Pac-Man Museum+ is the latest collection of Pac-Man titles, building on an earlier collection for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. This collection brings 14 different games that show off the wide variety Pac-Man actually has. Players have a 3D arcade, in which you can move Pac-Man around, looking at the different machines, each game with its own menu containing gameplay tutorials, history and more.
You are given 500 virtual coins to start, and the rest must be earned by completing missions in the games to unlock more customization options, jukebox songs and more. Coins can be spent on wallpaper new, machines, gachapon figures, and decorations to give your arcade a good look. All of this is second to the gameplay though, and let’s take a look at how each game plays.
Pac-Man (arcade, 1980)
What is there to say that has not been said yet? This is an all-time classic and a game that manages to endure through its timeless nature. Our retrospective on the 40th anniversary is worth checking out.
Super Pac-Man (arcade, 1982)
This is a rather interesting game that tweaked the formula of Pac-Man by changing the objective. This time the goal is not just gathering all the dots but opening gates to get fruit. There is more strategy here and while the title is more obscure, it has a good charm also. The game is far more obscure than say Ms. Pac-Man, but the game is actually a bit more innovative with what it does.
Pac & Pal (arcade, 1983)
This one builds heavily on Super Pac-Man’s formula, by bringing in power pellets with specific uses, such as stunning and confusing ghosts. Many of these abilities are taken from other Namco titles like Galaga, and it is really good to see the innovation. Like in Super Pac-Man, you must open gates to get fruit, but here you need to flip cards to open the gates. There is also a friendly helper ghost called Miru, the titular Pal, who will grab fruit for you but doing so decreases your score, though you can take the fruit back yourself. Super Pac-Man innovated in a good way and Pac & Pal managed to perfect that style.
Pac Land (arcade, 1984)
An arcade platform game, this one is based on an early Pac-Man cartoon and sees our here running back and forth, jumping over obstacles and ghosts, and in a variety of areas. This one is a good game despite its very different nature, but the version here has some noticeable input lag when jumping and running. The analogue stick takes the place of button movements for this version, but something just feels off when inputting movements.
Pac-Mania (arcade, 1987)
Pac-Mania is one of the more visually interesting Pac-Man titles in that it used an isometric visual style, combined with slower and more methodical gameplay. The standard dot munching through the maze is here, but now Pac-Man has the bonus of being able to leap over ghosts. It is very good, but the movement feels off compared to the original game and this results in needing to spend a bit more time playing in order to get the hang of it for veterans while newcomers will need to adjust to the isometric style at all, especially since the game moves slower by design.
Pac-Attack (Super Nintendo 1992)
This Tetris-style game is based on the game Cosmo Gang: The Puzzle and is a highlight of this collection. Falling objects must be stacked to keep ghosts from reaching the top of the screen, while also being positioned to let Pac-Man eat as many of the ghosts as possible. It forces you to essentially manipulate two different puzzles at once and is a must-play for any Tetris fan.
Pac-In-Time (Super Nintendo, 1995)
This is a platform game where Pac-Man jumps around, grabs dots and navigates areas. The game plays terribly and Pac-Man moves like he is wadding through thick syrup. There is no fun to be had here so just avoid this one.
Pac-Man Arrangement (1996 arcade) and Pacman Arrangement (CS PSP 2005)
This is a decent redux of the original Pac-Man with some new innovations such as arrows that send Pac-Man flying and slight tweaks to the traditional formula. It is good for those who want classic Pac-man but with a little change-up and newer visuals. The CS version is the same game but given a new makeover for home devices. It is visually appealing and has continuous gameplay, a two-player co-op and more. Both versions are decent but the arcade version may appeal more to veteran players.
Pac-Man Championship Edition Xbox 360, 2007)
A brilliant reinvention of classic Pac-Man that keeps the game going in new and inventive ways. The game has grids that have two active halves that keep spawning dots while giving out some intense visuals. This is one of the most intense time-based games and is one of the most addictive games to try.
Pac n’ Roll Remix (Original Version on Nintendo DS, 2005)
This is a 3D Marble Madness-style where Pac-Man must collect dots and open gates to advance further and played great in its original release. The issue is that the original release used a touch screen and the analogue stick just is not as precise here. It looks nice and you can spend time getting used to the controls, but this remaster is just awkward still. The game may be similar to Marble Madness as mentioned, but lacks some of the
Pac Motos (Wii as part of Namco Museum Remix, 2007)
This is a Pac-Man mixed with the 1985 arcade game, Motos and that idea works so well. This is a top-down, single-screen action game where you need to push enemies off the square platform you are on by rolling into them and it is surprisingly fun. This feels like a Mario Party mini-game fleshed out into a full game and it was done well here. Bosses and multiple stages make this a game that has a surprisingly deep amount of content.
Pac-Man Battle Royale (arcade, 2010)
This is a four-player game where you must try to defeat your enemies by grabbing power pellets and chomping them down, avoiding ghosts, and basically having the biggest score at the end of the rounds. It is good multiplayer fun and satisfies a multiplayer Pac-Man itch, it knows what it is and succeeds at that. The game just lacks the charm that is gained from playing in the arcade, possibly due to the environment being a key factor
Pac-Man 256 (original version on iOS, 2015)
This game is one of the most inventive takes on Pac-Man ever made. This console version removed all the microtransactions and brought in a four-player co-op for this endless runner. The goal is to run up the screen as much as possible to avoid the kill screen seen in the original game, while avoiding ghosts, completing missions, and getting power-ups such as lasers, bombs and more. This is Pac-Man at its most inventive and is a game that will keep you coming back over and over again.
Overall, this is a very meaty collection, but some bonuses like the CRT filters for the arcade games do not do much. Also important to mention is that Ms. Pac-Man has been completely excised from Pac-Man’s history due to the legal issues surrounding the character. Still, overall the collection has something for everyone and is very much worth playing.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided