While I will claim to be a huge fan of the platforming genre – my childhood overflowing with adventures relying on my ability to accurately navigate obstacle courses – I will also admit that there are some gaps in that portfolio. Super Mario 64, Sonic Adventure, Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong 64; all these games I return to even to this day. As for Pac-Man, meanwhile, outside of the arcade original, the yellow chomping hero has fallen in somewhat of a blind spot for me.
2022’s Pac-Man World Re-Pac gave me my first taste of what a Pac-Man game would look like in a 3D platforming setting, and I walked away overall impressed, having an all-around pleasant time. Could the sequel continue that momentum, though?
Pac-Village is under attack by the mischievous ghosts (Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde) who not only steal the golden fruit but also accidentally unleash the powerful ghost Spooky. It is then up to Pac-Man to recover the fruit, save the village and stop the ghosts from taking over. Chances are, you aren’t here for a highly deep story; however, with full voice acting and a Saturday morning cartoon-style presentation, it was definitely enough to put a smile on my kid’s face.
Much like the original Pac-Man World, the game’s adventure is split over a number of worlds, with each housing a handful of stages and capping things off with a boss battle. Stages are far more linear in a Crash Bandicoot/ Super Mario 3D World kind of way, players working their way through a specific path rather than free to explore an open playground. As a result, this gives Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac a rather old-school feel (which is no bad thing, mind).
Pac-Man himself feels great to control and possesses a lot of the staple abilities you’d expect to see from a platforming hero, from running, jumping and swimming to kicking and a few Pac-Man-inspired moves. Alongside a butt stomp (useful for hitting switches), Pac-Man can also perform a Rev Roll, a Sonic Dash-style sprint. At certain points in a stage, Pac-Man can also transform into Mega Pac-Man, making chomping up enemies a piece of cake. The stages themselves are pretty textbook for the most part, consisting of the familiar lineup of obstacles, including slippery ice, sharp buzzsaws and bouncy trampolines, to name a few. What the game lacks in surprise and awe, it makes up for in nailing the essentials. Boss battles are also a lot of fun (and surprisingly challenging), although some can tend to drag just a little too long.
The game does offer the option to add a second player to the mix, albeit only in a supporting capacity. Taking control of the Pac-Drone, the assisting player is able to hoover up collectables and fire off Pac-Dots to hurt and stun enemies. Think of it like the Cappy option in Super Mario Odyssey, if you will.
As well as completing a stage, players will also be able to take on other challenges to unlock bonus rewards. These can range from collecting all the fruits or beating a certain time in the time trial to defeating enemies and hitting a high score. Collecting certain collectables, meanwhile, will unlock mazes in the game’s arcade mode. These essentially play out like modernised classic Pac-Man mazes from the original game, only with added gimmicks and obstacles to contend with. There’s also even more to tackle with a surprisingly lengthy amount of content post-game. Between the challenges, extra stages, mazes and time trials (with online leaderboards), Pac-Man World 2 gives you a decent amount of reason to come back and even repeat stages.
Visually, the game is delightful with a colour palette bright and bold, and environments varied enough to keep you keen to see where your adventure takes you next. While the locations may be pretty cliché from a platforming standpoint (with forests, volcanoes and spooky areas a handful of examples), it doesn’t make them any less charming.
Having enjoyed the first Pac-Man World remake, I went into the sequel with pretty high expectations. What I wound up with was another well-made remake, and sure, it’s definitely a platformer of its time, but it proved to be a fun and nostalgic trip with plenty to see and do. Bring on Pac-Man World 3 Re-Pac, I say!
Version Tested: Nintendo Switch 2
Review copy provided by Bandai Namco Entertainment
