In 1999, Namco released the originalPac-Man Worldon the PlayStation 1 as part of the classic arcade game’s 20th anniversary celebration.Pac-Man Worldlooked to bring Namco’s iconic mascot to the modern age in the form of a 3D platformer, taking its cues primarily from theCrash Bandicootseries. It’s been 23 years sincePac-Man Worldlaunched for the PS1, and now the game is back asPac-Man World Re-Pac.
Pac-Man World Re-Pacis a full-fledged remakeof the originalPac-Man Worldgame, significantly upgrading the graphics while retaining the PS1 game’s level design, for better or worse. The game starts with Pac-Man’s family and friends kidnapped by ghosts, and so the titular yellow hero sets off to save them. As one might have guessed, this requires going through a variety of themed worlds and gathering collectible items in typical 3D platformer fashion.
Pac-Man World Re-Pachas levels themed after pirates, carnivals, factories, and more, with most stages calling to mindCrash Bandicoot’s mix of side-scrolling and 3D level design. The main goal is to reach the end of the stage, but players can also hunt down hidden letters that spell out P-A-C-M-A-N, collect fruit, hoard dots, and free their kidnapped family members, assuming they have the key to do so. Unfortunately, the collect-a-thon aspect ofPac-Man World Re-Pacis one of its biggest downsides, as almost every collectible requires players to backtrack, artificially inflating the length of the game and hurting its pacing.
The excessive back-tracking inPac-Man World Re-Pac’s levelsgets old quick, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t fun to be had. Fans of 90s-era 3D platformers will enjoy playing through the game, even if they don’t have nostalgia for the original release. Each world only has four levels, so the themes don’t wear out their welcome, and the way the game incorporates classicPac-Manfeatures into 3D platformer stages is clever.
Most levels have hidden mazes for players to find that, like thePac-Manarcade game, require players to eat all the dots while avoiding ghosts. If players are able to snag a Power Pellet, Pac-Man grows in size and is able to turn the tables on the ghosts. These hidden mazes are a nice diversion from the core platforming gameplay, but things like dots and Power Pellets can also be found in the 3D platforming sections as well, giving Pac-Man the power to take out patrolling ghosts that are otherwise invulnerable.
HardcorePac-Manfans will get the most out ofPac-Man World Re-Pacand its nods to the past. Those that manage to beat the game will even unlock an arcade cabinet that lets them play the originalPac-Man, so even if someone isn’t impressed by the main game,Pac-Man World Re-Pacat least gives players the chance to play one of the best arcade games of all time.
Unlocking the classicPac-Manarcade cabinet requires players to beatPac-Man World Re-Pac, and that doesn’t take long at all. Most will be able to do so in five hours or less.Pac-Man World Re-Pacis a short game, but it’s hard to complain when it’s available at a $30 budget price and includes the classic arcade game as part of the package.
Pac-Man World Re-Pacis not only short, though, it’s also incredibly easy. There is virtually no challenge to the game at all, with frequent checkpoints and death having little to no consequences.Pac-Man World Re-Pacshowers players in 1-Ups, with plenty to find in the levels and some awarded at the end for high performance. Each level ends with aslot machinethat gives players even more free lives if they’re successful, but since players will already have so many 1-Ups, the slot machine becomes more of an annoyance before too long.
The last boss fight inPac-Man World Re-Pacis also annoying, mainly due to how long it takes and hit detection issues. Without going into spoilers,Pac-Man World Re-Pac’s final boss requires players to hit them in the feet with dots, but sometimes these hits don’t register, which can lead to some frustration. The boss has three distinct phases, with unskippable cut-scenes setting up each phase. Dying to the final boss inPac-Man World Re-Pacmeans repeating the unskippable cut-scenes and rather tedious gameplay, though the rest of the game’s bosses are fun to fight.
Pac-Man World Re-Pac’s other boss fights are a highlight of the experience, as each encounter is at least somewhat challenging compared to the rest of the game and offers a unique battle. One boss fight is against a flying pirate ship, while another plays out like aMario Kart-style race against evil clowns. There’s a lot of variety here, and it’s always interesting to see how each world’s theme is going to be used for the boss fight.
Pac-Man World Re-Pachas fun boss fights and decent 3D platforming gameplay for the most part, but it suffers from excessive back-tracking and is quite short. It is a mostlyfaithful recreation of the PS1Pac-Man Worldgame, but in a much prettier package, and with its budget price, it’s an easy recommendation to anyone that has nostalgia for the original. Those who never played the PS1 original may not appreciate it as much, but it’s still a solid 3D platformer despite its flaws.
Pac-Man World Re-Pacis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Game Rant played the Xbox Series X version of the game for this review.
