When I first booted up the Labyrainth Playtest, I expected twists, traps, and tension—but what I got was a chaotic mix of high-octane labyrinth escapes, alien shootouts, and addictive upgrade mechanics that kept me on my toes. The demo throws you into its maze-driven madness fast, and while it’s still early in development, there’s a lot here that points to something special. It’s rough in places, but it nails the thrill of fast-paced FPS survival with just enough depth to keep me coming back for more.
Core Game Loop
Labyrainth’s loop is all about escaping fast, fighting smart, and earning enough currency to upgrade your loadout. I found myself mainly focused on completing the demo mazes while also trying to finish them quickly to earn more in-game currency. There’s a satisfying risk-reward element in pushing for speed while knowing that traps or enemy swarms could end your run at any time. The leaderboard feature gives the game a competitive edge, but in this demo, I was more dialed into progression than placement.
Game Mechanics
The game’s procedurally generated levels are one of its most unique elements. Every time I died or ran out of time, even if it was on the same level, the maze layout changed completely. Sometimes this made things way easier—like when the exit was close—but other times, the new setup was brutally difficult depending on trap and enemy placement. That randomness can be both exciting and frustrating, but it definitely kept things fresh. The alien AI that designs the labyrinths adds an unpredictable flavor to every run.
Sights and Sounds
One of the first things that stood out to me was the game’s color palette. I loved the bright colors of the maze walls and the gun itself—everything popped visually and made it easy to stay oriented even when chaos hit. The bold, almost neon look worked really well with the high-speed action and sci-fi setting. The sound design, however, didn’t hold up nearly as well. Music and effects felt too generic and didn’t do much to elevate the experience. I ended up playing with the sound off, which unfortunately led to some moments where I didn’t realize I wasn’t firing. The visual design pulls its weight, but the audio side still needs more personality.
Upgrades – Weapons and Character
Weapon upgrades were easily one of my favorite parts of the playtest. You can swap out parts like the barrel, clip, trigger, butt, and scope to build a weapon that fits your playstyle. I really enjoyed using the freezing bullets, and once I had them upgraded a few times, they felt pretty powerful—almost OP in a good way. On the character side, you can boost key stats like health, speed, and shield recharge, which helps a lot with survival and traversal. These upgrades added a lot of replay value, even in the limited demo.
Maze Collectibles
Throughout the maze, you’ll find power-ups like hearts for healing, shields for protection, and lightning bolts for a speed burst. The problem is, most of these items activate the moment you pick them up, which doesn’t always work with the unpredictable level design. Because everything is procedurally generated, I often found myself picking up something like infinite ammo or a temporary shield at the worst possible time—with no enemies nearby to make use of the boost. I think these would work much better if they were stored in your inventory and activated manually when needed.
Combat
Combat is all ranged right now, and while it’s solid, it’s missing something. There’s no melee attack at all, and I felt that absence pretty hard—especially during long reload times. I’d love to see a melee option added, like smacking with the butt of your gun or a quick punch, just to give you one more tool to survive when ammo runs dry. Shooting itself feels good, and you can hold the trigger for continuous fire, but there’s no auto-reload, which means you have to release and pull the trigger again after emptying your clip. Without sound cues, this mechanic got me killed a few times. Most of the enemies I fought were melee-based and would charge me, so my go-to move was walking backwards while shooting. I did encounter one ranged enemy, but it was easy enough to dodge its attacks and take it down.
Steam Deck Performance
I played the Labyrainth Playtest on my Steam Deck, even though it’s still listed with an Unknown rating. Performance-wise, it held up pretty well. The game ran smoothly and felt responsive. That said, the interface could definitely use some optimization for handheld play. I had to use the touchpad to navigate the menus, and I ran into some issues with the reload button not registering properly. Overall, I’d rate it a 6 out of 10 for Steam Deck compatibility in its current state, but with some UI tweaks and input fixes, this could easily become a go-to handheld game.
Final Take – Is Labyrainth Worth Playing?
Despite a few growing pains, I had a lot of fun with the Labyrainth Playtest. The core gameplay loop is addictive, the upgrade systems are satisfying, and the procedural maze design kept every run feeling new. I’m especially curious to see what the offline single-player mode will offer and whether we’ll get more lore or story to explain this alien-ruled world. I do think the game is missing a few key mechanics, like a melee attack and better item handling, and the sound design needs a serious pass. But the foundation here is strong, and if the devs keep iterating, this could turn into a breakout indie hit. I’ve already got it on my wishlist—and I’ll definitely be back when more content drops.
If you’re digging this kind of hands-on preview, be sure to check out more pieces like this over in my Demo hub. I’ve also covered the Tormented Souls 2 Demo Impressions if you want to keep the horror-action vibes going. There’s plenty more game impressions, deep dives, and raw takes where this came from.
Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this product from https://www.keymailer.co #keymailer #labyrainth
