Developer: Namco Publisher: Tengen Release: 1991 Genre: Action
Pac-Man. If you are over the age of 35 chances are you have played some incarnation of Namco’s classic. But while the original arcade game is an indelible part of video game history its many follow-ups are not as well known. Try as they might Namco could not recapture the magic until Pac-Man Championship Edition in 2007. Some games were better than others and Pac-Mania is one of the better successors. While its additions are subtle they do make for an entertaining game that is worth your time.
Pac-Mania is Namco’s attempt to modernize Pac-Man’s gameplay in the face of more complex arcade games. The most notable change is the perspective. The game uses an isometric perspective while still being a maze based title. It gives the game a striking look while largely avoiding the problems of most isometric titles. Your view is never obscured and the controls are still just as snappy; using the four cardinal buttons rather than diagonal presses is just as effective.
The general gameplay of Pac-Man still applies. Your goal is to eat all the dots to move on to the next maze. Power pellets enable you to eat ghosts for a brief period of time but two more power-ups have been added. Red Pellets increase your point bonus when eating ghosts, perfect for chasing high scores. This also lasts until death which is really cool. The green pellet gives a temporary boost in speed but is rare which is fitting as it would be game breaking. The biggest addition is the ability to jump. It’s simple but changes things dramatically. The jump covers a good distance and enables quick escapes. You can’t jump over walls and there is a brief cool down but otherwise it is an excellent addition to Pac-Man’s repertoire.
Pac-Mania has four themed mazes with their own unique look and layout. Pac-Man’s Park is the closest to the original maze with the only difference (aside from the viewpoint) being the introduction of a new ghost, Funky. Sandbox Land takes place in a pyramid and sees the ghosts at their most aggressive. On top of that they can also jump just like you! Block Town has the most unique look as it resembles a Lego play set, at least in the arcade. Jungle Steps ups the speed all around and is the most harrowing. The various mazes and their quirks mean you cannot get comfortable and expect to get in to a rhythm. The game cycles through them, sometimes featuring the same world two or three times in a row. I like it even though it does mean you will have to work for those high scores.
The various additions and changes make Pac-Mania a faster paced game. This is necessary as the maps are larger than in the original. The ghosts and their behavior largely follow the original but changes when you eat a certain amount of pellets. Blinky was always the most aggressive but becomes especially so in Pac-Man’s Park. Sue is relentless in her pursuit if you are near and moves slightly faster than Pac-Man making for a harrowing experience if she is on your tail. Funky and Spunky jump like you and will double up in the late game. In fact later rounds can feature as many as nine ghosts which is insane. If there is one criticism it is that toward the end of a round it gets tedious searching for one lone pellet, especially because of the perspective.
Technically there are nineteen rounds in Pac-Mania. However the mazes begin to repeat long before that. You will run through the four worlds a total of three or four times before the game reaches its “end”. For those that want a sense of closure you will receive an ending screen at this point. However if you want to see how high you can score the game will loop endlessly. The new mechanics add interesting wrinkles on the classic formula. However I feel as a whole Pac-Mania does not have the infinite replay value of its originator. I cannot quite place my finger on the reason why; the scoring is more generous and there is more variety as a whole. Yet the simplicity of the original makes it timeless.
In Closing
I will admit I expected the worst. But it won me over with its solid maze design and mechanics. Pac-Mania is an enjoyable experience and one of the better outings in Pac-Man’s later adventures. Pac-Mania is somewhat forgotten today but more than worth seeking out if you want something a little different. I recommend it.
