Pac-In-Time

"An Awesome Pac-Man Platformer from Namco"

Story 7/10 -

So you're Pac Man, and you live happily with your Pac Wife and Pac Kids until the ghost witch seeks revenge on you for spoiling her plan to take over Pac World. She then casts a spell on you which turns you into a Pac Kid, hurling you into the fabric of time. You then have to make your way back through interesting levels in order to reverse the spell and make your way back home. Very dramatic story for a sort of fun game, but worthwhile none the less.

Controls 8/10 -

The Controls for this game sort of blend in well with the bouncy sort of Pac-Man character he is. You have your basic jump button which is B, your tools which is used with the Y button. Your X button is your main navigation and lookout button which is used in conjunction to the directional pad. L and R switch your tools. In this game you can hold down the B button to make him keep jumping, very fun controls especially when you use the vine.

Visuals 10/10

I have to say. This game looks great for a super Nintendo game. Very nice three-dimensional effects. Nice enemy sprites. Very colorful backgrounds and lighting. The ghosts look pretty well done and Pac-Boy is as happy as ever. The areas range from mountains, lush forests, a not so very creepy ruins, The vibrant Pac-Village with yellow hay tops for roofs, and a very wooden like housing. And the ever creepy palace of the ghost witch herself.

Music 8/10

The music isn't mind blowing, but my favorite tune has to be the Ruins which sounds like a 50 's rock and roll song. The forest tune isn't bad either as it fits the mood to what a mysterious jungle should sound like filled with forest baddies and what not. The final showdown at the ghost witch's palace sounds really good because it sounds eerie and foreboding than the rest of the area songs.

Sound 6/10

The sound isn't really that great. It's just average. To the sound of pac-boy's fireballs, to the sound of his death. It's there, but it doesn't make you want to turn up the volume or anything. Just average.

Game play 10/10

The real fun in Pac-in-Time is the game play. Each area has 10 levels that you have to collect pellets in which then in turn open up the exit. Sounds like Pac-Man to me, except after you collect all the pellets in each level you have to find the exit. Which in turn, when you go through the exit you will complete the level. It's not as hard as it seems. The pellets may be spread out, but if you cover all of the area; it shouldn't be hard to find them all in each level.

Besides being able to get all the pellets you have abilities called tools which help you get past obstacles. You have a hammer (red hoop), fireball (yellow hoop), underwater bubble(blue hoop), and my favorite. The vine (green hoop).The fireball helps you defeat enemies in a level. The hammer helps you break obstacles so you can pass on, the vine helps you traverse the sky by latching on to the ceiling of various environments. And the bubble helps you swim underwater.What makes things interesting is that in some areas you won't have a certain ability right away, so you have to find the correct hoop in order to get to those pellets you couldn't get to otherwise.

Every hoop in every level is made to be in the right situation at the right time. There's no need to be stuck finding pellets because there's always a way out using the right tool and jumping through the right hoop. But the game play in each level always boils down to finding all the pellets to open up the exit in the level. Find the exit and finish the level. Very interesting game play.

Difficulty: Normal

This game isn't real easy, but it's not hard either. With the right reflexion and the right judgment this game can easily be beaten without cheating. If you do cheat using the L-Y-D-V-K cheat, shame on you. Beat the game going through all 51 levels. The last level; level 51 being the last boss fight in the game. If you do manage to do it, it's more rewarding at the end and you'll be glad you did.

Overall 9/10

This game is a great platform game and sequel to Pac Man 2: The New Adventures. I highly recommend playing this game if you're a platform and adventure fan and love collecting pellets in order to get through the next level.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/01/07