A new month brings a new offering for Xbox Game Pass. The excellent service continues to be one of the best reasons to buy into Microsoft’s game offerings. As of December 16, the most recent round ofXbox Game Passtitles have dropped. The ones from this month look to be a big win for the service and include titles such asAmong Uson the Xbox Cloud Gaming beta, the hand-animated adventure gameBroken Age, the forest-trawlingFirewatch, the day-one release ofThe Gunk, and even the much-acclaimedMortal Kombat 11. That’s a ton of value for many different people, althoughYakuzafans should make sure to get toYakuza 0and theKiwamititles before they leave the service at the end of the month.
But that’s not all Game Pass has drummed up. Xbox touch controls were implemented into a number ofwell-known indie titles includingBug Fables,Dicey Dungeons, andOne Step From Eden, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can take advantage of them. A number of Game Pass Ultimate perks were released for various games including aHalo Infinitemultiplayer bundle. And, serving as a point of interest to indie enthusiasts,Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinthhas also arrived on Game Pass alongside its console release.
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What Is Record of Lodoss War?
Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinthis a game set in theRecord of Lodoss Waruniverse.Record of Lodoss Waris a Japanese fantasy novel series written by Ryo Mizuno. Beginning in 1988, this series has gone on tospawn countless games, anime, and manga, but mostly just in Japan. While the novels have sold over ten million copies total in their home country, next to nothing has penetrated North America.Wonder Labyrinth’s story and plentiful cameos won’t hit as hard because of that, but fortunately, they aren’t that important.
As for whatLodoss Wartypically entails, it’s a standard fantasy settingbased onDungeons & Dragons. In fact, the setting was originally created by Group SNE as aDungeons & Dragons"replay" serialized in the Japanese magazine Comptiq from 1986 to 1988, though some other game systems were used as well. The story recounts the adventures of the young warrior Parn, as well as his gradually growing party. The high elf Deedlit joined the group early on and became Parn’s love interest, and has since become the protagonist of bothWonder Labyrinthand a number of her own stories.
What Is Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth?
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinthfeatures Deedlit’s adventures in the titular labyrinth, a century after the bulk of the franchise’s stories have concluded. The game serves as a prequel to the Deedlit-focused Diadem of the Covenant arc, which is still being published. Again, though, knowing that isn’t important for enjoyingWonder Labyrinth. What is important, at least to the developer Team Ladybug, is thatDeedlit’s sprite looks a lot likeCastlevania’s Alucard. Having developedShin Megami Tensei: Synchronicity Prologueand the incredible MetroidvaniaTouhou Luna Nights, the co-producer Playism referred Team Ladybug to Ryo Mizuno as they seemed like a perfect match.
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinthplays like a fusion ofCastlevania: Symphony of the NightandIkaruga. The game is designed around exploration, and while progression is fairly linear due to its small size and level-based layout, it does reward curiosity. TheIkarugahomage comes in the form of a magic system that allows Deedlit to align herself with fire or wind magic, absorbing the corresponding element and powering it up. Mastery of this system can trivialize every challenge the game has to offer, but it’s still satisfying to use. More hardcore Metroidvania players may want to invest time inBloodstained: Ritual of the NightorHollow Knight, butDeedlit in Wonder Labyrinthstill holds fast as a polished and gorgeous entry in the genre.
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinthis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. A Switch port will be released on June 21, 2025.
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