Seeing yet another re-re-re-release of the Pac-family, I’m given pause to ponder the exact definition of ‘retro gaming’. Is it still retro if there hasn’t been a prolonged period of inactivity between the original and the resurfacing of a long forgotten favourite?
The Pac-Person games have never really disappeared, you see, having been wheeled out several times for pretty much every platform that ever existed, so this latest return of Ms Pac-Man simply doesn’t feel all that retro. What else is there to really say about it? Oh alright, let’s have a history lesson we already know by heart, to pad out the review.
This game began life as an unofficial hack of the original Pac-Man arcade hardware, with its most prominent feature being the changing mazes as you progress. Oh, and the red bow on her head.
Pac-Man was confined to a single labyrinth, but his good lady chases her way around a new maze after you’ve successfully cleared the dots of the current level twice in a row. It’s a small variation on the gameplay, but a vital one that, for all intents and purposes, actually makes this the superior of the two coin-guzzling coin-ops.
This mobile adaptation is undeniably pixel perfect, and works a treat with a Zeemote controller, if you’re endowed with one. It also features a Bluetooth multiplayer for up to four Pac-People, though you naturally still take it in turns to play a life, so it’s hardly an MMO.
It’s a great game simply because it’s Ms Pac-Man, but unfortunately Namco gets a ‘F’ for effort in the imagination stakes. We’ve seen equally great conversions a hundred times before, and in the shadow of the spectacular reinvention of the franchise - Pac-Man Championship Edition - this one is a pale and effortless exploitation of a great franchise.
If you own any other version of Pac-Man or Ms Pac-Man, you don’t need this. If you don’t own any other version, get Pac-Man Championship Edition. If there’s some obscure and unfortunate reason you can’t get Pac-Man Championship Edition on your phone, then settling for Ms Pac-Man is a reasonable course of action.