PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC review for Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, PC

It?s hard not to compare PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC with KLONOA Phantasy Reverie Series, which came out earlier this summer. Both, after all, are remakes of games that originally came out roughly a quarter of a century ago, and both are definitely showing their age despite some cosmetic touch-ups. However, where KLONOA felt like another opportunity for people to discover a pair of games that were unjustly overlooked the first time around, PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC feels more like your standard 3D platformer that just happens to star one of the most iconic figures in gaming history.

But even if it?s not some last classic, that doesn?t mean that PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC isn?t a decent game in its own right. It looks nice. It?s got some bright, colourful worlds, and it doesn?t just look like a 1999 with a new coat of paint ? it looks like something that could?ve been conceived of and created today.

The gameplay, however, is a bit more of a mixed bag. The levels are all fine, and they?re all varied enough that it doesn?t feel like you?re playing the same thing over and over again. Interestingly, the game doesn?t fall into the trap that snared a lot of its contemporaries by turning into a collect-a-thon ? you can pick up various fruits to help you unlock doors, but the doors are rarely hiding anything spectacular, and you never feel like you?ve missed out on something crucial if you don?t unlock every single one. At best, you?ll unlock a maze, which is basically an updated version of the classic arcade Pac-Man, complete with power pellets and ghosts.

The problems ? and I hesitate to use the word, since they?re fairly nitpicky and subjective ? mostly stem from the game not doing anything particularly memorable. There are no levels or mechanics that make the game feel like it stands out against its peers, let alone the last few decades of 3D platformers. It also feels a little weird (and incredibly counter-intuitive) to not have a double-jump, with the game instead opting for a jump-?butt bump? combination. Like I said, though, those are nitpicky, subjective problems with the game. It?s just as likely that you?ll have no issue with either of them.

On the whole, though, you never find yourself wondering why they bothered to remake the game. PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC may not be one of the greatest games of all time being brought back for a new generation to discover, but it?s still a decent enough 3D platformer that lots of people ? myself included ? are going to enjoy.

Bandai Namco provided us with a PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC Switch code for review purposes.