Pac Man 256 game review

By: Lennox Gonzalez

Greetings once again gamers of all types, Lennox here. Let’s face it. When it comes to video games (old or new) there probably is nothing more synonymous than Pac-Man. As a gamer, I can make that statement with little to no argument from anyone. Everyone knows the tale of Pac-Man. A yellow circle’s quest through a darkened maze to devour dots, power pellets and various eatable objects such as cherries, apples, and bananas to name a few, all the while dodging and or eating ghosts when turned blue (with the aid of Power Pellets). Pac-Man spawned several sequels and spin-off, all the same, such as Super Pac Man, Jr. Pac Man and Ms. Pac Man.
On Paper Pac-Man as well as some of its spin-offs seem pretty one dimensional and to be fair that statement holds water. Sure most of the spin-offs involved the very same gameplay as the original but there were some exceptions. Take Super Pac-Man for instance. In this installment sound and gameplay mechanics were altered radically from the first two entries into the Pac-Man series – instead of merely eating dots, the player is required to eat keys in order to open doors, which open up sections of the maze that contain what in earlier games were known as “fruits” which are now the basic items that must be cleared. Once all the food is eaten, the player advances to the next level, in which the food is worth more points. In earlier levels, keys unlocked nearby doors, while as the player progresses through the levels, it is more common for keys to open faraway doors. Pac-Man, on the other hand, could enter the ghost house at any time without a key.
In addition to the original power pellets which allow Pac-Man to eat the ghosts, two “Super” pellets are available and will turn Pac-Man into Super Pac-Man for a short time. In this form, he becomes much larger, can move with increased speed when the “Super Speed” button is held down and has the ability to eat through doors without unlocking them. He is also invulnerable to the ghosts, who appear thin and flat in order to give the illusion of Super Pac-Man “flying” over them. He still cannot eat them without the help of the original power-up. When Super Pac-Man is about to revert to regular Pac-Man, he flashes white. The Superpower can then be prolonged by eating a power pellet or super pellet, though.

Well enough of the history lesson, let’s get into the reason why we are really here. Just when you thought it was safe to say that Pac-Man as a game couldn’t progress or in fact add more elements to improve in gameplay along comes Pac-Man 256. Released in July of 2016 this new addition to the Pac-Man franchise brings new light and freshness to an arcade classic. You must be asking yourself what could they possibly do to make a game like Pac-Man new and exciting again? Well, the answer to that question my fellow gamers is A LOT! In this installment, all the classic elements are present and accounted for. All that aside let us get into all the new and awesome elements Pac-Man 256 brings to the table.
Let’s start with the slight differences that PM 256 has. Unlike this game’s predecessors in which the player had to clear boards to progress this particular installment has an endless maze feature. Basically, the player navigates the maze that has no end unless they are killed by a ghost. Not only that the player is constantly pursued by the arcade glitch that sometimes occurred on early arcade cabinets from the 80’s (A nice nostalgic touch if you ask me). While navigating this maze the player can pick up various power-ups. These power-ups include fire trails, lasers, stealth, and bombs just to name a few. Each particular power up (3 can be selected before playing once they are acquired) is unique in its own right and it’s up to the player to decide which ones to utilize when beginning the game. This feature brings a great element to the game and adds to its replay factor. The power-ups can also be upgraded with the help of ‘C” tiles that the player can chomp. When chomped the “C”s aren’t necessarily eaten but collected. The “C”s can only be used to upgrade a power up on the power up selection screen (8 being the highest level of upgrade for each power up). As an added bonus a player can rid the entire screen of those meddling ghosts when 256 dots are chomped in one continuous chain (Pretty sweet!). Another new feature is that there is a character select screen where the player can choose from a variety of different characters to manipulate. These other characters include a Robot, various types of Pac-Man sprites and a chicken. Each character pertains to a stage setting which can also be chosen. Unfortunately picking different characters to play with is only available in multiplayer mode and not in 1 player mode but the stage setting is. Yes, you read right; Multiplayer mode (No more just taking turns here)! Now up to 4 players can enjoy playing simultaneously, making this gem what we gamers like to call a party game (a true party game to say the least). The multiplayer mode is co-op in this game so teamwork is essential to your survival. The score each player accumulates combines into one overall score making for one heck of an experience. Each player gets one life whether in single or multiplayer mode. The only difference is that in multiplayer you can resurrect a downed teammate by chomping a specific item in the shape of Pac-Man and continue on your dot, pellet, fruit, and weapon munching escapade (4 players being the most ideal). That being so allowed players to enjoy hours of gameplay which is always a plus.
Now let’s get to some ratings. First off let’s start with…

Graphics: 10. They are very colorful and vibrant and various maps show off different aspects in graphics from the classic original 2D graphics to a 3D rendering.

Controls: 10. The controls though slightly different (due to the angle) is pretty much the same as the original. Like the original only the stick is utilized and is very responsive in it’s own right (depending on your controller that is. Hahaha).

Sound: 10. What can I say the sound is superb. All the classic sound effects and music is there but upgraded/revamped just like the game itself. You’re going to want to hook up your surround sound for this one.

Fun factor: 8. Though this game is great I’m only giving the fun factor an 8. The only reason it’s not getting a 10 is because the fun factor really lies in the multiplayer. The single player is fun without question but ends up being redundant especially after unlocking all the rewards. If you really want to exploit all the fun that this game has to offer gather some friends and get to it. Like Mario Party, Fusion Frenzy and Bomberman, this bad boy is at its fun factor peak when friends come along for the ride.

Finally, Replayability: 9. The replayability is tremendous, especially in multiplayer mode. Not only will you spend countless hours on this new classic be prepared to juggle your schedule around and or lose your job or significant other if you aren’t careful. All in all this game gets my stamp of approval. Not only is it beautiful to look at and listen to but the replay and fun factor are incredible. The sights and sounds of old mixed in with the new are enough to spark up nostalgia for all of you veteran gamers. The multiplayer mode is just what the doctor ordered when it comes to co-op. PM 256 is definitely worth checking out and keep any gamer old or new entertained for hours. Do yourself a service and get your mitts on or should I say chomp this revamped classic right on up! This is Lennox aka Nox Hardigan signing off, Peace!