Pac-Man World 3

"A great throwback, a decent platformer"

Pac-Man, everyone's favorite gaming icon, has not only greatly influenced the gaming industry as a whole, but also, to an extent, the entirety of pop culture. Starting off the legacy as a simple yet ingenious arcade game in 1980, the yellow dot-muncher and his lovely, rotund wife have not only spawned several games, but also had become a merchandising phenomenon. While not all of his games have been a rousing success (in fact, some historians may say that the Atari 2600 version of Pac-Man, because of its unbelievably poor graphics and gameplay, somewhat caused the infamous gaming crash of the early 1980s!), Pac has always pulled through and has endeared a full twenty-five years of gaming history.

What is the secret to his success? How did a plain yellow ball come one of the most recognizable game characters? Developer Namco could probably not explain it. Its humble creator, Toru Iwatani, is also at a loss for words. What was originally an inspiration from a partially-eaten pizza, to a game designed to cater exclusively to females, to an official spin-off designed by crafty hackers, became a recognizable and influential force in the history of game development.

The concept of the original game, a design fraught with a hidden and unexplainable strategy, flourishes in simplicity. With appealing gameplay that any person could easily access and understand, coupled with charming graphics an music, the original Pac-Man struck a chord with audiences around the world. In conjunction with the games, a marketing explosion occurred during the 1980s, which included a multitude of home console ports, a television show, and mountains of merchandise. Pac-Man was unstoppable.

Though his influence may not be as easily observed or understood nowadays, Pac-Man's adventures are still played by millions. Younger gamers may not be able to understand how such a simple game could have saved an industry, or could have even taken allowances and paychecks away from quarter-wielding players. Iwatani wanted to prove that a game can be fun without violence, so his game about eating ended up being able to satisfy any player's appetite.

Any reader should be fully aware that no matter how many adventures and predicaments Pac-Man gets himself into, these will never surmount to the original's appeal and design. That is not to say that this newest outing is a waste, or that it is even a poor game. I rather like Pac-Man World 3, as it is a good way to celebrate Pac's success. Enthusiastically throwing a bash for Pac-Man's 25th birthday, Namco has released Pac-Man World 3 for PS2, Gamecube, X-Box, PSP, and on Nintendo's handhelds. Though it may follow the platforming game design to the letter, Pac-Man certainly celebrates in style.

Trouble is brewing in the peaceful town of Pac-Land, it seems. Pac-Man, his wife, and his child have all come together to throw a party for good old Pac. As he is just about to get his red mitts on his scrumptious 25th birthday cake, he is mysteriously and haphazardly transported all around the vicinity of Pac-Village. It seems that the source of this is Orson, a reformed ghost, delivering a message of urgency to Pac-Man.

When Pac is finally taken to his final destination, a toxic robot junkyard, he receives a message from Orson, a bad ghost gone good, saying that the entirety of Pac's universe in in serious peril. Erwin, an evil scientist, is out to suck the energy out of the Spectral Realm. With this energy, he can not only take over any area he pleases, but also use his new powers and acquisitions for unspeakable evil. As with most games' stories, it is up to only one person to save the universe from an intimidating and powerful crisis. In this case, it is not Super Mario or Sonic, but it is Pac-Man, rolling and butt-stomping in their influential foot-steps.

The Pac-Man World trilogy features very traditional 3D platforming gameplay. Pac-Man will have to collect goodies, double-jump, butt-stomp, and defeat any fiendish enemies in his path. This gameplay, fused with traditional Pac-Man concepts, make for an interesting and satisfying combination.

Pac-Man World 3 is a linearly-progressing platform game, with a variety of interesting surprises thrown into the traditional design. Pac must run, jump, and climb his way through each of the several stages, and his main objective is simply to reach the stage's end. Fortunately, the adventure is quite lengthy, which will leave players trekking for a while.

Pac's set of moves is not too much different from his previous action outings, but he has learned a few new moves in his few years' absence. As before, he can butt-stomp, walk, and use trampoline-like pads like any pro. Owing a bit to Sonic, Pac can do what's called a Rev Roll, which involves him holding a certain button down, making him run in place, then releasing it, sending him forward with a burst of speed.

The Rev Roll can also be used to speed over banked curves of chasms, summon helpful ghosts via switches, and activate other environmental changes at certain points. It can be rather helpful, but is also rather hard to stop accurately. Players should always caution before using this move, because in some cases, it may be absolutely necessary in order to continue on

Finding special colored crystals will activate Pac-Dot Machines, which work as they did in Pac-Man World 2, As the machine is activated, a fountain of dots spurt out in a curving, looping, meandering path, and when Pac touches the first dot, he magically move up, down, around, and through the stage, following the line of dots. It is rather interesting to see Pac incessantly eating in a roller coaster-like pattern, and he might even collect fruit and other goodies along the way or at its destination.

In a change that reminds me personally of the newest Prince of Persia games, Pac-Man can swing from poles, slide down poles, cling to edges and slink left or right, and wall jump. These new agile feats have not all come from the Prince's move set, but this new flexibility leads Pac to newer places in a fluid and interesting style.

Additionally, Pac will have to dispose of ghosts the old-fashioned way. However, these featured in the regular levels are not the traditional ghosts: these are ghastly beasts from the Spectral Realm, who are much more intimidating and nasty than the original ghosts. A Power Pellet, which causes Pac to become temporarily invincible, will clear these fellows quite easily. In fact, during certain parts of the stage, portals will open from the Spectral Realm to the actual level, and these monsters will come out regularly. Only by eating a certain amount will seal the portals and let Pac-Man pass to the next portion of the stage.

Funny-looking grunts populate stages, and Pac can dispose of these in several ways, most of which are new to the series. Pac can, of course, either punch, Rev Roll, or butt-stomp on these foes, sending them to explode into dots. Also, Pac-Man can retrieve new power-ups, which help him exclusively in combat.

A Magnet pellet charges Pac with a strong electromagnetic current, allowing him to zap any robot or grunt that comes in his path. Another can grant him a much more powerful butt stomp, sending even the biggest bad guys into submission. A chrome pellet lets Pac walk through lasers and deadly enemy attacks. My personal favorite, though, would be the Ribbon Pellet.

The Ribbon Pellet allows Pac-Man to trail a rainbow behind him. If Pac runs in a circle or completes the rainbow where the trail can touch end-to-end, then the entire ribbon collapses onto itself and explodes. This knocks out any enemies either inside or outside the enclosure. This one can be particularly fun to play with, and it also features a nice graphical effect.

New gameplay types are also thrown into the mix. Pac can blow up badniks in his mechanical monstrosity, Toc-Man. Orson's mech is perfectly suitable for Pac-Man, as the robot's rockets and other defenses can easily take out any opposition. Other types of gameplay involve… well, taking control of two other ghosts.

Pac will need a helping hand or two along the way, and two ghosts are there to provide it, however reluctant. Pinky's expertise is in seeing platforms that Pac-Man can't. She can float onto invisible platforms and, using her limited amount of energy, can make them solid, allowing Pac to walk on them. She can only do two at a time though, so players must employ a strategy in figuring out which to make solid and when. Clyde can dispose of the Spectral Realm beasts much more easily, and can help Pac out of sticky situations where there are beasts, but no Power Pellet in sight. Also, his scare move can cause changes in the environment, like causing pillars to fall, making bridges.

Players will easily find what have always been staples in Pac-Man adventures: Pellets and fruit. Pellets are scattered in each stage, and while there are easily hundreds in each stage, it is not essential to collect every single dot. Dots, though, may lead to secret paths or hidden fruit, so it would be a good idea to follow them and eat them up along the way. These are the primary goodies to be on a look-out for.

Along with dots, Pac can also collect fruit, like in his days of yore. There are various different types of fruit, but in every level, there is the same amount of each fruit. In one level, there may be six of each, while in another later level, there may be eight of each. By munching on these edible trinkets, such as cherries, strawberries, melons, apples, and the like, Pac can earn impressive high scores.

Crates, barrels, and crystals all contain dots, and some can contain fruit. For those completionists, it is essential to check every crate, barrel, or crystal. Whether it is one of these three depends on the specific level, but they all work the same, of course.

In later levels, keys populate the area, which are used to, well, open doors with locks of the same color. Also, small items will have to be collected that are vital exclusively in beating that level. For example, Pac must collect gears in the windmill village in order to operate the various ski lifts.

Three other types of goodies exist in Pac-Man's new world. The collection of five special Pac-Man statues will unlock something special in the game's museum. Discovering a Galaxian key will transport players to a classic-style maze stage, and these are always a treat. Cards can also be collected in stages, which feature environments and characters, but these do not show up on the H.U.D. or in level quotas. That is to say, it can not be determined how many cards are in each stage: it is up to the player to find where these cards are, and how many each stage contain.

These new mazes are not entirely classic-style. If the reader is not familiar with Pac-Man Arrangement, then this upcoming description may paint a clearer picture. The objective in these stages is, of course, to avoid the ghosts and collect all the dots. However, the arrangement of the dots and also the game's mechanics have changed slightly.

Small zipper arrows are in place in the mazes to make Pac-Man run surprisingly faster. This does not stun the ghosts as in Pac-Man Arrangement, but it helps Pac to cover a lot more ground. Additionally, there are new power-ups and hindrances which populate the stage. One power-up freezes all the ghosts in place, another has them all go directly back to where they started, and a third new item floats around the stage and creates lines of new dots where dots were already eaten.

The maze levels are truly a treat, as not only do they detract from the original gameplay, but they also provide a nostalgic feeling. Pac-Man started as this: these new platforming antics were all conceived from something essentially like these mazes. Any platforming character could do these butt-stomping and double-jumping stunts, but Pac-Man's exclusive feel and chemistry comes from these, which serve simply as diversions.

One complaint about these is that these mazes take place in an isometric perspective, with the bottom of the stage facing the player. This particular angle makes everything at the top of the maze remarkably small. Unfortunately, this can cause many accidental deaths, not only because players can not see any uneaten dots all the way up there, but also can not discern between Pac and the ghosts. This can become nerve-wracking, as sometimes, these stages are key in beating the level. Most of the time, these are optional, but those not found with Galaxian icons are essential in hacking into enemy machines.

In the decade or so of the genre's existence, has a 3D platform game been given a perfect camera? Not even in its best examples, such as Super Mario 64, a perfect camera system has not been devised in a 3D platformer. Unfortunately, this newest platforming adventure is no different. The game's camera can be controlled manually, and for some reason, even though the action is focused on Pac, the camera is almost always unusually close up. This can become grating in any situation, from stealthy sneaking to precision platform-jumping. Additionally, the camera may be stuck behind walls or pillars, requiring Pac to make a blind jump forward or to the side, letting the camera adjust. Usually resulting in what the game calls a “death drop”, Pac usually ends up falling down a hole when a situation like this arises. Though there is no “perfect platforming camera”, it could still be better than this.

Fortunately, players can use a first-person mode to examine surroundings. This can be especially helpful in scoping out statues, fruit, or simply the path ahead.

Pac-Man World 3 is a delight for the eyes and ears. Sporting a colorful graphical palette, Pac and the rest inhabit a vibrant world. There is never a stark contrast between the characters and the environments; everything looks in place, and some of the new character designs are rather creative.

Graphically, the game has not changed much from Pac-Man World games of the past. Gamers can expect what is essentially the same graphical style and substance. The character models do not stand out, but there are two graphical points I feel are of note. There is a good variety in the environments; each looks completely different from the one previous. Pac wanders through the gritty swamp, the mysterious Spectral Realm, the treacherous mountain terrain, a cruel and unforgiving scrap fortress, and so on.

Also, the game's vistas are quite impressive. From the top of a tower, Pac can easily see the territory he covered previously to get to the dizzying peak. By this day and age, it is a given to be able to do this, but the draw distance in this game is something I find impressive. Players can easily find missing fruits and statues from a surprising distance, and this can not only be extremely helpful in finding everything, but also graphically remarkable.

Mario is still in the silent stage: everyone talks to him, but he simply does not talk back. Sometimes, he may spout a “Yahoo!” or a “Here we go!”, but for some reason, he has been remarkably tight-lipped. Crash is in that stage too, it seems. Sonic has become rather chatty in his recent outings, and now it's Pac's turn. For this new game, Pac and the rest have been given voices.

Appearing in such other games as Timesplitters: Future Perfect and Conflict: Desert Storm II, Martin Sherman has been chosen to do the voice of Pac-Man. Before this, excluding the TV show, Pac has been limited to his basic wakka-wakka-wakka ways, perhaps spouting some indiscernible gibberish in Pac-Man 2, This voice may be an adjustment, but surprisingly, it works.

Ms. Pac, the ghosts, Erwin, and the rest of the cast all have something to say, as well. One voice of note is the red ghost, Clyde. He features an Italian-accented, nasally voice, which reminds me of Joe Pesci.

As strange as the concept may be, the writers of the cutscenes and in-game dialogue were able to inject some humor in the game, which helps the story along. Characters make comments about the whole nostalgic aspect of Orson's return to the Spectral Realm, Pac's familiarity with the concepts of eating dots and platforming, and about the entire absurdity of the situation. After Pac finds his first gear to a ski lift, for example, he asks says to Orson, “I'm gonna have to do that several more times, aren't I?” After Orson reminds Pac-Man that this platforming gives Pac the exercise he desperately needs, Pac responds by saying Ms. Pac likes him round and cuddly.

Music accompanies the adventure well. Thematic tunes play in each environment and blend in well. A mountain area contains a straightforward tune with a snare drum beat, the Spectral Realm has an eerie tone, and so on. I particularly liked the song played in the maze levels.

Goodies galore in Pac-Man World 3, suffice to say. The museum allows players to view special videos, examine cards they have collected, play arcade games, view a detailed yet hard-to-read timeline (which left out Pac-Man 2, for whatever reason), and more. Separate features are unlocked as players collect more statues and obtain more high scores. Any collected classic-style mazes are available from the main menu.

It may not sound like much, but these special features add a great longevity to the experience. The interview with the game's creator, for example, is actually quite interesting. Though most of its information may already be known to fans, those uninitiated may be interested in hearing about Pac's origins, and the game's original intentions. Also, the original arcade game, a great emulation, is available from the get-go.

Despite the camera and lack of multiplayer, I could recommend this game to those who ache for a good platformer, but more importantly, those who wish to experience some nostalgia. I'm sure Pac was the first game of several players, and having access to the original game on this disc or any other compilation can be a real treat to any who pumped quarter after quarter into that one addictive arcade cabinet. Pac has celebrated his birthday well, and while his games have evolved with the needs and technology of the market, he hasn't aged much at all. His dot-munching antics will certainly be enjoyed for years to come. Wakka-wakka-wakka-wakka…

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/23/05