Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is the first game in this series to hit the West since 2001. It’s based on a series of Japanese novels that began in 1988 and have since spun off into games, anime, manga, and more. Because of this, the story may be hard to follow since it references characters Westerners may be unfamiliar with.
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth follows the High Elf Deedlit, on her quest through a dungeon. She wakes up, confused, going along and finding what she believes are ghosts of her past. What exactly is going on? It’s a mystery that should have players guessing till the very end. Story aside, how does it play, and are there any good tips for beginners?
7 No Difficulty Levels
There are no difficulty options or assist features in the game. There is no need to fret for less experienced gamers though because Record of Lodoss War is fairly balanced. As an RPG at its core, the gameplay has a built-in difficulty level that scales depending on how much players are willing to grind.
The only times when things ratchet up are the bosses. With some practice, even they won’t stand much of a chance next to Deedlit. The downside to this is that there is not a more challenging difficulty at the start for the hardcore gamers out there.
6 Head Left First
This is the most basic piece of advice to bestow upon players at the start. If players head left then they can get their first elemental, Sylph. This creature will imbue all attacks with wind magic along with giving Deedlit the ability to float.
Players can head right but they will get stuck a few screens down. Going left first will get rid of the need to backtrack. As this is a Metroidvania, backtracking is built into the gameplay loop. So, every little piece of advice like this should help save time.
5 Change The Controller Bindings
The default controller settings on the Xbox consoles don’t feel right. The A Button is for taking action while B is for jumping. Switch this around to have X for attacking and A for jumping.
This should feel more comfortable as that is the standard setup for most games. It’s always odd when one sneaks through the cracks like this. At least Record of Lodoss War allows players to switch bindings at their leisure, making this not a huge problem.
4 Quick Maneuvers To Remember
There are two maneuvers that players should learn by heart. The first is the back dash. When an enemy is about the attack, hit the bumpers to dash away. It would have been nice if Deedlit could also dodge through enemies but any evasive skill is better than nothing.
Players should also take advantage of height differences. Deedlit can attack downwards. If players time their jumps right, they can switch between stabbing down and dashing away with Sylph’s float ability. This maneuver takes longer to master than the simple back dash. Practice makes perfect in this hack and slash RPG.
3 Be Aware Of Enemy Weaknesses
After Sylph, Deedlit will also gain the aid of Salamander. That is a fire spirit. Players can swap between them on the fly, imbuing their weapons with different powers. Most enemies are weak to one or the other.
Some may even be immune to a certain element. The bestiary can help sort this out otherwise there is always trial and error. It’s also a good idea to stock up both elementals with enough cubes to reach level three. This can heal Deedlit as long as she doesn’t get hit. This is especially good for boss battles.
2 A Guide To Ghim’s Shop
Ghim is a dwarf shopkeeper that will eventually pop out to meet Deedlit. His selection is good from items to weapons. However, money doesn’t grow on trees. It’s best to save this currency for potions only. Don’t spend the whole bank on them though. One or two should suffice.
The weapon selection players will obtain from chests or enemies is more than enough. The later section of Record of Lodoss War is when Ghim’s weapon selection may be more appealing. For the first half though, stick to potions. Also, if players do need money they can always sell duplicates from monster drops. Make sure to try out all weapons too. A dagger may seem like a bad weapon, for example, but it has its advantages. They all do.
1 Take Manual Notes
Deedlit will gain various powers and tools that will open up new pathways in the ever-expanding dungeon. That is what Metroidvanias are all about. It might be tricky to remember every little nook and cranny that was impassible before.
There is no way to mark up the map with notes either. That’s why it is recommended to take manual notes. The best thing to do is to take a screenshot of the environment and then take a screenshot of where that place is on the map. It’s an easy solution to save players the headache of excessive backtracking.
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth was released on March 27, 2021, for PC. It was later launched on December 16, 2021, for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
