The arcade classics have staying power for a reason. Whether they were platformers, racers, or fighting games, each of these games acted as a magic key that unlocked fun and excitement for millions of gamers. Many of them remain just as fun today. While most of these series have evolved, the best of them are still true to their magical roots.
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Pac-Man World Re-PACis a remaster, updating thePac-Manlegacy with greater depth, a 3D environment, and special powers the original character only could have dreamed of. While the basics of this platformer may come easy to some, there are always tips and tricks to make the experience a bit easier for new players. Here are some greatbeginner tips for those getting intoPac-Man World Re-PACfor the first time.
6Brush Up On The Basics
Pac-Man World Re-PACis a remaster, sofans of the original games won’t be thrown for any loops.The graphics may have been enhanced, but the rest of the gameplay remains true to the original. Players who are only familiar withPac-Manfrom the original arcade game, however, will have some catching up to do.
Re-PACis a mascot platformer, sothe focus here is on guiding the game’s star through a series of levels populated by frequent fights, light puzzles, and the ubiquitous platforming sequence.It may be more complicated than running through a maze eating pellets, but the basics aren’t hard to pick up. Staying aware of one’s environment is the first big step. This may not be one of the hardest platformers, but a plunge to one’s death is always just around the corner for those who aren’t paying attention.
5Use Your Abilities
To help him beat enemies and navigate through each level, Pac-Mancomes equipped with several unique abilities, including theButt-Bounce, Rev-Roll, PAC-DOT Attack,andHover-Jump.Using each of these abilities well is one of the most important parts ofPac-Man World Re-PAC,especially since the player will often be required to use all of these abilities in conjunction in order to get past the game’s more difficult areas.
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TheButt-Bounceis an aerial dive-bomb that the player can use to squash enemies.Even more importantly, it can be used to trigger pressure-sensitive switches.Rev-Rollis a Sonic-style dash move that can be used for quick traversals.PAC-DOTis a ranged attack in which Pac-Man throws dots at his target.Hover-Jumpis arguably the most important ability, since this midair flutterkick allows Pac-Man to keep himself from falling, making it quite useful for many platforming areas.
4Mind The Camera
Platforming games come in all different forms. Top-down and isometric games are common, giving the player a bird’s-eye view of their environment, whereas first-person platformers are rare, intense, and often quite difficult due to the limited field-of-vision this POV creates.Pac-Man World Re-PACuses a scripted camera much like many other mascot platformers, automating the camera process.
The good news is that this allows the player to keep their attention on making precise jumps.The bad news is the player will frequently run into depth of field issues and misjudge jump distances due to this camera.Indeed, the camera may bemore likely to get the player killed than any ghosts.The best solution is to simply be aware of the problems caused by the camera and do one’s best to anticipate them, taking an extra moment to slow down and double check jumps if possible before leaping into the unknown.
3Don’t Fixate On Enemies
The threat posed by enemies is all over the place in platformer games, as is the frequency of their appearance. In some games enemies rarely show up but pose an urgent threat when they do, forcing the player to divert most of their attention to eliminating or escaping from these dangerous foes before they treat the player to the Game Over screen. In other games, enemies pose so little threat that they might as well not be there.
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Enemies aren’t exactly toothless inPac-Man World Re-PAC,but they aren’t a major threat either.Most of the time, the player can safely ignore enemies or dispatch them with barely a second thought. This is for the best, since it enables the player to focus on nailing their jumps and gobbling up all the available collectibles. Keep enemies in mind but don’t spend too much time fretting over them.
2Anticipate The Wonkiness
Some platformers have honed reputations for having pixel-perfect collision detection and silky controls. In games like this, the player can make split-second jumps to even the most precarious of ledges and remain confident about hitting their target. The more precise the game’s mechanics, the better the player canperfect their platforming craft.
The platforming inPac-Man World Re-PACis fun, but it’s not exactly precise.Hitboxes can be slightly off, and the controls aren’t perfect–two factors that, combined with the scripted camera, mean the player will never be in perfect control. Though this may cause the occasional frustration, it’s not worth dwelling on, since it’s by no means game-breaking. Keep the focus on the fun and keep on moving. Missing a jump or two due to skewed mechanics isn’t going to keep Pac-Man down for long.
1Collect Everything
The originalPac-Manwas all about evading ghosts in a maze while the player gobbled up every fruit and yellow pellet in sight. The 3D shenanigans ofPac-Man World Re-PACmight look worlds away from what transpired in those original arcade cabinets, but in many ways, not much has changed. Like other mascot platformers,the focus here is on traversing levels and snatching up every collectible along the way.
In addition to getting the player a higher score, some of these collectibles grant Pac-Man temporary bonuses, such as the Metal Pac-Man power-up which renders him briefly invulnerable to enemies. The player should always be keeping an eye out for nearby collectibles. New players will likely miss many of these at first, but the better that players learn the levels, the more consistently they will be able to nab these goodies and high scores to go along with them.
Pac-Man World Re-PACis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.
