Over the past few years, 3D technology has been used to update
several arcade classics. We've witnessed numerous 2D characters
come to life in such titles as Frogger, Galaga, Q-Bert, Pong,
Breakout and Centipede, among others, all courtesy of Hasbro
Interactive. Hasbro's latest reincarnation is Pac-Man, everybody's
favourite pellet-munching pal, as the classic maze game of the
1980s returns in full 3D action, just in time for it's 20th anniversary,
in the all-new Pac-Man: Adventures in Time.
Much like their other arcade classic remakes, Hasbro Interactive
wasn't going to be satisfied simply recreating the original title with
up-to-date technology, oh no. Pac-Man: Adventures in Time tells a
tale of hope and bravery. The Magical Power Pellet, which keeps
Pac-Man's planet alive, has been smashed and scattered across
time by his archenemies, the Ghosts. Pac-Man must use time
portals from Professor Pac-Man's laboratory to travel back in time,
retrieve the four pieces and return them to his planet's core before
it cools, all the while trying to get home in time for supper with the
wife and kids.
I'm sure many of you have seen the movie Back to the Future, we all know
time travel isn't an exact science., Pac-Man will find himself
bouncing back and forth between five themed, real-time 3D
worlds, as he searches for the four pieces of the Magical Pellet,
including the Wild West, Prehistoric, Medieval, Egyptian and
Futuristic environments. There are 45 mazes in total, varying in
size, shape and difficulty level. Players start out in flat mazes and
progress to more challenging mazes featuring slopes, seesaws and
multiple levels, while avoiding such added dangers, aside from
the usual ghosts, as falling boulders, hungry alligators and slippery
snakes. Also introduced later in the game are new spherical,
cylindrical and cubic mazes that are definitely more challenging.
Pac-Man has changed a bit over the last 20 years. For starters,
there are two different views available in the game. The original
top-down angle is available, but for more of a challenge, a 3D
view is also in the cards, which gets you up close and personal
with Pac-Man and the environment. Pac-Man has also developed
the ability to jump over obstacles and enemies if need be. The
jump button cannot be used continually though, as it takes a
number of seconds for Pac-Man to get his legs back after making a
jump. So if you think you're cornered or you feel a falling boulder
is going to get the best of you, the jump button just might save the
day for Pac-Man. Besides the 45 mazes available, Pac-Man:
Adventures in Time also includes several mini-games. Some of the
mini-games are based on classic games like Concentration and
Cups 'n Ball, but there are also some original mini-games such as
Cannibal Dash, Railcart Rush, Asteroid Antics and Dot Mania.
Graphically, Pac-Man: Adventures in Time is much like Hasbro
Interactive's other remakes, colourful and upbeat. The game opens
with a nice cinematic and as you complete each series of mazes,
movies help advance the story and set-up the next world. With a
wide assortment of characters and environments available in the
game, I was more than pleased with the visual presentation of the
game. For those fans of the original, you'll be happy to know that
many of the sounds from the original game are used in this remake
as well. The music and sound effects will have you remembering
days gone by in the arcades playing this addictive classic, while
the speech during the cinematics is solid as well.
Pac-Man: Adventures in Time isn't without a fault or two. For
starters, the new 3D view can be a bit of a pain sometimes. When
moving in a Northerly direction, you can see quite a ways ahead of
you, but when you move in a Southerly direction, you can't see
much. This caused me to run into one of my Ghostly enemies a
number of times, because my sight was limited. I also found the
game stalled on a few occasions, including right in the middle of a
maze a few times. On top of that, the controls aren't as responsive
as they probably should be. There were many times when I tried to
make a left or a right, but all for not.
Pac-Man: Adventures in Time does feature multiplayer via the
Internet or LAN connections. You can compete against your friends
for highest score on a number of different mazes. There's no
match-making service currently set-up, so it might be a little
difficult finding opponents to play against. In terms of the single
player game, you can save your game every three to five mazes,
but your lives won't be replenished the next time you load up a
saved game. If you save a game after the third maze with only two
lives left, you'll have two lives every time you load up the game
from that point. This kind of system does an excellent job in terms
of challenging players, but also gives players the opportunity not
to have to play through prior mazes.
Overall, Pac-Man: Adventures in Time is a great re-creation of the
arcade classic. The best part is the fact that the addictive
gameplay, which made the original so popular, remains the same.
The addition of cylindrical and spherical mazes is a welcome
change from the usual flat mazes, and the inclusion of slopes,
bridges and other various objects, as well as dangers and
enemies, increases the gameplay value considerably. The
responsiveness of the controls and the overall feel of the 3D view
could be a little better, but the game is just too fun not to enjoy.
Whether you're a younger gamer, a casual gamer, or a fan of the
original Pac-Man, Adventures in Time will certainly fill your arcade fix.