Arcade Platform Games #5

Pac-Land (1984)
By: Namco Genre: Platform Players: 1-2 (alternate) Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: Arcade First Day Score: 33,620
Also Available For: PC Engine, X68000, Lynx, NES, Amiga, Atari ST, MSX, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum Download For: iOS, Wii Virtual Console

My many regular visits to the local beachside arcades I was fortunate enough to live close to during my youth yielded many delights but one game I always looked forward to was Pac-Land, the first game to star the yellow muncher since his curious mutation, perhaps the result of exposure to radiation of some sort, which bestowed upon him a brand new set of limbs the likes of which most of us take for granted. Thanks to these limbs he is apparently able to finally escape the confines of the endless mazes that comprised his earlier games. What's the first thing you would do in his position? That's right - go for a run and test out those gangly protrusions! Unfortunately for him, however, those pesky ghosts have also found a way to liberate themselves and set out in hot pursuit, aiming to spitefully ruin Pac-Man's fun.

This jolly town will be fondly remembered by many...

There is no story to speak of here but his new adventure does take place in a mystical realm known as Fairyland. Rather than merely being a mystical name, however, there really are fairies here, and one of them has found its way under Pac-Man's hat. This stylish red headpiece is also new and, along with an equally shiny pair of matching running boots, was (perhaps) bought by the grinning yellow pie-chart to celebrate the acquisition of his new limbs. To test them out, he has deigned to return the errant fairy to the apparently somewhat careless Fairy Queen who can be found mid-way through each of the stages which are referred to as 'trips'. Though some conversions of the game put a limit on the number of these, with this arcade original they go on for, as far as I can tell, ever, making Pac's quest, though simple and innocent in nature, rather more daunting in duration.

Supid pogo ghosts getting in the way...

Each trip is split into several short rounds whose surroundings each change somewhat. The first and most recognisable of them is the town where Pac, and doubtless many others, reside. After that is a desert/forest area, then a high mountain pass with moving log platforms followed by a large pool to jump, after which a special doorway will lead Pac to the Fairy Queen. Here the fairy under his hat rejoins its kin and the Queen rewards Pac with a pair of magic boots which allow him to jump while in mid-air. Using these he must then turn around and head back the way he came across the now-shorter and modified landscape until he reaches his waiting family. Then it's straight on to the next trip which, like all the others, is comprised of the same sort of areas and obstacles in differing configurations.

Humpft! As if these jumps weren't already hard enough!

The aforementioned ghosts can be found throughout all of the rounds and are the main things standing between Pac and a possibly-infinite running session. There are normal floaty ones and others like to drop stuff on you from windows in the town area, but the pesky ghouls have also gained the use of some modes of transportation too. These include cars, pogo sticks, flying saucers, and planes, and all of them combined equal a tough 'trip' for Mr Pac. Unsurprisingly, their numbers increase the further you get in the game and, even more unsurprisingly, they are all deadly to the touch. There are also numerous obstacles such as fire hydrants, cacti, logs, and water pools to get past, as well as the sheer drops in the mountain section, and there's a time limit too, so you could say Pac has more against him than in his first game!

There must be many yellow corpses in these chasms...

Helpfully, there are power pellets to make his life a little easier, and there are also tons of fruits (one type per trip) for bonus points as well as lots of secrets (including a hardhat to protect from stuff being dropped on you), most of which is hidden in the scenery or accessed by pushing certain objects. There is that time limit though, so it's best not to spend too long hunting for treasures. The controls don't make it easy to do that anyway. Interestingly, the arcade original doesn't even feature a joystick, just three buttons - one to run left, one to run right, and one for jumping. Pac has two running speeds (or rather, a walking speed and a running speed) and the height of his jump varies accordingly, but he always moves with inertia and moves quite sluggishly, so attempts at slow, precise movements are not recommended when plenty of ghosts are around, and there are a lot during later trips.

Oh dear, they even have double-deckers now!

Luckily that isn't needed too often (unless you're an obsessive fruit collector) as the emphasis is very much on keeping on the move and, basically, just lasting as long as possible in the bright and pleasant but dangerous domain of Fairyland. Graphically it is presented in an interesting style. To present eyes it looks like the backgrounds were drawn during someone's lunchbreak in MS Paint but they are colourful and appealing regardless, and the sprites have as much character as you would expect, especially those crafty ghosts in their various contraptions. Pac's new look is great too - he seems very happy, proud even, to now be the owner of limbs. I imagine it would take many ghosts to dampen his spirits, and who could blame him? They are pretty useful!

On his way back home to rest...

The audio is also splendid with a few familiar effects and a catchy and distinctive main tune to massage your ears as you pootle around which helps make Pac's first non-mazey adventure a lot of fun to play. It's a bit disappointing there isn't a little more variety in the stages, although I guess it's understandable given the game's age, and the stages are at least jumbled up a bit in terms of the order of sections and the location and quantity of features, which makes continued progress in the game a real challenge. My only gripe really is the slightly wonky controls but they aren't bad enough to stop you coming back anyway. Indeed, it's a mighty addictive game with some great score-chasing potential. In fact, it's pretty much exactly as good as you might've imagined a Pac-Man platform game to be.

RKS Score: 8/10

Gameplay Video: here's a video of the whole game being played by one of the talented fellows at Old Classic Retro Gaming (check out their great channel here). Oh, and don't watch if you want to avoid spoilers!