In 1999 Namco released the original Pac-Man World on PlayStation 1 as part of the 20th anniversary celebration of the classic arcade game. Pac-Man World wanted to bring Namco’s iconic mascot to the modern age in the form of a 3D platformer, mainly drawing his cues from the Crash Bandicoot series. It’s been 23 years Pac-Man World launched for the PS1 and now the game is back as Pac-Man World Re-Pac.
Pac-Man World Re-Pac is a full-fledged remake of the original Pac-Man World game, with the graphics significantly upgraded while maintaining the level design of the PS1 game, for better or for worse. The game begins with Pac-Man’s family and friends being abducted by ghosts, so the yellow hero sets out to rescue them. As you might have guessed, you have to go through a variety of themed worlds and collect collectibles in typical 3D platformer fashion.
Pac-Man World Re-Pac has levels inspired by pirates, fairgrounds, factories and more, with most stages reminiscent of Crash Bandicoot‘s mix of side-scrolling and 3D level design. The main goal is to reach the end of the level, but players can also search for hidden letters that spell PACMAN, collect fruits, collect dots and free their kidnapped relatives, assuming they have the key to do so. Unfortunately, the collect-a-thon aspect of Pac-Man World Re-Pac is one of the biggest drawbacks, as almost every collectible requires players to go backwards, artificially inflating the length of the game and affecting the pace.
The excessive back-tracking in Pac-Man World Re-PacThe levels get old fast, but that doesn’t mean there’s no fun to be had. Fans of 90s 3D platformers will enjoy playing the game even if they are not nostalgic for the original release. Each world has only four levels, so the themes do not wear out their welcome, and the way the game contains classic Pac-Man features in 3D platformer stages is smart.
Most levels have hidden mazes for players to find, such as the Pac-Man arcade game, require players to eat all the dots while avoiding ghosts. If players can get hold of a Power Pellet, Pac-Man will grow taller and can turn the tables. These hidden mazes are a fun diversion from the basic platform gameplay, but things like dots and Power Pellets can also be found in the 3D platforming sections, giving Pac-Man the power to take out patrolling ghosts that are otherwise invulnerable.
hardcore Pac-Man fans will make the most of it Pac-Man World Re-Pac and his nods to the past. Those who manage to beat the game will even unlock an arcade cabinet that allows them to play the original Pac-Manso even if one is not impressed with the main game, Pac-Man World Re-Pac at least gives players the chance to play one of the best arcade games of all time.
Unlock the classic Pac-Man arcade cabinet requires players to beat Pac-Man World Re-Pac, and it doesn’t take long at all. Most will be able to do this in five hours or less. Pac-Man World Re-Pac is a short game, but it’s hard to complain when it’s available at a budget price of $30 and includes the classic arcade game as part of the package.
Pac-Man World Re-Pac isn’t just short though, it’s also incredibly simple. There is virtually no challenge in the game, with frequent checkpoints and death with little to no consequences. Pac-Man World Re-Pac showers players in 1-Ups, with many found in the levels and some awarded for high achievements at the end. Each level ends with a slot that gives players even more free lives if they are successful, but since players already have so many 1-Ups, the slot quickly becomes an annoyance.
The final boss fight in Pac-Man World Re-Pac is also annoying, mainly because of how long it takes and problems detecting hits. Without going into spoilers, Pac-Man World Re-PacThe player’s final boss requires players to hit them in the feet with dots, but sometimes these blows go unregistered, which can lead to some frustration. The boss has three different stages, each stage cannot be skipped. Die to the final boss in Pac-Man World Re-Pac means repeating the cutscenes that can’t be skipped and the rather tedious gameplay, though the rest of the game’s bosses are fun to fight.
Pac-Man World Re-PacThe other boss battles are a highlight of the experience, as each encounter is at least slightly challenging compared to the rest of the game and offers a unique battle. One boss fight is against a flying pirate ship, while another is played as a Mario Kartstyle race against evil clowns. There’s a lot of variety here and it’s always interesting to see how each world’s theme will be used for the boss fight.
Pac-Man World Re-Pac has fun boss fights and decent 3D platform gameplay for the most part, but it suffers from excessive back-tracking and is quite short. It’s a largely faithful recreation of the PS1 Pac-Man World game, but in a much nicer package, and with its budget price, it’s an easy recommendation for anyone pining for the original. Those who never played the PS1 original might not appreciate it much, but it’s still a solid 3D platformer despite its flaws.
Pac-Man World Re-Pac is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Game Rant played the Xbox Series X version of the game for this review.
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