Not many people are aware that the Namco mascot has ventured into very different types of games for which he is famous all over the world. His first 3D adventure was released in 1999 on PlayStation to celebrate the character’s 20th anniversary. Twenty-three years later, PAC-MAN WORLD RE-PAC It marks the return of this classic style with HD visual improvements and updated features.
choppy birthday party
The adventure begins with the PAC family preparing a birthday party for our hero. However, the cleaning is interrupted by ghosts, who appear and kidnap everyone, trapping them in different cages around the world. Now it’s up to our hero to save them across different areas until the final showdown with the dangerous villain TOC-MAN.
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Here, PAC-MAN has features not found in your classic games, but quite familiar to platform game fans. We can defeat enemies by jumping on their heads with Butt Bounce, which also works to break things and reach higher platforms.
The hero is able to spin a Sonic-like dash to instantly gain speed and take down enemies with crashes. He can also toss the points he collects for close-range attacks and do mid-air runs, like Yoshi, to get to platforms a little further away.
The action takes place on classic 3D platforms of the genre, with ramps, ramps, moving parts, ramps, and water levels. The stages are linear, but allow for some exploration, with some secret passages and forks along the way. In some places there is a slight backing downwhere it is necessary to press the button in one place to trigger a mechanism that releases progress or secret items at another point.
Throughout the stages, there are places with ghosts and mazes that have a similar gameplay to the classic arcade, where we eat an energy pill that allows us to devour our opponents. These stages, while optional, are a lot of fun for the nostalgic side – it’s a PAC-MAN game after all.
The ultimate goal of the stages is to destroy the TOC-MAN statue at the end of the course. During the stages, there are many optional collectibles, which present an additional challenge to fans of achievement, but can be overlooked by those who simply want to get to the end of the campaign in the shortest possible time.
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This stare
The developers of Re-PAC sought to preserve the gameplay in the original PAC-MAN World, and this was reflected in the experience of the title itself. Some aspects of the design progressed poorly a couple of decades ago, when 3D platform games were still in the beta phase. The game’s camera, for example, is fixed, which confuses the player when calculating certain distances at unfavorable angles.
The design of the stages is interesting and varied, always with themed elements related to the world in which we play. In all, there are six scenarios each with four stages, always ending in a final battle against a boss. These encounters are fun and have their own mechanics, with a nice variety of gameplay. There is also the shooting stage where we face the Galaxian, another blow for Namco.
lack of credit
The new version of PAC-MAN World has stayed true to the former in terms of gameplay, level design, and music. The soundtrack was reworked for Re-PAC, but remained very similar to the original; On the other hand, the graphics have undergone a noticeable modernization, becoming more acceptable to a new audience who will learn about the title on modern platforms.
New scenes, user interface update, difficulty adjustments, and an update to the save system (original PlayStation memory cards used) were introduced. There have even been some changes to the characters, such as replacing Mrs. PAC-MAN by PAC-MOM, due to a character rights dispute with ATGames.
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Another controversy is that despite being close to 1999’s work, Not added to the original development team In this new version, which sparked a wave of resentment from game designer Scott Rogers, who argued that “it would only take two minutes” to include the names of those responsible. Bandai Namco said it would “take a look” at the matter.
Best performance not in performance mode
In the Re-PAC version of the Nintendo Switch, the player is allowed to choose between two performance modes: Resolution mode, which offers better graphics and fixes the frame rate at 30 fps; and Performance mode, which features simpler graphics and dynamically changes the frame rate, in theory, to provide a more fluid experience.
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However, dynamically changing the performance in performance mode is more of a hindrance than a help. It’s very frustrating to see sudden changes in frame rate halfway through in a situation that demands precision. These oscillations are quite noticeable in handheld mode, although they also often occur when playing with the dock key. Amazingly, the most stable experience is a 30fps stabilization in resolution mode.
Good but nothing exceptional
The world of PAC-MAN: Re-PAC It’s a competent 3D platform, but there are certainly better alternatives out there for the adapter. Its gameplay is very faithful to the ’90s origin, and while it’s a bounty for those looking for a nostalgic title, the two-decade-old gameplay feels a bit dated these days, lacking basic features like camera control, as well as a lack of graphics performance. Good on Switch. However, if you enjoyed the original PlayStation version and want to relive the gameplay, then this title is what you’re looking for.
Positives
- Interesting level design, with a good variety of challenges;
- Beautiful updated graphics.
- Music and sound effects bring nostalgic sensations with the original title.
Negatives
- Serious performance issues, with sudden frame rate differences in performance mode;
- fixed camera that the player cannot change;
- The gameplay seems a bit outdated.
World of PAC-MAN: Re-PAC – PS5/XSX/PS4/XBO/Switch/PC – Note: 6.5
Version used for analysis: Switch
Review: David Sousa
Analysis was produced using a digital copy provided by Bandai Namco
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