PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC

- Reviewed on Switch -

PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC released on August 25th, 2022. 

One of the most famous video game characters, Pac-Man, originally had his very first Pac-Man World adventure, way back in 1999.

I actually own the original version, and tried it here and there, but never had the ambition to actually, fully dive, into this adventure, platformer title.

And now, on my favorite console, (as of writing this blog post), I did have the ambition to play it, and boy was I an idiot for not ever playing the original beforehand!

With hardly any frame rate drops, hardly any visual or audio glitches, and easy to understand (master) controls, this platformer was so, incredibly fun, and actually a platformer I may return to in the future, for another go!

This review WILL have Major Spoilers so keep that in mind before continuing...

The game starts with a cutscene of Pac-Man's friends and family, preparing for Pac-Man's 20th Anniversary.

However, as with many Pac-Man titles, the dastardly ghosts kidnap Pac-Man's friends and family, and take them to Ghost Island.

This island is the game's main setting, with six areas (worlds) to play through.

These worlds include...

    - Pirate Ship Area

    - Ruins Area

    - Space Area

    - Funhouse Area

    - Factory Area

    - Boss Mansion Area

Each area has three levels to complete, and one boss battle level. 

These boss battles vary in gameplay. 

Most of them will be your traditional boss battle fight, with unique puzzle layouts, similar to those of that area overall. 

Meanwhile, other boss battles might be different, such as a race!

The PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC bosses include...

    - Krome Keeper

    - Anubis

    - King Galaxian

    - Windbag

    - The Clown Racers

    - Toc-Man

Toc-Man is definitely the coolest looking boss, in terms of appearance, and he is the toughest too, as he is the main antagonist, determined to take the spotlight off of the real Pac-Man.

In terms of the actual gameplay, as mentioned, there are six areas (worlds) with four individual levels each.

The traditional levels are 3D platformers where the main goal is to get to the Toc-Man stone statue and destroy them.

Along the way, you'll come across the many collectibles in this game, which I loved!

You can collect all six letters in Pac-Man, unlock mazes, collect fruit, and much more.

Collecting fruit is crucial to level completion and finding all the collectibles. 

Doors will have images of the required fruit, and there is a lot of backtracking involved to collect all the individual collectibles.

You have three ways of destroying normal enemies. These are by dashing through them, hitting them with pellets, or jumping and smashing them.

The gameplay was smooth and crispy the entire time, during this five-hour (average) story.

Constantly collecting pellets and hearing that classic chomping sound was enjoyable and so was all the audio design, overall.

I do see where one may argue the repetitiveness of gameplay may get stale. 

However, with just how much is involved, such as the doors, the fruit, the enemies, and even the switches that you must pound to activate, I believe the level design was perfect enough to avoid the stale repetitiveness from casting a dark shadow. 

The music in PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC might not be as memorable as Pac-Man World 2, for example, but the composers did an excellent job with making themes for each individual area and their respective levels. 

This becomes very apparent in the final, Boss Mansion Area.

One, final key point of these levels and areas, is saving Pac-Man's friends and family. 

Though this isn't required to beat the main game, there is one massive advantage to saving Pac-Boy, Pac-Mom, Professor Pac, Pac-Sis, Pooka, and Pac-Buddy, and that's the fact that they will accompany you in the final boss battle with Toc-Man, and give you extra health multiple times when you're low.

I loved this superhero like gathering during the final boss battle, and the Toc-Man battle was brilliantly designed with a simple, yet effective layout, utilizing all of Pac-Man's abilities. 

After beating the game, and getting your grand, final score, you can revisit any and all levels and finish collecting collectibles, or simply get a better, final, high score. 

You will also unlock the classic Pac-Man arcade game on the hub world, and even a jukebox!

I can't express how much I loved this game overall. 

The worlds were well plotted out. 

The level design was great, and the gameplay shined the brightest. 

Though the music (other than the Main Menu theme) wasn't as memorable, PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC is absolutely worth your time!

Pros: 

    - Smooth Gameplay / Frame Rate

    - Simple and Fun Story

    - Excellent Level Design

    - Not too Difficult

    - Collectibles Galore

    - Classic Arcade Pac-Man to Enjoy (Post Game)

    - Variety in Boss Battle Gameplay

Cons:

    - Music isn't as Memorable (Except the Main Menu Theme, Which Was)

My Rating for PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC (on Switch):

5 / 5

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Disclaimer

All Reviews, Ratings, Pros, Cons, and Opinions Shared on this Blog (Press A Reviews) are my (Connor Butler) own Thoughts and Feelings.