Dr. Kobushi’s Labyrinthine Laboratory | PC Review

I used to think I was a pretty smart guy. Then I played the first few stages of Dr. Kobushi’s Labyrinthine Laboratory, and I was definitely knocked down a few pegs. When the developer, Nadim Kobeissi (Symbolic Software), described his game as “The Cuphead of puzzle games”, I laughed it off at first. But after getting my hands on it, I totally see the connection. This game is hard. As much as I hate to admit it, I came nowhere near the end of this title. We strive to complete every game we review here at The Gaming Outsider, but I simply don’t have the capacity to do it. That’s not to say this isn’t a well-made game. On the contrary, there’s some genius level design going on here. I simply couldn’t hack it myself. Hopefully you’re much more intelligent than I.

Seems Simple Enough

On the surface, nothing about Dr. Kobushi’s Labyrinthine Laboratory looks intimidating. Each level is a single grid-based screen, and your goal is to get your character, Ayla, from point A to point B. See, someone kidnapped her dog, Falafel, and she enters the mysterious laboratory deep in the forest to rescue him. The antagonist seems hell-bent on her destruction and puts a plethora of traps and killer robots in her path to keep her from her goal.

The first couple of stages are a breeze. You simply move Ayla from the start of the top-down maze towards the exit. Movement is turn-based. Nothing in the environment moves until Ayla does herself. So you’ll have plenty of time to think about your next move. There are collectibles on each stage to grab as well.

By stage three or four, you’re thrown to the wolves. Every level has a specific task that must be figured out in order to solve. This method requires a lot of trial-and-effort on the part of the player to figure out. Much like platformers such as Super Meat Boy, you’ll die. And you’ll die often as you learn enemy movement patterns, timing of traps, and the rules of the laboratory.

Devilish Difficulty

I read somewhere that somebody described this game as “a combination between Pac-Man and chess”, and I couldn’t think of a more apt description. You really have to think multiple moves ahead constantly. Eventually, discovering the series of chess moves required to move on feels momentarily satisfying. But your only reward is an even more difficult puzzle to solve.

I’m not being hyperbolic when I say that this is probably the most difficult puzzle game I’ve ever played. It’s bang-your-head-against-the-wall frustrating. This may be very appealing for a certain subgroup of people. I don’t fall into that category myself.

To be 100% transparent, this isn’t necessarily a fault of the game. On the contrary, these levels (difficult as they may be) are brilliantly crafted by someone with a much higher IQ than I possess. I personally prefer puzzle games where I feel smarter for completing stages rather than merely relieved with a new sense of dread as the next challenge materializes in front of me.

I could see this game being a great one to stream with a community. Two heads are better than one, and three heads are better than two, right? A group mentality could make this game more enjoyable for me. I’d rather rely on the smarts of those around me than feel completely inadequate attempting it on my own.

Dr. Kobushi’s Labyrinthine Laboratory Final Verdict.

It sounds like I’m being overly critical about Dr. Kobushi’s Labyrinthine Laboratory, but I truly don’t mean to. It’s simply not a game for me. The only way I was able to progress was to follow a YouTube video of someone else. But that’s never a fun or satisfying way to play a puzzle game. The fault here is mostly mine. I don’t have the mental capacity to complete a game like this on my own.

The game’s sprites and artwork look pretty great. I didn’t even touch on the humor present here as well. One of the many antagonists will pop up in a window on the right side of the screen while you solve puzzles. They will constantly berate you for the choices you make, and the writing is pretty hilarious. Unfortunately, someone like me saw this dialogue over and over again as I struggled to figure out what the game wanted me to do on each stage. The repetition obviously has a negative affect on how enjoyable it is.

If you love puzzle games and are ready for a serious challenge, this could be the game for you. If you’re easily frustrated, however, you might want to steer clear. There’s an incredible puzzle game here that’s just too far above my head to enjoy. But maybe you’ve got a better head on your shoulders and can prove me wrong. I hope you can.

To hear me talk more about Dr. Kobushi’s Labyrinthine Laboratory, be sure to listen to Episode 414 of The Gaming Outsider around the 1:17:23 time stamp.

This review is based on a PC copy of Dr. Kobushi’s Labyrinthine Laboratory provided by Symbolic Software for coverage purposes. It is also available on Mac.