Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk

 Switch
Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk Image
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 35 Ratings

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  • Summary: Become the living book, Tractatus de Monstrum, and command a brigade of puppet soldiers as you navigate the twisting passageways of the labyrinth of Refrain.

    When at your base, prepare for your journey by upgrading your brigade! Create new puppet soldiers, assign them different squads and    Become the living book, Tractatus de Monstrum, and command a brigade of puppet soldiers as you navigate the twisting passageways of the labyrinth of Refrain.

    When at your base, prepare for your journey by upgrading your brigade! Create new puppet soldiers, assign them different squads and formations, synthesize better equipment, take requests from townsfolk, and get assistance from Dronya in the form of Witch Petitions.

    Once you've entered the labyrinth, be sure to search every nook and cranny as you jump over barricades, solve puzzles, and smash your way through walls to delve further and further downward in search of treasure and rare artefacts. But be careful, the more riches you obtain, the more vicious the dungeon becomes. Can you survive long enough to bring your haul back?

    Fight past terrifying monsters by giving orders to your puppet brigade. Change their formation, use special skills, or call for an all out attack! The battles you face will be challenging, so your success depends on your preparation and your strategy.    … Expand
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Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk - Official System Trailer | E3 2018

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 8
  3. Negative: 1 out of 8
  1. RPG Site
    Sep 18, 2018
    90
    Whether it's the little details, the amount of trust it has in the player to make their own choices - even the wrong ones - as well as the respect to let players deduce its secrets on their own, Coven undoubtedly has become one of my favorite DRPGs of all time. Cryptic requirements for the true ending, some user interfaces quibbles, and other minor nitpicks aside - Coven might not be a perfect game, but for anyone starving for a hardcore DRPG experience with substance behind it won't find themselves disappointed with its journey.
  2. Digitally Downloaded
    Sep 11, 2018
    90
    Nippon Ichi continues to be one of the more experimental developers within traditional JRPG genres. Disgaea has always offered a fundamentally different approach to tactics JRPGs, and the two Witch and the Hundred Knight titles did interesting things with the action JRPG. Being different means they're not for everyone, but Labyrinth of Refrain is perhaps the developer's most mature, nuanced, and interesting effort yet.
  3. NintendoWorldReport
    Sep 13, 2018
    85
    Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk is the dungeon crawler I've been waiting for. The way you build up characters and use them in battle is so incredibly well put together. Everything you do to prepare feels important, and readies you for what comes next. Naturally there are a few things to be said about the story's setup and the not-so-massive enemy count, but this can be forgiven in the grand scheme of things. The game knows what it wants to be, and I gladly spent well close to 100 hours seeing it all through. If you are looking for a game that will keep you going, Labyrinth of Refrain has your back.
  4. Nintendo Life
    Sep 11, 2018
    70
    The first-person dungeon-crawling RPG genre has produced its fair share of obtuse and needlessly difficult titles over the years, but Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk remedies this by offering an easy-to-master battle system, silly characters and the ability to modify the difficulty of its dungeons. While its cutscenes are a little too self-indulgent in length, the voiceover work is surprisingly decent and although some story moments take the occasional questionable turn, Nippon Ichi has conjured an intriguing world to inhabit. The design of the dungeons can be a little repetitive, but Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk is still a great way for newcomers to try out this age-old genre.
  5. FNintendo
    Oct 2, 2018
    70
    Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk features engaging and complex gameplay systems, as well as a combat that is fast and compelling and more signs of quality in a production of this level. While those who are not into JRPGs will find it difficult to appreciate this game, those more versed in the genre will see here a quality and good performing game.
  6. Hardcore Gamer
    Sep 11, 2018
    60
    Sadly, Labyrinth of Refrain is a game far too convoluted with illusionary depth to be considered wholly enjoyable. With a dispensable story, poor mid-game communication (that often feels like a deliberate attempt to waste player time) and a hefty number of interfaces requiring a fair amount of cleaning up, Nippon Ichi’s attempt to alternate from their usual Disgaea forte, though intriguing in a few areas, ends up being frustrating and cumbersome to the point of cancelling out the enjoyment it initially creates.
  7. Cubed3
    Jan 22, 2019
    40
    Although Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk presents itself well enough, it ultimately falls short due to the incredible lack of pacing, a roller coaster of a difficulty curve, and generally not that engaging gameplay. Combat is mindlessly repetitive, exploration tedious, and progression is severely stunted. This is the culmination of too many moving parts that are for show, but don't achieve any real goal.

See all 8 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. fiesher
    Sep 20, 2018
    10
    Etrian Odyssey's old school dungeoneering PLUS + Disgaea's love for huge numbers (characters/squads/stats) + Superb music/voice/artwork +Etrian Odyssey's old school dungeoneering PLUS + Disgaea's love for huge numbers (characters/squads/stats) + Superb music/voice/artwork + Automapping/Shortcuts

    = Labyrinth of Refrain~

    Personally, if the dungeon layouts are randomly generated each play-through, it would be perfect. Still a solid 10 for me for its rng loot, deep content and overall quality.    … Expand
  2. pikes
    Nov 30, 2018
    10
    I signed up for a metacritic account because this game was so good I had to give it a 10 on here. This is probably the best RPG I've played inI signed up for a metacritic account because this game was so good I had to give it a 10 on here. This is probably the best RPG I've played in years, and definitely in my top 5 of all time. I'm a big fan of Etrian Odyssey, Disgaea, etc. etc. and this game is definitely a lot like those in many ways. The story, voice acting, animations, music, sound effects, and gameplay are all superb. The end game grind wasn't too bad either. I'm not sure I have anything bad to say about the game to be honest. Maybe they could have improved navigating around the menus a bit. I would have loved a bit more endgame, for example maybe as the one reviewer said a randomly generated dungeon or something a bit more rogue-like. Really hoping the have a sequel to this one!… Expand
  4. Jax360
    Sep 26, 2018
    8
    Presentation. 8/10
    Graphics TV. 8/10
    Graphics Handheld. 8/10
    Music. 7.5/10
    Controls. 9/10
    Fun-factor. 7.5/10
    Score. 7.8/10
  5. Foxazoxi
    Sep 6, 2019
    8
    The dungeon is good and the story is great. I love our main characters. Besides that the combat system is kind of boring though generatingThe dungeon is good and the story is great. I love our main characters. Besides that the combat system is kind of boring though generating squads is a fun process.… Expand
  6. Sunshadow87
    Jun 10, 2020
    8
    Lo primero es decir que el PEGI de este juego tendría que ser 18... y si no cuando lleguéis a ver los enemigos de cierta parte del juego yaLo primero es decir que el PEGI de este juego tendría que ser 18... y si no cuando lleguéis a ver los enemigos de cierta parte del juego ya veréis a que me refiero (me encanta la falta de censura, pero el PEGI creo que no es el que toca...).
    Estamos ante un muy buen dungeon crawler, con nuestro ejercito de personajes genéricos (marionetas), además de tener protagonistas propios. Hay que decir que aunque los picos de dificultad son comunes en este genero, hay especialmente bastantes en este juego, además de tener que grindear bastante en ciertas partes. El pico de dificultad final es abismalmente enorme (para ver el final real del juego necesitas acabar con todos los jefes opcionales y prepararte para un jefe final realmente infernal), así que preparaos para ello (ahí no vale con grindear solo, necesitas optimizar la estrategia para reventar el sistema de juego y tener posibilidades... y eso implica un conocimiento profundo del sistema).
    Al igual que en la saga EO, muchas veces nos encontraremos con enemigos que están fuera de nuestras capacidades y que tendremos que evitar, y áreas en las que al entrar serían un suicidio.
    La historia esta llena de misterios que se irán resolviendo poco a poco, pero has de saber que no todo es lo que parece.
    Si te gusta el genero, es un juegazo a pesar de sus fallos y de que puede volverse repetitivo a veces.    … Expand
  7. JRice
    Dec 29, 2020
    6
    Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk has a lot of potential, and is fun and motivating at times, but ultimately falls short due to theLabyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk has a lot of potential, and is fun and motivating at times, but ultimately falls short due to the incredible lack of pacing, a suboptimal difficulty curve, and generally not that engaging gameplay. Combat is mindlessly repetitive, exploration tedious, and progression is not nearly fluid enough. The story is nonsense, the humor is silly, and the presenration is childish... And on top, there is a really respectless DLC policy... This is the culmination of many good ideas, that are realized lovelessly...… Expand
  8. night4
    Sep 18, 2018
    6
    It's... ok. If you liked Etrian Odyssey, you might kinda like this one, but it's not as good as EO.

    The cutscenes are terrible and I find    It's... ok. If you liked Etrian Odyssey, you might kinda like this one, but it's not as good as EO.

    The cutscenes are terrible and I find myself skipping them now. The character generation is great. The combat is fine. The music is mediocre. The interface and menus are horrible (EO does twice as much with half the space). The price is ridiculous and indefensible.

    There's just not much there to grab me, but I'll update as necessary.    … Expand

See all 8 User Reviews

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