MeiQ: Labyrinth of Death Review — A Solid Premise Buried Under Tedious Middle Stretch

MeiQ: Labyrinth of Death puts players through a maze of twisty passages and a handful of battles with a robot companion. The Vita dungeon crawler asks for patience, and it delivers a world that is mostly darkness with occasional patches of light.

Trailer, via Idea Factory International.

Setting

The planet has stopped turning, and monsters roam the endless night. To wind the Celestial Screw and start the stars spinning again, Estra, a young Machina Mage, must climb four towers filled with Protector Gods. Alongside her are four other chosen Makaishi and their robotic Guardians.

The Cast

Estra is curious and quick to act. Her element is Earth. Flare is prideful and belligerent, with Fire. Connie is naive and innocent, with Wood. Maki is calm and collected, with Gold, acting as a wise older sister to Estra. Setia is shy and unsure, with Water, always carrying a trademark umbrella.

The antagonists are the three Saneishu, led by Gagarin, a Makaishi who lost his way and turned to darkness. Glen of Flame is the greatest of the three, a perfectionist who is sarcastic and stubborn. Gordon of Metal is rough and impulsive, a muscular giant with the Gold attribute. Aria of Water is queen-like and always smiling. Pamela is a thief who appears briefly in the story.

Party Building

Players build a party of three Makaishi and three Guardians. Later in the game, that grows to four characters and four Guardians. Each Guardian can be built from scratch using different body, arm, and core parts, each adding to attack, defence, and health. There are ten Guardians to pick from.

Makaishi are customised with Astral Seeds, which boost stats and let them analyse monsters better. The game also lets players change into four different forms, plus a default one. A Demon Stone system remembers special skills and raises abilities.

Battle System

Battles are turn-based, and each Makaishi is paired to a Guardian. Only Makaishi can use items or heal; Guardians have far more health points and act as shields. When a Makaishi dies, the game ends. Difficulty can be changed on the fly during play.

There are six elements in the game: Wood, Fire, Water, Earth, and Gold. Players must exploit their own elemental strengths and find an enemy’s weakness to win fights.

Dungeons

Dungeons are filled with traps called Gimmicks. They vary in monsters, elements, and hazards. The game rewards careful planning over brute force, since Guardians are built around specific configurations of parts and crystals.

Strengths

The premise is solid. A stopped planet, monsters in the dark, and a young mage setting out to fix it all sounds simple, but it lands well. The pairing of Makaishi and Guardians gives the combat a distinct rhythm, with Makaishi taking the front lines while Guardians hold the fort behind them.

Customisation runs deep. Building a Guardian from body, arm, and core parts, then adding crystals to enhance abilities, gives players real control over how they fight. The Demon Stone system adds another layer of depth, letting players remember skills and improve their abilities over time.

Weak Points

The pace drags in the middle stretch. Some dungeons feel like filler rather than distinct challenges. The game’s difficulty curve is uneven, with some encounters feeling harsh for no clear reason.

The story leans heavily on stock anime tropes, with rivals, quiet bookworms, and thieves all showing up in familiar roles. None of it is poorly written, but none of it surprises either.

Release Dates

Verdict

MeiQ: Labyrinth of Death is a competent dungeon crawler with a strong premise and a deep customisation system, held back by a middling story and some tedious middle content. The pairing of Makaishi and Guardians gives it an identity that stands out, and the building of Guardians is a highlight. But the pacing issues in the middle of the game keep it from greatness.

dungeon crawler · game review · JRPG · MeiQ · Vita