Pac-Man is back! Well, at least he’s back for the umpteenth time. PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC from Bandai Namco is a re-release of the original PAC-MAN WORLD for the Playstation. Yes, that’s Playstation 1. That’s a 3D remake of Pac-Man itself, so you kind of have an idea of what to expect.
In PAC-MAN WORLD (and yes, the title is official with a capital letter, apologies), you’ll find yourself late to a party as Pac-Man and the entire Pac family has been kidnapped by Toc Man’s ghosts. Why, you may ask? Because Toc Man was afraid that Pac-Man would interrupt his party (he is very serious about parties) and so he told his henchmen to catch him. Unfortunately, the ghosts couldn’t tell the difference between members of the Pac family and so they captured them all, ensuring Pac-Man’s eventual arrival and party disruption. Maybe Toc Man should have just had his party and been left alone. Definitely some in-depth scripting there!
When PAC-MAN WORLD starts, you’ll have a choice of the first three worlds to play. Each world is made up of stages housed in a hub world so you can choose which order you want to play in. Beat one stage and you’ll unlock the next one until you face the boss. It’s a simple recipe that most gamers should be familiar with. There are six worlds, each with multiple stages and a variety of strangely colorful environments such as circuses, pirate ships and space.
The gameplay largely consists of Pac-Man running and jumping over each stage. He moves in 3D, as you’d expect, but his primary attack is a bounce, literally hitting the tops of enemies with his bum with a happy grin. You can bounce off the environment that way too, a handy dual-purpose use for your butt. It’s a little odd to be honest, but hey, if you’re a yellow anthropomorphic granule, anything seems to work.
As you progress through each level, you’ll collect grains for points, letters that spell your name for bonuses, and a variety of fruits used as keys to unlock doors and areas. Butt bouncing on switches unlocks them and lets you into gated areas where you’ll also find hidden items. Seasoned gamers will notice that PAC-MAN WORLD is a lot like old PS1 and N64 platformers, especially the kind of thing Rare used to use. It’s a collect-a-thon mixed with weird jumping puzzles and platform edges that seem a little hard to stay centered.
The 3D is rudimentary here, but thankfully the controls have been updated so that the game is actually more playable, unlike its PS1 predecessor. Unfortunately, other than the controls and graphics, there are no other major upgrades for PAC-MAN WORLD (everyone should capitalize). Lots of timed jumps and backtracking means boring levels and weird falling deaths and frankly quite a bit of frustration with a game design that is over 20 years outdated.
There are, of course, some positives. If you manage to unlock the maze gate, you can play a top-down 3D version of Pac-Man that lasts a single level. One is hidden in each level and they’re pretty fun even if they’re not the best version of Pac-Man, especially with things like Championship and 256 out there. You can also get a pellet that turns you into a giant 3D Pac-Man and makes you eat a bunch of ghosts. It only takes a minute or so each time, but it sure is a fun minute.
There are special pellets that also turn you into impenetrable metal, and some that let you fly around collecting pellets, but it’s not enough to really make PAC-MAN WORLD as enjoyable as you’d hope. Some boss fights also shake things up, throwing you into a kart race and the like, which is pretty neat. Completing a stage gives you the chance to try your luck at a digital slot machine, but it is time consuming, not very fun and mandatory. There is no skipping the slots and they throw away the mediocre fun that comes from the game itself. Their inclusion is a little weird, but hey, maybe some people really like Pac-Man themed slot machines.
Visually, PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC is quite nice. The update to HD really does justice to the simple, vibrant graphics and while the texture mapping is certainly old, the game’s visual design makes it work well. The brightly colored stages just sparkle and except for a few noticeably dark spots, everything looks good. This is actually a bit of a shame, as the visual appeal of the game is aimed at younger players and the difficulty, while not high, isn’t exactly friendly to the average learner. Adults won’t be drawn to this without a healthy infusion of nostalgia, but kids may find it a little more challenging than they’d like.
As for extras, if you manage to complete the entire main game of PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC, you’ll unlock the original game. Unfortunately, that’s a readily available title that’s more fun than PAC-MAN WORLD. It’s nice to have it around, but it seems like it shouldn’t be an unlockable game. Everything about PAC-MAN WORLD feels dated and strange and the game just isn’t that fresh. There have been no changes to the level design or physical parameters, no real modernization aside from the excellent graphics upgrade, and the whole experience feels like a rip-off of other similar games, with Banjo-Kazooie and Crash Bandicoot vibes.
For those of you fond of the PS1/N64 platform era, PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC is going to be a solid trip down memory lane with a nice visual rework. For modern gamers, this one might be a bit stale with repetitive gameplay and some pointless design choices that really keep the player from fully immersing themselves in a Pac-Man experience like other offerings. It’s certainly a mixed bag, as many reissues are and at $30, one that will make players think twice before buying. If you’re a Pac fan, this might be for you, but for the vast majority of gamers, chances are you’ll want to wait for a sale. PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC is not a bad game, but certainly an old one.
This review is based on a digital copy of PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC provided by the publisher. It was played on a Nintendo Switch in both docked and undocked modes and played equally well on both. PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC is also available on Xbox One, PS4, and PC on Steam.
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