44 Years Later, Pac-Man Proves Simplicity Can Still Be Delightful

Back in the ‘80s and ‘90s, crowds lined up around arcade machines to see a large yellow orb chomp down on pellets and sometimes even ghosts. The orb resembled a pizza pie, with one slice missing. He would go on to be a global sensation, spawning tons of spin-offs, future sequels, and versions reimagined. There was even Ms. Pac-Man, whose distinctive design included a set of perky eyelashes and a little bow on her head.

Forty-four years later, the charm of Pac-Man is still here. The proof: PlayStation Plus just added one of these reimagined classics, Pac-Man World Re-Pac, giving us all a chance to revisit the nostalgia without leaving home. It’s a remake of a game that originally came out in 1999 on the first PlayStation console, landing on modern consoles in 2022. Pac-Man is three-dimensional this time, has got hands and feet, and can even swim and fly.

Compared to the 1999 version, the remaster refreshes the controls, updates the bosses to be more challenging and engaging, and even adds multiple endings to discover. It’s higher resolution, capable of running at 4K and 60 frames per second, which takes advantage of the PS5’s abilities.

As the story goes, the ghosts of Pac-Man are back, and they’ve kidnapped everyone of Pac-Man’s world, besides, well, the yellow circle himself. It’s honestly a bit rude of them, as Pac-Man was on his way to enjoy a nice birthday picnic party with the family.

From there, you begin the Bandai Namco title tasked with the mission of saving all his family (the Pac-fam). You’ve arrived on Ghost Island ready to eat everything in your way, or pounce on them, with the array of Mario-like powers you’ve got to survive the arduous platforms. While the earliest version of Pac-Man were just a joystick on a machine that dozens of people would grip by its side as they moved through levels, chased by and pursuing ghosts, Pac-Man World Re-Pac has the full suite of console controls. Notably, you’re armed with a Butt Bounce, that smashes enemies with a single jump, a Pac-dot attack, and even a hover-jump. The ultimate boss, Toc-Man, a mechanical replica of Pac-Man built out of bright yellow scrap metal, is behind all the shenanigans, and you’ll have to take him down and face his arsenal of powers.

Like in the arcade days of yonder year, Pac-Man has quite the appetite, and he can make short work of challenges that appear. It’s a quick and dirty romp across various settings, that escalate in absurdity, as Pac-Man thwarts his foes at every turn. There’s a bit of puzzle solving, maze exploration, and general hijinks. The writing is multi-faceted and funny. Like the original, Pac-Man and his companions are not as simple as they look. The ghosts have personalities to them as well that surprisingly generate a fair amount of sympathy — they’re no longer your cardboard cutout, run-of-the-mill villains. And for the completionists, there are additional rewards for completing a perfect run and collecting every possible Pac-dot.

After Pac-Man debuted in arcades across America, he soon accrued a rabid fanbase that naturally gravitated toward the cartoony goofiness and straightforward gameplay. A game where you could eat your enemies and munch your way to victory? The allure of Pac-Man and spin-offs like Pac-Man World Re-Pac remains much the same. What’s not to love?