Developer: Bandai Namco
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: Switch
Pac-Man World Re-Pac – Review
It seems that remakes, remasters, and reboots are in endless supply this last decade. We have seen games such as Klonoa get a new lease on life, we recently also reviewed a remake of The Last of Us Part I, and even Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered was (re)released on PC. Now another remaster will be featured here, as we’re taking a closer look at Pac-Man World Re-Pac, a game that was originally released for the original PlayStation in 1999. This Pac-Man adventure was a great Pac-Man spinoff and it showed the world he was capable of much more than just saying ‘waka waka’ over and over again while consuming bright apparitions.
Story
Pac-Man is returning home for his birthday celebration, but it seems the dastardly ghosts that have been chasing him for years have other plans. The fluorescent ghoulish villains kidnap Pac-Man’s family and lock them up. It’s the evil Toc-Man who wants all the attention for himself, but Pac-Man is quick to figure out where he has to go to rescue his beloved family members.
The story of the game is very simplistic, but it does the trick. You’ll get fun old-school-like cinematics thrown in-between levels, and these add a certain charm to the game.
Graphics
Pac-Man World Re-Pac is basically a visual upgrade of the original PS1 game. We get updated cinematics, even extra cinematics, and a whole lot of polish in the actual levels. Some new animations were added, a lot of character models got renewed and the levels themselves have never looked better. The game throws you into several themed worlds which are all very colorful and fun to explore. On some occasions, you may even find yourself in an old-school Pac-Man maze, and everything together just makes a very appealing whole. The game is very accessible for young and old, and it may give the 3D adventures of Pac-Man a new lease on life. We did, from time to time, struggle with depth perception in the title.
For those that played the original game, you will probably notice that not all family members are the same as they were in the original. Ms. Pac-Man is now replaced with Pac-Mom and even Jr. Pac-Man didn’t make the cut. This is mainly due to copyright issues.
Sound
The sound design of the game is great, but that’s all thanks to the original team behind the game. The soundtrack has not really changed and it withstood the test of time quite well. We did notice a few dips in quality now and then, which makes us assume that the current developing team didn’t upscale any of the original tracks. The sound effects are decent, and you may hear a few iconic SFX here and there. The original voice acting was removed in the game, and all characters now speak a sort of gibberish.
Gameplay
Pac-Man World Re-Pac is a fairly standard action platformer. In the game, you’ll play through reasonably short stages trying to make it to the end. On your way to the end of a stage, you can collect several collectibles that may grant you a higher score or provide you with a few other fun goodies. Overall, the game doesn’t do anything that we haven’t seen in the last decade or two. Nonetheless, seeing as this is actually an upgrade from a game that dates back from 1999, it does hold up surprisingly well. Pac-Man World Re-Pac possesses all the right elements for a fun adventurous platforming experience for young and old. On top of that, it also does its best to spice things up by alternating between taking out some enemies, platforming, and even traditional Pac-Man mazes. All of this creates a fun whole.
The game throws you into several different themed worlds, all ending with a boss battle. After completing a level, the next level of that world will open up. The collectibles in the game are fun for completionists, but you won’t need them to actually be able to beat the game. The controls are great, and even though we sometimes struggled with depth perception, the game is very straightforward and not too complex. You might find yourself having to retry a few segments, but the game never feels unfair.
Conclusion
Pac-Man World Re-Pac is a fun remake of a timeless classic action platformer. Even though the sound quality wasn’t always great, and the removal of Ms. Pac-Man will certainly raise a few eyebrows, this title was an absolute blast to play through. We reckon you’re still going to have a lot of fun by simply playing through the original title (if you own it), but even so, this one is certainly worth checking out if you’re a fan of the genre, or simply want to revisit this original Pac-Man adventure.
Related Items
1 Comment
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
[…] with the recent remake of Pac-Man World, it’s easy to assume that many younger gamers will probably have never played a Pac-Man title […]