MSX2

Pac-Mania

The groundbreaking 3D-style Pac-Man sequel that revolutionized the maze chase formula. Featuring isometric perspective, new jump mechanics, and colorful ghost behaviors, this MSX2 version faithfully adapts the arcade classic with enhanced visuals.

Release Date
January 1, 1987
Developer
Namco
Publisher
Namco
Players
1
Region
US

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Gameplay Systems

Pac-Mania is a maze game viewed from an oblique perspective, with gameplay similar to the franchise's original installment . The player controls Pac-Man , who must eat all of the pellets in each stage while avoiding five colored ghosts : Blinky (red), Pinky (pink), Inky (cyan), Clyde (orange) and Sue (purple). Eating large Power Pellets will cause the ghosts to turn blue and flee, allowing Pac-Man to eat them for bonus points and send them to the house in the middle of the stage. Clearing the stage of dots and pellets will allow Pac-Man to move to the next.

Mazes scroll both horizontally and vertically, and the left and right edges of some layouts wrap around to each other. Touching a non-vulnerable ghost costs the player one life. New to this game is the ability to jump over the ghosts, allowing Pac-Man to evade capture. Later rounds of the game introduce two new ghosts, Funky (green) and Spunky (grey), who also have the ability to jump.

While Pac-Man can still barely jump over Funky, it is impossible to jump over Spunky. Eating a certain number of pellets will cause a bonus item to appear in the middle of the stage, which can be eaten for points. Some of these bonus items are called Special Items, which are items from later levels, or are Red and Green Power Pellets. Red Power Pellets double the point values of blue ghosts (this bonus is lost if Pac-Man loses a life), and Green Power Pellets temporarily increase Pac-Man's speed.

If the player takes too long to clear a stage, Pac-Man's jumping power begins to decrease steadily until it is entirely lost. Four different mazes are available: Block Town, Pac-Man's Park, Sandbox Land, and Jungly Steps. Upon completing a set number of rounds in each maze, the player progresses to the next; after playing through all four, the cycle restarts. At the beginning of the game, the player can choose to start in any of the first three mazes and will earn a score bonus for choosing either Pac-Man's Park or Sandbox Land and completing the first round in it.

The game ends when the player has either lost all lives or (depending on 11 rounds, 25 rounds, or endless) cycled through all four mazes a set number of times.

Awards & Honors

Golden Joystick Award

Sales & Commercial Performance

Total Revenue
$2.82 million

About Pac-Mania

Pac-Mania is a classic video game released for the MSX2 on January 1, 1987. Developed by Namco and published by Namco, this title has become a beloved entry in the retro gaming library.

This wiki entry provides comprehensive information about Pac-Mania, including release details, gameplay information, and story synopsis. Whether you're looking to revisit a childhood favorite or discover classic games for the first time, Emulator Games Wiki has you covered.

Some information sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 3.0.