Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was a landmark 2D platformer for cementing the standard of what a metroidvania could be. Back then, most people expected classic arcade-style action, but Symphony of the Night surprised everyone with rich RPG elements like experience points, gear customisation, and spells, all wrapped in gorgeous pixel art, atmospheric gothic ambience, and hauntingly beautiful music. It inspired countless games, from later Castlevania entries and Metroid titles to modern indie hits like Hollow Knight, Ori, Bloodstained, and Dead Cells. Symphony of the Night proved that 2D side-scrollers could offer epic scope and replayability, influencing design philosophy across the industry and helping sustain 2D gaming during the 3D boom. When it was time for everyone’s favourite elf girl to get her own game, a sprawling interconnected map, ability-based progression, backtracking, and personal discovery felt like a perfect way to pay tribute to Castlevania‘s most popular entry. Is this the combination people didn’t realise they needed? Find out and don’t get lost in this Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth review!
For anyone who doesn’t know, Record of Lodoss War is a Japanese fantasy saga that began as a Dungeons & Dragons-inspired RPG campaign in the 1980s before expanding into light novels, anime, manga, and games. Set on the war-torn island continent of Lodoss, it follows epic conflicts between humans, elves, dragons, and dark forces. The story follows a band of young adventurers striving to stop the Marmo Empire and ancient evils from taking over Lodoss, drawing heavy inspiration from Tolkien and exploring themes of heroism, destiny, and tragedy.
Deedlit, a beautiful high elf from the Forest of No Return, is one of the central characters. Seeking purpose beyond her isolated elven life, she joins the human knight Parn and his companions Etoh, Ghim, Slayn, and Woodchuck early in the adventure. As a skilled swordswoman and powerful spirit mage, Deedlit provides magical support and combat prowess. Her growing romance with Parn forms a key emotional thread, highlighting the bittersweet contrast between her long elven lifespan and the fleeting lives of her human friends. She evolves from a curious outsider into a loyal heroine integral to Lodoss’s fate.
Wonder Labyrinth is about Deedlit as she encounters her old allies and enemies from the Lodoss Wars. Everyone she encounters acts oddly and then disappears. Pirotess, Deedlit’s former rival, attempts to bring back the fiendish Ashram using a Soul Crystal Ball and the blood of Deedlit’s beloved Parn, sparking fights against flawed or illusory versions of old enemies. The labyrinth feels like a warped reunion and rematch through the chapters of Deedlit’s past. Without spoiling the story, fans of the original OVA and series will be pleased to see how this story further fleshes out Deedlit and her place in Lodoss. It’s a shockingly effective and tragic story that beautifully illustrates the melancholy of an elf’s immortality while set in a kickass metroidvania.
Like a good metroidvania, Deedlit is free to explore so long as she has abilities to reach new areas in a sizeable interconnected map. She gets various melee weapon types like swords, spears, axes and bows, each with different ranges, speeds, and properties. What elevates the combat is the Ikaruga-like dual-spirit system: switching between Sylph and Salamander’s flame. Sylph enables hovering, faster aerial movement, and wind-based attacks, while Salamander’s gifts offer a powerful sliding dash with temporary invincibility and fire damage. Only one spirit can be active at a time, while the inactive one gains levels by absorbing souls from enemies. At level 3, a spirit offers passive healing when swapped in, adding constant strategic depth as players manage levels, switch to cover weaknesses, and absorb different damage types to advance.
The first thing that stands out in Wonder Labyrinth is its impressive execution, especially for an indie title. The pixel art is vibrant and detailed, brought to life with smooth animations. Deedlit’s movements carry both weight and grace, set against atmospheric environments that blend high-fantasy wonder with a touch of melancholy. It perfectly mirrors the look of the OVA while adding a distinctive dash of Symphony of the Night’s style. There’s no mistaking that many of Deedlit’s frames are keenly inspired by Alucard’s fluent gestures. Controls are precise and responsive, making exploration satisfying. The spirit-switching mechanic stands out as fresh and integral, influencing combat, traversal, and puzzle solving in meaningful ways.
The only problem with Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is that it ends too fast. While most modern metroidvanias can be unbelievably long, Hollow Knight and Silksong can easily surpass the length of many JRPGs. Understandably, some may prefer a game to be all killer and no filler, but Wonder Labyrinth is closer to being as long as a 16-bit game that can be beaten in a single sitting. It would have been nicer if there had been a bit more than just New Game+ and boss rush. Adding one or two more areas could have made it feel like a real adventure rather than just Deedlit going on a casual outing. There was room for more. It didn’t need to be as long as Symphony of the Night, but it should’ve been more than six hours.
