Inspired by the famus Labyrinth from Greek mythology built to imprison forever one single Minotaur in it’s deepest ends.
Developed by 16 bit Nights and published to the Nintendo Switch by Restless Corp TAURONOS is a thrilling adventure that you will not forget. Thank you to all of these developers for entrusting us with this review.
If this tittle might not appeal to you even after reading my review, I still recommend checking out the other games from the developers in their website as well. Their next game called “Chromosome Evil” is already on my wishlist and I am very much looking forward to it.
Gameplay
TAURONOS have us play in a top-down view, inside an entirely pitch dark maze without any map and only a torch for a light. With traps scattered all around for us to step on and of course, the Minotaur who is always after you. Phew… and this is supposed to be easy!
Even with ten “lives” given to manage our escape out of the labyrinth until chapter 6 at the easiest difficulty, after those run out we are sent back to the start losing all of our progress. Also, if you feel like a true Greek hero there are other difficulties than “easy” but say goodbye to any second chances!
Thankfully the Gods of Olympus will be helping us in our endeavor. Inside specific levels we can gain various perks by paying our respects in their altars spread around the labyrinth, it may very well be worth it to search for them before escaping into the next chapter too and I really enjoyed this side of it.
Each and every step was nerve-wracking, to say the least, and you just can’t slow your pace with a minotaur moving increasingly fast either. Hard but I enjoy it like that, might not be for everyone but it certainly was an experience worth your time if you give it a chance.
Sound Design
TAURONOS showcases that a great sound design doesn’t need to be loaded with sound effects and great songs. It’s all about how and where they are used to further enhance our experience with the game and in my opinion TAURONOS does that very well. With a clever narration to boot!
We are pulled in the story and the whole adventure. The background music playing adds up to the tense atmosphere in every level perfectly.
Conclusion
My favourite part in the game was controlling the minotaur, I loved the story and the theme behind it, how there are multiple paths for you to choose from which adds some replayability to it as well and even the minotaur itself as a character. Overall I got no real complaints about my experience with this game but it certainly might be too hard or slow paced for some of you.
If you like a challenge with permadeath and all please don’t miss out on TAURONOS. Very much worth the price and by the end of it you might learn something you never expected.
Thank you for reading this review and please remember, even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.
