JRPG gamers may have heard of Record of Lodoss War games based on by Ryo Mizuno’s fantasy novels of the same title, but they might be a bit obscure in the English-speaking world as these were Japanese-only releases. The novels themselves depict the rise and fall of heroes and their adventures on the cursed island of “Lodoss”.

Known as the pinnacle of Japanese fantasy and a pioneering work in the light novel genre, this best-selling work boasts a total circulation of over 10 million copies, as well as a wide variety of arrangements and versions in other media, including animated installments. There are a nearly a dozen games released under the Record of Lodoss War IP and while most of them were JRPGs, there was at least one MMORPG and one being a TCG.

The latest title however is Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth and is instead a 2D Metroidvania title and it stars the heroine from the original series, the High Elf Deedlit who has to battle her way around a mysterious labyrinth represented as side-scrolling levels with different types of enemies, bosses and obstacles to overcome.

I did a playthrough earlier on the PC, and it felt like playing Castlevania. There’s not much handholding, so I had to go figure out some things like where to go (it’s a labyrinth after all). Like Castlevania, the 2D graphics are a marvel to look at. Very pretty indeed.

The game supports either keyboard or controller (I use a Xbox Core Wireless Controller in Shock Blue, you can buy it here) while you are playing on the PC, but I highly recommend the controller.

Initially a Steam Early Access title, the full Steam version dropped in March 2021 and has since sold in excess of 100,000 copies worldwide. As of December 16th, players now get to enjoy Deedlit’s adventure on the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows (Microsoft Store). And if you are Game Pass subscriber, Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth will also be playable on the service at launch.

Be sure to check the game out if you are into Metroidvania titles. Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth gets a 7.5/10.