Upcoming

How free to play works in Crossy Road spin-off Pac-Man 256

Insert credit

How free to play works in Crossy Road spin-off Pac-Man 256
|
| Pac-Man 256
yt
Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on

Crossy Road is famous for employing a free to play model that doesn't make you want to puke all over your shoes. It has no boosts or energy system, ads are opt-in, and purchases are purely cosmetic.

So, what about its pseudo-sequel, the barmy arcade remix Pac-Man 256? How does this game, also made by Hipster Whale, compare?

For starters, the game does have an energy system. You'll need a credit to play, and can spend one credit per game to keep playing after you die. As ever, you can buy more credits (12 for 79p / 99c) or wait about 10 minutes for your six freebies to regenerate.

You can also buy unlimited credits for £5.99 / $7.99.

Credits

But here's the clever twist: you can play without credits for as long as you like in "free play mode", which is exactly the same game but without any power-ups to help you out.

Power-ups, like a laser beam and a tornado, are free - you unlock them by eating pellets in game - and you can only equip a maximum of three at once. You can spend coins to upgrade them.

Coins are earned in game, or unlocked by watching an advert. You can't buy them with in-app purchases, but you can get a coin doubler for £3.99 / $4.99.

Pac Shop

Overall, the game is pretty generous. It has an energy system that doesn't actually stop you playing, and would rather you watch an advert than spend real cash if you want to power-up your power-ups more rapidly.

It's not quite as pure as Crossy Road - swapping high-scores won't be so pleasurable when power-ups and continues are taken into account - but, once again, Hipster Whale has one of the more admirable implementations of the model.

Pac-Man 256 is out soonish on iOS and Android.

Mark Brown
Mark Brown
Mark Brown is editor at large of Pocket Gamer