and your light uncovers parts of the dungeon as you travel. Part of the joy of the puzzles comes from the game's use of light. You'll easily leave the level with two or three stars, but it's the last two or three stars that highlight the game's puzzle elements solving the puzzles are the only way to acquire the remaining stars. In each level, there are five stars to be collected, all of which are essential if you want to unlock every level and beat the game. With the game mechanics focusing on the core genre tenets, the only addition is the inclusion and collection of stars. Defeating enemies, solving puzzles, and getting out are the real focus here. All of the stuff you find comes with benefits, but like the gold, don't expect to trade it in to buy better stuff. Also, any equipment you find is automatically equipped and carries no stats, so you won't find something that is weaker than what you already have. As valuable as gold is, it's only used as a way to determine your score, so don't expect to hoard it to get better equipment. In short, this is everything you'd expect from a dungeon crawler, but it's been distilled down to the core mechanics. Along the way, you'll do the usual exploring, like collecting better armor and weapons and grabbing as much treasure as you can carry. You'll encounter a few puzzles that impede your progress and lots of enemies who do the same, including a few bosses. As in most other dungeon games, your goal is to traverse room after room to find the exit and escape.

Labyrinth Legends tasks you with going through 16 dungeons.
