Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures

"Watch out for those boulders, Pac-Man! *wince*"

Who can forget Pac-Man, that ravenous yellow circle who gobbled up our hearts like so many of those dancing cherries? In a radical departure from the maze-munching mayhem that made him a household name, Namco’s seminal hero is dropped into a colorful world of adventure for this charming and innovative title. Best described as an interactive cartoon, you must safely guide our spherical hero through whatever fortunes and hazards may be awaiting him on the road ahead. The entire cast (Ms. Pac-Man, Junior, Pac-Baby, and Chomp-Chomp) makes an appearance, and naturally no game in the series would be complete without the machinations of the meddling ghosts, who are sure to make life difficult unless you have a power pill or two handy.

Your task as the player is unique in that you actually assume the secondary role of Pac-Man’s invisible buddy rather than directly controlling him; the Pacster will wander off on his own regardless of your input, so you must watch out for him using a simple interface. Armed with a slingshot, you can shoot various objects and people to either cause them to react or simply to draw his attention to them. For instance, let’s say Pac notices an apple tree but can’t quite reach the fruit because of his stubby legs; a well-placed shot will cause one of the apples to fall to the earth and into his appreciative grasp. You can also instruct him to change directions and look up or down, always a useful skill when our careless friend is about to stroll off a cliff. Broken up into four chapters that take him from his serene village to the lofty mountains and down to the bustling city, ultimately culminating in the ghosts’ secret factory, Pac’s adventures are sure to get him into all manners of trouble. Though each mission has a clear objective in mind, such as obtaining milk for Pac-Baby, it’s generally far more entertaining to simply let him explore and interact with everything you see. If worst comes to worst and Pac-Man really gets himself squashed, he has an unlimited number of chances to try again, so don’t be afraid. Experiment!

Pac-Man may be a gaming icon, but when we look behind the endless dot eating and ghost chasing we find that deep down he’s really an emotional sort of guy; successfully guiding Pac means being able to handle his ever-changing moods. He’ll follow your commands without protest when he’s happy, but will begin moping and ignoring you if he gets discouraged. Push too hard or fail to look out for him and he may alternatively grow frustrated and angry with you, at which point he’ll probably start putting himself into dangerous situations unless you can calm him down. Pac-Man’s emotional state usually comes into play for getting him past a certain obstacle, but it’s generally best to keep the little guy in high spirits. A happy hero is a successful hero!

Pac’s world is a visual feast served up in a dazzling display of pastels, but the real treat is the amount of time Namco’s animators obviously spent bringing it to life. Fluid and humorous whether our yellowish hero is dancing in the streets or screaming in terror as his hang glider crashes into the trees, the animation is impressive and ultimately believable, and the entertainment value of Pac’s “deaths” are always worth the painful price of admission. His moods are equally convincing, as he gives a chirp of pleasure and proceeds to skip down the street whistling . . . or stomps past his friends looking like a yellow time bomb. The music, while generally unobtrusive, also coincides well with these emotions, its tempo dropping with Pac’s happiness level. If you leave your game paused for too long, an upset Pac-Man will begin banging on your screen to wake you; it’s these little touches and immerse qualities that make the adventure so memorable.

Alas, but the journey is a painfully brief one; leaving the player wanting more is always an admirable trait in a video game, but the scant four areas are simply too few for such an otherwise wonderful experience. Depending on your level of determination, it can also be exasperating attempting to get Pac-Man to do what you might feel is an obvious solution to an obstacle. Pac-Man 2 is nonetheless an appealing little game that has never quite been replicated since. Innovation is tasty.

*chomp*

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/15/02, Updated 12/15/02