I’m ready to start the review, wondering why a low-key version like Pac-Man World deserves a remake. Then I quickly skimmed through reviews and sales figures for the original game and realized I was wrong. Originally a PS1 exclusive, the game was even a phenomenal success in reviews and sales, selling one and a half million copies at the time.
The first Pac-Man World was not a familiar title to me, instead, I played the third installment in the series before. Because of this, it’s interesting to see where the series originates and how the original game compares to its sequel. The game was well-received at the time, and it couldn’t be that bad, right! ?
Interestingly, the world of Pac-Man isn’t even trying to challenge Super Mario or crash Bandy Kurt on its own turf. Instead, it’s a fairly simple adventure that uses the third dimension in a peculiar way. These stages usually run from left to right, always taking advantage of the possibilities of 3D.
The best thing about the world of Pac-Man is how the game takes advantage of the protagonist’s special abilities. The main part of the game consists of the usual platform antics, next to the usual chucks of fruit and letters. But there are also more interesting things to find. The famous energy pill, for example, instantly turns Pac-Man into a giant chewing machine, which also allows him to eat ghosts floating on the stage. Behind the locked door, there is also a series of basic Pac-Man moves, a maze full of pills. They don’t contribute much to the game, but they’re well-designed and fun to play.
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The remake is well done. The graphics are crisp and colorful, and especially the soundtrack – composed by famed musician Tommy Tararico – is so good that I listen to it even without the game. Unfortunately, the new graphics took their toll on the old platform. While games run smoothly at 60 frames per second on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, the Switch in particular suffers from gaming issues at times. The game felt sluggish at times, which created problems when platforming and combat became more onerous.
There are other issues with the game when viewed through a pair of modern glasses. There was a lot of repetition, but then again, the adventure was over after only five hours or so. Difficulty levels are also fairly erratic, as most of the time the game is fairly easy romp, but sometimes the difficulty spikes noticeably, even at the early levels. This also applies to boss fights, they’re mostly easy to laugh at, but especially the boss fights in the second world, nothing frustrating despite the updates in the remake.
Overall, Pac-Man World and Pac-Man is a good enough game. Compared to other late 1990s platformers, the Pac feature is very primitive, and I really didn’t expect to see something like this. While the genre is showing little hope of waking up again, there’s still a major drought in the 3D platformer market. Pac-Man adventures are good enough to quench your thirst.
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