Dream Smasher: Swordsman No. 8 & PUCK (Guest Article)

Source Gaming is closing out 2025 by partying… with Pac-Man! Today, guest writer Echo is commemorating not only Pac-Man’s forty-fifth birthday, but the seventieth anniversary of the company responsible for him! And, after you’re acquainted with Swordsman No. 8 and PUCK, check out Cart Boy’s deep dive into Pac-Man World 2, the basis for the star’s other major 2025 release.

Making moveset concepts for prospective Super Smash Bros. fighters is a hallmark of the fandom. Most franchises represented therein boast a wealth of compelling characters, and it’s fun and validating to sell what they could add. Alas, some franchises inevitably fall through the cracks. One of those unsung series is Pac-Man, which doesn’t just rank among my favorites, but it’s also one of the most important, storied fixtures in this medium. That’s not to say it lacks good contenders, of course. Ms. Pac-Man is a veritable icon and ripe for the picking as an Echo Fighter, but her current legal issues between Bandai Namco and AtGames make her an unlikely choice. The comparably famous Ghost Gang is pretty much deconfirmed through their Assist Trophy and presence in Pac-Man’s moveset. Side characters like Professor Pac-Man or Jr. Pac-Man aren’t as interesting or haven’t had playable outings since the ‘80s. And characters like Dig Dug or Mappy would best represent their own series rather than being lumped under the Pac-Man umbrella. However, two new faces on the block would feel right at home in Smash and shine a light on their reinterpretation of the familiar series, one that’s worth studying. Let’s look past Pac-Man’s usual suspects to take a stroll down Shadow Labyrinth, home to Swordsman No. 8 and PUCK.

Who Are No. 8 & PUCK?

(Image: @EchoSaefir. Template created by @Templates4Smash.)

Without delving too deep into spoilers for a relatively new release—Shadow Labyrinth only hit this past July—the actual identity of Swordsman No. 8 is a complete mystery. All that’s known is he’s a random soul that got thrown into the universe of Namco’s United Galaxy Space Force Series (or UGSF). The UGSF Series is a shared connection between otherwise disconnected Namco games, dating from their beginnings in the ‘80s all the way to now. Conceptually, it’s a way of making a meta narrative out of several franchises to create a space epic that spans several millennia. Considering it entails Galaga, Galaxian, Ace Combat, Bosconian, Baraduke, Dig Dug and many others, you’ve probably played at least one chapter in this larger-than-life space conflict without even knowing it! Shadow Labyrinth itself is the first game directly set in this timeline, but it’s nevertheless integral to its events (all other UGSF entries function as standalone narratives, though they have separate lore that addresses their links to the broader franchise).

(Image: Bandai Namco. No. 8 awakens from a trans-universal, interdimensional sleep.)

Again, no spoilers, but PUCK is a pivotal character who works as a commander in UGSF’s Root Unit. She helmed a military operation codenamed Sheyenne on planet Xevious to destroy an ancient evil. However, the mission was suspended when it hit an abrupt hurdle 130 years before the events of Shadow Labyrinth, which forced the commander to assume the form of a Personal Autonomous Computer Func-Bot, also known as a PAC-type Support droid, and create a body in which the soul of a person from across the multiverse could reside in an attempt to reignite Operation Sheyenne. No. 8 is, quite obviously, the eighth attempt at doing so (the seventh was presented in the tie-in episode of the Secret Level anthology series on Amazon Prime Video) and seems to be the most successful in trying to defeat one of the galaxy’s greatest threats. As such, Shadow Labyrinth acts as a long-awaited adaptation of not just Pac-Man, but also Xevious into the world of the UGSF Series.

Importance to Nintendo & Series

(Image: Bandai Namco. The more things change, the more they stay the same.) 

It’s no secret that Bandai Namco has a close relationship not only with Nintendo, but with Smash Bros. in specific. After all, they’ve been the development partners for the series since Wii U and 3DS. They have a vault of characters ripe for the crossover, two of whom already made it in; it’s undeniable their partnership has been pivotal to Smash, particularly given series director Masahiro Sakurai and Bandai Namco producer Katsuhiro Harada (of Tekken fame) are friends and fans of each other. Why am I bringing all this up? Because Shadow Labyrinth is the first Pac-Man game to be developed in-house at Namco in over a decade (the last one, by the way, was Pac-Man Championship Edition 2)! On top of this, Harada acted as its producer and even created artwork as part of its launch promotion, featuring Tekken’s Reina alongside Swordsman No. 8.

(Image: Bandai Namco. Artwork by Katsuhiro Harada.)

Harada is a big fan of Pac-Man as well, with the dot-muncher having earned stages celebrating him across the last two Tekken games; he even scored a playable role in Street Fighter X Tekken. During the promotion of Shadow Labyrinth, Harada recounted a time when they attempted to add Pac-Man to Tekken, so the series has a surprisingly rich fighting game history. At the time, this took the form of a horrifyingly funny Pac-Man with a massively buff body. Pac-Man creator Toru Iwatani was still employed at Bandai Namco at the time, and when presented with the concept he instantly vetoed the monstrosity. But when asked if Swordsman No. 8 could appear as the long-awaited Pac-Man rep in Tekken, Harada admitted it was a possibility. For whatever it’s worth, his say on these franchises will soon wane, as Harada’s thirty-year run at Bandai Namco will soon end. Still, his impact cannot be understated, and it’s wonderful knowing some of that was spent elevating Pac-Man.

(Image: Bandai Namco. What would you do if you’re walking down a dark alley at night and bump into this guy?)

Of course, it’s too early to say what impact Shadow Labyrinth will leave. So far, it’s dealing with the tough hand of releasing only a day after the massively successful Donkey Kong Bananza, which some already consider a generation-defining game (and for good reason, mind you). While other legacy revivals released under similar circumstances and managed to recover (shoutout to Ubisoft for brilliantly releasing Rayman Legends the same day as Grand Theft Auto V), we’ll have to wait and see if Pac-Man’s Metroidvania reinvention will stand the test of time. Even if Shadow Labyrinth does fade away, though, it still has a place in the Namco canon, which isn’t unimportant—so let’s honor that by exploring how its protagonists would fare on the biggest fighting stage in the world.

Colors & Design

(Image: Bandai Namco. I have to wonder if these enemies are a reference to Metroid: Zero Mission.)

Shadow Labyrinth sports a unique space opera-inspired art style. Most comparable to the work of Dragon’s Crown and Unicorn Overlord developer Vanillaware, its dark and oppressive 2D aesthetic makes it a bit of a challenge to adapt to Smash’s 2.5D perspective. Not that it can’t be done, though. On top of the aforementioned Secret Level episode, Shadow Labyrinth’s leads appear in a few 3D advertisements on its Instagram page recounting some of the events prior to the game. As such, I figure no major design changes would be needed outside of making sure their proportions are made more Smash-like. No. 8 is a dark, armless figure whose body is seemingly made of glowing blue energy, best seen on his legs and eyes. This energy changes colors when he’s possessed by PUCK, something we’ll discuss later. He sports a gray UGSF overcoat with a hood that stays on perpetually and a metal plate where his right arm would be. To break the color monotony, he also has an orange, floating left arm called an ACTIV. It’s a piece of tech that, mysteriously, took the form of the implement missing for No. 8 to wield the ESP Sword, his weapon of choice (or chance?). Next to him is PUCK, a robotic orb with a gaping mouth and glowing lines adorning her body. To put it simply? She’s the PAC to No. 8’s MAN. And where No. 8 is mute and should stay that way, PUCK would occasionally emit simple noises, audio that’d be taken straight from Shadow Labyrinth.

(Image: Bandai Namco. The land of Xevious includes many faces, some deadlier than others.)

No. 8’s and PUCK’s simplistic designs, alongside the infamous inflexibility from their home company, means we have to work a bit hard to imagine what their recolors could look like. While Pac-Man sometimes changes colors in his own games (Pac-Man Battle Royale features four differently colored Pac-Men), Smash has consistently depicted his skin as nothing but yellow. As such, and against my own preferences, we’ll keep PUCK yellow, too. While I could see a little leniency with the LED lines, we’ll play it safe and only alter them on the stock icons to showcase what color was chosen. No. 8, however, has to change colors. I imagine this would mostly affect his overcoat and ACTIV shot, adopting colors from important characters, factions, and bosses from Shadow Labyrinth. The first three alts would honor characters from the game’s three other major groups: Bosconians, UIMS (Unknown Intelligent Mechanized Species), and Galaga. Respectively, they’ll be repped by the Bosconian Tzadelef’s colors, UIMS Supreme High Commander’s colors, and Emperor Galaga’s colors. Of these, Tzadelef is the only one who isn’t a faction leader, but she has the advantages of being a fan favorite, an active part of the game’s promotion post-release, and best rocks Bosconian’s green out of anyone. Meanwhile, No. 8’s default outfit represents Galaxians/UGSF, completing that main quartet.

(Image: Bandai Namco. Cuccos ain’t got nothing on this guy! Girl? Bird.) 

The next two alts allude to the forces at play on the mysterious planet. First, there’s the G-HOST Bug, depicting all G-HOSTs in the game, as well as the iconic 256 glitch from the original Pac-Man. Then there’s Thebe, who’s representing the Xevi force on the planet and the form it takes, so for this I’m using her battle armor based on the Andor Genesis from Xevious, not her regular design. Next up, we have a palette based on the “Tenacity Boost” functionality added in update 1.1.0 of the game. At launch, Shadow Labyrinth had several complaints regarding its difficulty, which prompted the devs to add an easy mode in said update. With this came a function that changed No. 8’s colors to a bright red to show an increase to his power after dying several times, which came to be known as the “Tenacity Boost.” As PUCK would say, there is “Strength in Repetition!” To round everything out, we have a palette based on PJ, the previous wielder of the ESP Sword. He also represents a faction present in Shadow Labyrinth, but, well, y’know. Spoilers. When playing with some of these assorted palettes, GAIA (which we’ll get to shortly) also changes to a purple-and-blue palette, inspired by critical events from later in the game.

How Would They Play?

No. 8’s stats and properties:

• Weight: ∼ Link (104)
• Height: ∼ Marth
• Overall Speed: ∼ Luigi
  • Walk Speed: 1.5
  • Initial Dash: 1.65
  • Run Speed: 1.84
  • Air Speed: 0.86
  • Fall Speed: 1.85
• Jump Height: ∼ Simon (30)
• Multi-jumping? No
• Crawling? Yes
• Wall jumping? Yes
  • Wall clinging? No

(A closer look at the stats)

(Image: Bandai Namco. No. 8 is not at all ill-equipped for the task at hand.)

No. 8 takes after a lot of other swordsmen in Smash, which on its own sounds kinda basic. In a series already filled to the brim with swords, newcomers who wield them gotta offer something more, something novel. Smash struggles with that sometimes. Thankfully, though, No. 8 brings along a unique, glass cannon-esque flair to the fray. He’s hardly armored and can’t take much heat, but his hits tend to connect particularly well with each other. As long as he can evade hits, No. 8 can prove himself a tough contender, particularly if he takes advantage of his ESP Sword’s oddities and partnership with PUCK.

(Image: @EchoSaefir. Template created by LKGamingART.)

Inspired by Rivals of Aether’s take on Shovel Knight and MultiVersus’s Finn, No. 8 is a resource management character. As he hits opponents, they drop Ora (Shadow Labyrinth’s main currency and a reinterpretation of Pac-Man’s Pac-Dots). No. 8 needs to collect this Ora to unlock the full diversity of his neutral special: ESP Attack. By holding the Special Button, No. 8 accesses the Miku Sol storefront and can buy different ESP Attacks, which alter the way he plays. Maybe you’ll stick with the default ESP Beam, which combos off his jab. Or maybe you should grab a ranged grenade. A stunning attack courtesy of PUCK? Maybe a multi-hitting satellite that orbits him is the way to go? Experiment with his goodies and alternate between them depending on the situation to keep foes on their toes! Obtaining Ora also fills up the GAIA gauge on his HUD, and when full unlocks his ability to Phase Shift into the mighty Panzer GAIA. This temporary form allows No. 8 and PUCK to fuse into a mecha that can tank hits and deal extraordinary damage, though their mobility and moveset variety suffer. Obtaining Ora is all that it takes to fill the gauge; keeping it does not affect that, which is good since, much like the aforementioned characters, No. 8 can lose Ora by getting hit and dying—the latter of which will also reset the GAIA gauge.

Boxing Ring Title: “There is Strength in Repetition”

Series Icon	Stock Icon	Kirby Hat

Move Type	Description
On-Screen Appearance	(Image: @EchoSaefir) A Miku Sol, a device consisting of a stone pillar and an energy ball surrounded by black stone fragments, appears on the stage. And shortly thereafter, No. 8 and PUCK teleport in through a blue beam with runes surrounding them.
Stance	No. 8 stands hunched over, with the ACTIV arm floating idly up and down to his side. PUCK floats to the back of him, usually with her mouth open.
Idle #1	PUCK circles around No. 8 as he tries to follow her with his eyes. PUCK talks all throughout this movement, almost as if inspecting No. 8
Idle #2	No. 8 looks at his arm and opens and closes his fist, as if he’s still getting used to the prosthesis. PUCK stays overlooking him with her mouth closed.
Walk	(Image: @EchoSaefir) No. 8 stays hunched over and walks cautiously forward, with his ACTIV arm standing idly to his side. Meanwhile, PUCK floats directly behind him.
Dash & Run	(Image: @EchoSaefir) No. 8 hunches over further to start running, but his arm stays in the same position as his walk. PUCK struggles a bit to keep up with him.
Crouch	(Image: @EchoSaefir) No. 8 gets on his tippy toes with his knees almost touching the ground. He doesn’t get much tactical advantage off his crouch and crawl, though, as his profile only barely shifts.
Jump	(Image: @EchoSaefir) As he has no arms attached to him, No. 8 impulses himself entirely with his legs as he jumps, with said legs going somewhat limp as he gains momentum. His double jump is almost identical, barring a small, almost translucent platform appearing beneath his feet.
Damage	No. 8 staggers backward, while arcing forward in pain a bit.
Shield	(Image: @EchoSaefir) No. 8 uses his ACTIV Arm to shield. While the color of his shield remains consistent with that of the player color, the design of the shield is unique, taking after the shield ability in Shadow Labyrinth that features a circuit-like design circling the shield. When parrying, No. 8 uses his arm to do a backhanded slap while tilting forward, leaving a blue-and-yellow particle trail along his arm’s path.
Dodge	(Image: @EchoSaefir) In a shocking display of athleticism, No. 8 jumps forward for his dodge and rolls into his normal stance. Meanwhile, his spot dodge sees him just stepping back a bit. And in the air, he rolls up into a ball and moves toward the inputted direction.
Floor & Edge Attacks	(Image: @ultframedata by MetalMusicMan) As No. 8 gets up off the floor, he does a circular slash around him. And on the edge, while his ACTIV arm is busy carrying him up, No. 8 uses his leg to do a sweep as he gets up to the stage.
Neutral Attack	(Image: @EchoSaefir) No. 8 does a slash forward and somewhat close to the ground. Repeating the button input leads to No. 8 reversing that action by swiping back in that direction, and pressing it once more ends the combo with an overhead swipe downward.
Forward Tilt	(Image: @ultframedata by MetalMusicMan) No. 8 does two quick strikes aimed below the gut and above the neck, respectively. These quick strikes are similar to Joker’s respective move, but naturally not as fast due to the difference in weapon.
Up Tilt	(Image: @EchoSaefir) No. 8 slashes from front to back directly above him. It’s a relatively simple slash, but its quick nature allows it to be an effective multi-purpose tool as either a combo starter, extender, or an anti-air.
Down Tilt	(Image: @EchoSaefir) No. 8 stays close to the ground as he stabs the ESP Sword as parallel to it as possible. Due to his stance being so hunched over, he is still very liable to get hit from above, but the usage of this tool as a poke similar to Roy’s respective move can supersede its risks.
Dash Attack	(Image: @EchoSaefir) As he’s running, No. 8 turns into a ball with an energy field surrounding him, effectively turning into a sphere of damage that is really hard to hit without hurting yourself. This move is inspired by the Air Attack PERK, which allows No.8 to attack while dodging in the air, but this move is done on the ground instead.
Forward Smash	(Image: @ultframedata by MetalMusicMan) No. 8 proceeds with a decisive slash downwards, not unlike Marth’s Forward Smash. This slash has an impressive range thanks to a unique property to No. 8’s smash attacks: The more you charge them, the more he extends the ACTIV arm to hit farther.
Up Smash	(Image: @ultframedata by MetalMusicMan) Taking a bit of odd inspiration from another fighter, No. 8 does an upwards stabbing motion similar to Sephiroth’s up tilt. To account for the size differences between the Masamune and the ESP Sword, though, No. 8 extends the ACTIV arm partway through the attack, giving it extra range and a double-hit effect. Naturally, that range extension goes further the more No. 8 charges the attack.
Down Smash	(Image: @ultframedata by MetalMusicMan) Most similar to Hero’s Down Smash, No. 8 does a succinct slash in front of him, followed by one behind him. Again, this follows the same pattern as his last two smash attacks, with the range being extended through his ACTIV arm the more the attack is charged.
Neutral Aerial	(Image: @EchoSaefir) No. 8, evoking characters like Mega Man and Sora, performs his exact same grounded jab combo in the air. Notably, this leads to the last hit having a more circular flow, meaning it hits better below him.
Forward Aerial	(Image: @ultframedata by MetalMusicMan) No. 8 takes after his predecessor, and does a spinning kick forward, taking advantage of his much-underutilized legs. While not as strong an attack as his Sword-based moves, this still proves to be a competent combo extender due to it launching enemies at a unique angle.
Back Aerial	(Image: @ultframedata by MetalMusicMan) Similarly to Shulk, No. 8 stabs his sword behind him for his back aerial. He normally has a similar range to his down tilt for this, but if the button is held down, he will use his ACTIV arm to extend the range of the attack, like with his up smash.
Up Aerial	(Image: @EchoSaefir) Similarly to his up tilt, No. 8 slashes confidently above him from front to back. This move being so similar to its grounded equivalent does mean it has the advantage of being able to combo upwards off of up tilt and, with the right setup, could lead to a kill right off the top blast zone.
Down Aerial	(Image: @EchoSaefir) Not unlike Toon Link, No. 8 performs a stab straight downwards that shifts his momentum in the same direction. If it hits at just the right spot, it will spike opponents downward as No. 8 bounces off of them, hopefully letting him recover back to terra firma.
Grab	(Image: @EchoSaefir) No. 8 stands in place as the ACTIV arm reaches forward and grabs an opponent. When dash grabbing, the arm has a longer reach than usual thanks to it extending further than an arm normally could.
Pummel	(Image: @EchoSaefir) No. 8 tightens his grip on the opponent, which gives the impression of inflating through shockwaves and sound effects from Dig Dug. This is a unique pummel in that, if used three times, the opponent pops and goes flying, effectively acting as a fifth throw.
Forward Throw	(Image: @ultframedata by MetalMusicMan) No. 8 shoots the opponent forwards by extending an ACTIV shot with them in his hand, then releasing them at the height of the extension.
Back Throw	(Image: @ultframedata by MetalMusicMan) With the tight grip of the ACTIV arm, No. 8 does a spin backwards while kicking the opponent with one of his legs.
Up Throw	(Image: @ultframedata by MetalMusicMan) No. 8 expels the opponent from his grip while simultaneously summoning the ESP Sword and prepping a strong upwards slash.
Down Throw	(Image: @ultframedata by MetalMusicMan) Similar to Pac-Man’s equivalent throw, No. 8 throws the opponent on the ground, with PUCK following up and chomping three times to deal extra damage and send them flying.
Neutral Special: ESP Action / Miku Sol	This is a modular attack that can be switched around. By default, No. 8 has access to Beam, but can switch to a few different options. Each switch costs Ora, even if you had previously redeemed it. (Image: @EchoSaefir) Beam: A slow projectile that is generated off a slice of the sword. The beam travels horizontally for a bit and deals more knockback than damage. It can be cancelled out of jab or nair, which makes it much faster. (Image: @EchoSaefir) Grenade: A projectile that is lobbed in the air at an angle and can then be detonated manually, upon a timer, or upon contact with an opponent. (Image: @EchoSaefir) PUCK Shot: PUCK dashes forward to attack directly. It’s not a very damaging attack, but it stuns opponents, so it works as a great combo starter. (Image: @EchoSaefir) PUCK Satellite: PUCK starts generating a damaging electric field around herself and orbits around No. 8, causing non-flinching damage to anyone near him. (Image: Bandai Namco) No. 8 can switch these actions by holding down the button, causing a Miku Sol device to appear. It showcases a simple menu that can be interacted with by moving up and down with the control stick, followed by the action being selected and cost being paid upon releasing the button.
Side Special: Predator	(Image: @EchoSaefir) PUCK summons a ghostly version of GAIA, which attacks separately from No. 8 by grabbing and chomping on the opponent directly in front of it. GAIA cannot be hurt, but the attack is slow and can whiff, so be careful when using it. When GAIA grabs an opponent, it throws it into its maw and eats it, which causes the opponent to be stuck in place for a moment before GAIA disappears and the opponent is left in a tumble state. While the opponent is stuck in GAIA’s belly, No. 8 can take the opportunity to hit ‘em and deal extra damage, but all knockback is nullified in the meantime.
Up Special: ACTIV Shot	(Image: @EchoSaefir) Despite how it sounds, it’s not a grapple to the ledge, though it can do that too. It creates a grapple point upwards and to the front of No. 8, who will automatically grapple there. Upon doing so, No. 8 gains a bit of speed. If an enemy is near where the Grapple point would be created, No. 8 instead grapples to them, dealing a bit of damage and allowing him to jump above them and reuse the ACTIV Grapple.
Down Special: Phase Shift / ESP Quake	(Image: @EchoSaefir) When grounded and if the Ora gauge is full, No. 8 and PUCK will fuse into GAIA mode, a slower, but stronger form that takes no knockback and deals a lot more damage at the cost of a limited moveset. GAIA has two slow, but long jumps, providing it off-stage recovery even though it doesn’t have an actual up special. If No. 8 has not sufficiently filled the GAIA Gauge and tries to use this while grounded, the move only plays a quick animation of the fusion failing. (Image: @EchoSaefir) When in the air, the move is instead ESP Quake, an ability that, effectively, is a stronger version of No. 8’s normal down aerial. When it hits the ground, it deals AoE damage and, if it hits anyone in the air, it drags them with you. Be warned, though: once you start this move, there’s no stopping! If you’re gonna commit to it off-stage, you’d better share your certain doom with your opponent.
GAIA Neutral Attack	(Image: @EchoSaefir) GAIA stabs forward with its claws, and if the button is pressed again, the attack transitions into an upwards slash that is finished by a final strike from back to the front.
GAIA Dash Attack	(Image: @EchoSaefir) GAIA throws its weight around, literally. Most similar to King K. Rool’s dash attack, GAIA throws itself forward using the boosters on its back, creating a strike zone at its front.
GAIA Aerial	(Image: @EchoSaefir) Similar to Fox’s up smash, GAIA does a somersault kick, but in the air. It goes from front to back and is particularly devastating at taking opponents out through the top blast zone.
GAIA Grab	(Image: @EchoSaefir) This move is what No. 8’s Side Special is inspired by, acting effectively the same in terms of animation, with GAIA grabbing an opponent and throwing them into the mouth in its stomach, then spitting them out. The main difference lies in the fact that, instead of the opponent passively being left in the air and open to attack, they take active damage until they’re spat out.
GAIA Special: D-Field Cannon	(Image: @EchoSaefir) GAIA opens the mouth on its core and prepares a large laser that takes up a large horizontal space on the screen. It takes a bit to prepare, so it’s easy to avoid, but if it hits an opponent, it deals a massive amount of damage and knockback, often resulting in an instant KO. Independent of the result, though, it depletes all of GAIA’s energy instantly and has a long wind-down animation as No. 8 and PUCK separate.
Final Smash: Consume Darkness	(Image: Bandai Namco) It all starts up with PUCK using her ESP Spark to create an electric zone that shocks people. Any opponents hit by the electric zone are sent to a quick cutscene where PUCK goes into the spike on No. 8’s back, causing his blue eyes and stripes on his leg to turn yellow and for him to spew a dark, shadowy PUCK from his face that chomps forward on opponents. It swallows enemies in one bite and chomps on them a few times before burping. Any enemies below 100% will be shot out when PUCK burps, but anyone at 100% or above will be swallowed and instantly lose a stock.
Up Taunt	(Image: @EchoSaefir) A quick and simple taunt representing the mocking nature of PUCK throughout much of the game. PUCK opens and closes her mouth slightly, purposefully bobs up and down at a fast pace, and laughs.
Side Taunt: Hologram Roulette	In a twist to Pac-Man’s own side taunt, No. 8 extends his ACTIV arm with the palm upwards as a hologram of one of the NPCs from Shadow Labyrinth appears. The characters that can show up include Thebe (In both her regular and armored forms), PJ, the Bosconian Queen, a G-Host (either Red, Blue, Pink, Orange, Green or the Bug that resembles the 256 glitch), Anpulane, Katja, the Professor, Tzadelef, and the only spoiler character in this taunt, Aegina.
Down Taunt	(Image: @EchoSaefir) A campfire appears as No. 8 sits down to rest. PUCK powers down during this, which causes her to float down to the ground as the lines on her body disappear. If the button is held down, they do not get up. But the moment the button is released, the campfire disappears and both of them get back in the action.
Victory Pose #1	(Image: @EchoSaefir) No. 8 does a few slashes towards the camera as it dynamically dodges them, prompting him to use an ACTIV Shot to throw the ESP Sword towards it. Afterwards, the camera stays up, but he falls to the ground and out of sight.
Victory Pose #2	GAIA is seen flying forward with its thrusters, then shooting off a laser as No. 8’s name is called. Afterwards, PUCK and No. 8 separate and stand unassumedly.
Victory Pose #3	(Image: Bandai Namco) No. 8 and Thebe (in her battle armor) are seen clashing for a second until she laughs, turns to normal, and they both sit content around a campfire.
Victory Fanfare	As there’s not really a formal victory theme in the game other than the “Item Get” jingle, I’m opting to instead use the first few notes from the orchestral version of the title song for this fanfare.

Closing Thoughts

Some would say it’s too early to give much thought to the Shadow Labyrinth protagonists gracing Smash. It’s also too early to know if it’ll be remembered as a bold, successful experiment or fade into the ether, but Shadow Labyrinth is arguably the biggest risk Namco’s flagship brand has taken since Ghostly Adventures. But taking risks is a proud Pac-Man tradition. When arcades were full of space shooters, this yellow, cutesy oddball burst on to the scene and stole the show. And though most understandably associate Pac-Man with neon mazes, it has an identity outside of them; Pac-Man 2, Pac-Land and even the World series were risks, ones that enrich the franchise. And Namco’s willingness to experiment leads into my ultimate point: only looking at characters who are “likely” is boring. As someone who prides himself on highlighting off-beat options, and independently of this duo’s chances, I deeply appreciate Shadow Labyrinth. And while I can’t see it ever becoming the new face of Pac-Man, it pays tribute to and provides a fresh spin on Namco’s classic coin-ops. Whether you want to give Shadow Labyrinth a shot or champion its stars’ inclusion in the next Smash (as I will), I urge you to give it an earnest chance.

Thanks to Cart Boy and Hamada for help with edits, and Nick C for reviewing and suggesting.

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Hamada

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