REVIEW | PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC

LifeisXbox’s PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC review | This is the same Pac-Man character we all love from the arcade machines, there are some impactful changes though. Our beloved character spawned legs and arms to travel around a mix of diverse 3D and 2.5D environments. Originally released in the 90s, the era of many great platformers it was a fairly well-received platformer for PSOne. As every other popular 90s platformer hero is having a remake nowadays (MediEvil, Crash Bandicoot, Klonoa, and more) Pac-Man couldn’t stay behind! (Words that Microsoft hopefully reads with Banjo…) Quite honestly, PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC has a strong nostalgia value but the original – somewhat dated – gameplay is really fun, especially with the visual improvements! It doesn’t matter if you play Pac-Man in the classic arcade style, in 3D, or maybe in the future 4D, it is always fun to eat dots and the ghost gang Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde. (Quiz time! Do you know the colors of the ghost names?)

ℹ️ Reviewed on Xbox Series X | Review code provided by PR/publisher, this review is the personal opinion of the writer.

What we Liked!

• Typical 90s platform gameplay | Re-PAC is a very linear platformer but manages to create depth with secret door rooms that you need to open by finding fruit. As Pac-Man, you’ll be searching for all kinds of collectibles by jumping around or swimming in small water sections. Defeating goons sent by Toc-Man, the main antagonist of the game who kidnapped your Pac-Man’s friends. More on fighting enemies in the mixed section of our review. but you’ll be able to defeat them by throwing collected dots, jumping on them with a butt-move, or dashing into them with a short speed boost. Not much has changed with the mechanics but they did add a cool-looking power dot that makes Pac-Man much larger, this comes with a neat visual effect in the maze sections too. You have six different world themes, for example, a carnival-inspired or pirate-themed one. Each of them has four levels and six maze levels. As I love the classic Pac-Man gameplay it was a blast to play the 2D maze levels, they look fantastic and each world has a gameplay-changing element that kept it fresh and fun to play.

• Charming visuals with respect for the original game | The foundation of the game isn’t changed so you still have that bland visual look from the 90s, but the remade visuals are more bright and detailed. The colorful world and characters make up for that typical level design from past days. It isn’t as visually attractive as the Spyro or Crash Bandicoot remake but it gets the job done. Unsure about my words? You can always look up the side-by-side comparison of the old and new game versions! One thing is for sure, Pac-Man has never been more charming to look at! Important detail, the game runs a super smooth 60FPS.

Mixed Feelings

• Enemies could be more challenging | The difficulty from PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC comes from the platforming sections, the enemies are more of a nuisance. Boss fights are not included, but all normal mobs are way too easily avoided or destroyed. As memorable as the original ghosts as enemies are, every other enemy type is simply boring. (Quiz time answer: Blinky is red, Pinky is pink, Inky is cyan and Clyde is orange) Most of the time you will simply avoid their path or attacks or easily disperse them with a butt attack (yes, that’s the name) or by throwing a dot.

• Big changes with the Ms. Pac-Man lawsuit | (no score reduction) One of the strangest rights lawsuits in gaming has to be this one. I’m not going to write the what and how, but be sure to look it up in Bing if you want to know more about it. As a direct result, Ms. Pac-Man has been removed from Re-PAC and changed to Pac-Mom. All original cutscenes have been changed because of this. This remake now features cartoon cutscenes. They are very nice to watch but I still prefer the older CGI cutscenes.

What we Disliked

• Fruit machine mini-game | Before seeing the results when you finish a level you are greeted with an unskippable slot machine mini-game. Here you can earn extra points or be rewarded with extra respawns. This mandatory thing is rather easy when you remember the fruit order but takes way too long to remain fun. It would have been a better option to see this slot machine after an environment chapter (boss fight) and not after every single level. To be clear, I’m not talking about the ‘gambling’ aspect as I have a pretty clear opinion on that matter. I think it is absolute bullshit that some games are blocked in Belgium for gambling things but this fruit slot machine in PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC isn’t any of that. Your bonuses can easily be won by taking the time.

How long to beat the story | 6 hours
How long to achieve 1000G | 10 hours

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