Many years ago, interest in 3D platformers waned. Besides the likes of Nintendo’s offerings, diversity in the genre had all but dried up. Thankfully the platforming genre has gone through somewhat of a renaissance as of late. Not only are we seeing new 3D platformers but also remasters and remakes of classics! Bandai Namco appointed Now Production (Pac-Man Museum+) with the task of remaking Pac-Man’s original 3D platforming outing. How well does PAC–MAN WORLD Re-PAC hold up, in a world littered with remastered collections and from the ground-up remakes?
Story
It’s Pac-Man’s birthday, and the whole family is celebrating. A visually impressive cutscene reveals that while setting up the festivities, Pac-Mom and their children are abducted by Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde; who mistake them all for being Pac-Man himself. Pac-Man queues in, just in time to see his family escorted away via air balloon. Pac-Man must now travel to Ghost Island to save his family and take down those evil ghosts. These cutscenes will continue throughout the game, introducing each world’s main boss.
Remade From Scratch
PAC–MAN WORLD Re-PAC is a from-the-ground-up remake of the original Pac-Man World. Everything from the visuals to controls have been completely retooled. Pac-Man can run and jump through the game’s gorgeous environments, very similar to the PlayStation 1 classic. Like the original, he is able to butt bounce to take out enemies, as well as use pellets as projectiles. Pac-Man is also granted special abilities, as he finds their corresponding Power-Up.
Special Power-Ups
Standard Power Pellets will transform Pac-Man into Mega Pac-Man. Mega Pac-Man can gobble up enemies in the world, including the seemingly invincible ghosts. The Metal Dot turns him metal, granting him temporary invincibility against regular enemies. This will also allow Pac-Man to take out any enemies made of metal. The Bomb Pellot creates an explosion out of Pac-Man’s next butt bounce. This charge butt bounce will kill all nearby enemies. Being that PAC–MAN WORLD Re-PAC is a modern release, the controls have been heavily modified. How Pac-Man controls in underwater sections have been tweaked, resulting in much less frustration.
New Improvements
In addition to updating Pac-Man’s pre-existing move set, he has also been given a new ability. The Hover Jump, which was first introduced in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, returns. This ability allows Pac-Man extra air time, making larger jumps more accessible. Speaking of accessibility, PAC–MAN WORLD Re-PAC also contains an easier setting. Easy Mode places special blocks within specific sections of levels. As a result, many of the levels have been made much simpler to navigate. PAC–MAN WORLD Re-PAC’s quality of life changes continue with its performance. The PC version offers the option to unlock the framerate, resulting in buttery-smooth gameplay!
Linear By Design
Being that PAC–MAN WORLD Re-PAC is a remake of a 1999 platformer, variety is scarce. Most of the game’s levels utilize a linear layout. This dated design model can be most compared to Nintendo’s Super Mario 3D World. The simplistic get from point A to point B approach results in a lack of diversity and exploration. Thankfully each of the game’s levels offers various scattered collectibles. These range from fruit, keys, unlockable maze levels, and family members. Thankfully, the additional collect-a-thon elements work in PAC–MAN WORLD Re-PAC’s favor. Failing to save each family member will result in an alternate ending. In order to see the game’s true ending, Pac-Man must rescue all of his friends and family.
A Nice Change of Pace
While the level design comes across as outdated, some of PAC–MAN WORLD Re-PAC’s boss encounters are incredibly unique. Each boss fight either incorporates one of Pac-Man’s abilities, requires the usage of a specific Power-Up, or fundamentally changes up the gameplay. For example, the boss encounter at the end of the Funhouse Area is a 1st person go-kart race against Clown Ghosts. Unfortunately, these game-changing elements are few and far between. Additional go-kart tracks or an expansion of the initial mini-game would have been a welcomed addition, as well as offer up a bit more variety.
A Visual Stunner
Graphically, PAC–MAN WORLD Re-PAC has been completely overhauled. Now Production, having finished Pac-Man Museum+, opted to recycle the 3D models of Pac-Man, his family, and the main ghosts. The remaining graphics have been completely remade from scratch. The world of Ghost Island contains dynamic locations, each with their own unique theme. These range from bright and sunny beaches, futuristic space-inspired fantasies, to dark melancholy mansions. It is difficult not to appreciate how drastically different the visuals look from the original release. Comparatively, PAC–MAN WORLD Re-PAC looks like a completely different game. Not only is the game visually impressive, but Pac-Man’s idle animations are incredibly expressive. He will react differently, depending on his location. Now Production did an excellent job modernizing the game to fit the standards of 9th generation console gaming.
Remastered & Remade Music
Following suit with the remastered graphics, PAC–MAN WORLD Re-PAC sports a fully remixed soundtrack. Many of these music tracks sample the original Pac-Man theme, as well as sound effects. These iconic tones are well incorporated into the tracks, as each world’s theme sounds distinct from one another. Re-Pac does an excellent job maintaining a similar feel to the original PS1 soundtrack while updating them to truly fit the theme of each level.
PAC-Loads of Bonus Content
Exploring the main hub area, Ghost Island, will reveal some additional content. Each of the game’s six worlds contains three 3D maze levels, with three additional being unlockable via hidden areas within levels. Each of the six mazes, within each world, features additional theming and obstructions corresponding to that world. The mazes not only offer up a nice change of pace within levels but also offer up a modern take on the classic Pac-Man formula. Upon completing PAC–MAN WORLD Re-PAC’s main story, Classic Mode will unlock. This will unlock an old-school Pac-Man arcade cabinet, which can now be accessed in the main hub. The arcade cabinet, unsurprisingly, contains a playable version of the original 1980 arcade release. The emulation is spot on and feels very reminiscent of the version released in Pac-Man Museum+. Unlocking classic games is always a welcome addition!
Dangerous Depths
One of the biggest issues PAC–MAN WORLD Re-PAC suffers from, is its lack of depth of field. Some sections of the game contain platforms that are difficult to gauge the distance of. This can often result in cheap, unfair feeling, deaths. This issue is likely due to the level layouts being from a game originally released in the 90s. These sections are a constant reminder that this is very much a remake of a game from the past. This issue coupled, with the bare-bones level design, holds PAC–MAN WORLD Re-PAC back, in comparison to more modern 3D platformer releases (A Hat in Time, Super Mario Odyssey, Yooka Laylee).
Closing Thoughts
PAC–MAN WORLD Re-PAC takes the now 23-year-old PlayStation original and overhauls it for a modern audience. Much of what made the original Pac-Man World great in 1999 still translate over in the remake, however, many of the dated mechanics and shortcomings are made much more apparent. While PAC–MAN WORLD Re-PAC is pretty run-of-the-mill as far as remakes go, the game it set to remake was already an incredibly fun experience. The modern upgrades and changes are welcomed, making this the definitive way to experience Pac-Man’s first 3D platforming outing. Hopefully, this leads to a remake of the 2002 sequel or results in an all-new Pac-Man World game. Pac-Man World Re-Pac will provide hours of fun, and a nostalgic blast from the past!
PAC–MAN WORLD Re-PAC is available now on Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and PC. For more information on PAC–MAN WORLD Re-PAC and all things Pac-Man, be sure to visit the official Pac-Man website. Also, be sure to check out Frank’s video review, over on the GameFrank YouTube channel.
*A digital copy of PAC-MAN World Re-PAC was provided for the purpose of this review.*
