Game Review: PAC-Man World 2 Re-PAC

Remakes occupy a unique space in the video game market. They're a known entity, they allow a new developer to take a shot at something they already love, and they can allow players to try out a new engine for an upcoming game without risking an original IP. Theoretically, they also allow a developer to offset the costs associated with a risky new game that was not as well-received as they had hoped. Welcome to the world PAC-Man World 2: Re-PAC. It only took the bombing of Shadow Labyrinth for you to be born.

PAC-Man World 2: Re-PAC follows the same story beats as the original PAC-Man World 2. The ghosts arrive in PAC-Village during the night and steal the golden fruit from a tree in the center of town, unleashing the really evil ghost Spooky, and now PAC-Man has to gather the fruit and defeat Spooky, resealing him in the shadow realm or whatever.

There are a number of quality-of-life changes that make the game better and expand on existing gameplay features. The shrinking power-up that previously only existed in one level purely to get PAC-Man through to the end of the level (seriously, level three introduces the shrinking pellet at the very end to enter a crack in the rock, which ends the level, and it's never used again) is used more heavily, mostly to find hidden areas. The number of fruits to collect in each level have been greatly reduced so areas like the forest don't feel like you need to collect literally hundreds of strawberries.

The mazes that are found in most levels by collecting the Galaxian also no longer grind the level to a halt to force the player into a traditional PAC-Man-style level at the expense of no longer offering an extra checkpoint. Depending on the level, this is actually helpful, so the player no longer inadvertently ends up isolated in the middle of nowhere off the beaten path or has two checkpoints immediately after each other.

The pellet throw is an interesting new mechanic that newer players will probably get more use out of, but having just played the original game which doesn't have it, I only ever used it when absolutely necessary. Easy mode, oddly named Fairy mode, is cool for first-time players trying to figure out how to play a 3D platformer, but it is too easy. Some additional difficulty options would make the game not be all or nothing when it comes to making the game easier. Like infinite lives, invincibility, extra platforms, and the ability to skip the level if the player dies enough times are all nice, but the fact that it's either all those things or the base difficulty makes for an odd play experience.

The costumes are fine and an interesting way to reward completionist tendencies, but more variety would have been nice. The idea that there are three costumes per world, all of which are identical but different colors, feels strange and like a wasted opportunity. The same goes for the figures and capsule system, which would be a lot more bearable if it were not nearly as grindy. Each level has two capsules at maximum, but the player can throw coins (replacing the tokens from the original game) at the capsule machines to get more. The figures are used entirely aesthetically to decorate PAC-Village, so it's not exactly a worthwhile endeavor unless you want the achievement.

The overall aesthetic of each level is better, there is more enemy variety (bosses 2, 3, and 4 are not just clones of each other anymore), and the overall feel of the game is both more modern and more fun, so it is worth playing. The inclusion of time trials for each level as a separate mode is also an interesting shakeup to the existing gameplay mechanics. The only real drawbacks to the game is the fact that the camera can get wonky at times, a problem when precision platforming is the key gameplay mechanic, and the capsules to unlock figures. At least when Super Smash Bros Melee had a similar mechanic, it was easier to earn more trophies and there was way more trophy variety.

Still, PAC-Man World 2: Re-PAC is pretty fun, especially if one is already a fan of the original. Check it out for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, PC, PlayStation 4/5, and Xbox One/Series X/S.

★★★★