Tuesday 7 June 2022

Pac-Man Museum+: PS5 Review

PacMan Museum+: PS5 Review

Developer: Now Production
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Platform: PS5

It's the return of the Pac in this compilation spanning 42 years of Pac-Man's gaming life.

Collecting together 14 titles from the Pac-Man series, some of which have never been available again since their first outing, this is a relatively fun return to the maze for the dot-chomping yellow creature.

Pac-Man Museum+: PS5 Review

How you'll feel about the collection of games will largely depend on how you feel about the maze variations. From the original Pac-Man to the Pac-Man 256 game, there's a variety of titles here, and not all have the enduring lasting power of the gaming icon.

Housed within an arcade where Pac-Man roams freely, the game offers customisable elements proffered from playing the various games. From cabinets to wallpapers, every title gives you a chance to gain something new for the arcade as you go further in each game. 

From a Marble Madness inspired style roller take on Pac-Man in Pac'n'Roll remix to the somewhat awful Pac-In-Time game, the quality of the gameplay varies, even if the emulation of each title doesn't. 

It's nice to see a comprehensive look across Pac-Man's 40 year history but it's a shame there's no actual history imparted during the games, with them simply being unlocked and rolled out throughout.

Pac-Man Museum+: PS5 Review

There are still plenty of vicarious thrills to be had from the 42 year old original, and more modern takes offer fun gameplay, but there is occasionally a feeling of filler in this title.

Maybe a visit to this museum is worth a trip on a rainy day, but you may end up leaving Pac-Man Museum+with a nagging feeling that an icon like Pac-Man has had an extremely chequered gaming past, when it should be plain sailing given its simplicity.

PacMan Museum+ includes:

Pac-Man (1980)
Super Pac-Man (1982)
Pac & Pal (1983)
Pac-Land (1984)
Pac-Mania (1987)
Pac-Attack (SNES Version; 1993)
Pac-In-Time (SFC Version; 1995)
Pac-Man Arrangement (Arcade version as seen in Namco Classic Collection Vol. 2, labelled as Arcade Ver.; 1996)
Pac-Man Arrangement (PSP version as seen on Namco Museum Battle Collection, labelled as CS Ver.; 2005)
Pac-Man Championship Edition (2007)
Pac-Motos (originally included in Namco Museum Remix; 2007)
Pac 'n Roll Remix (originally included in Namco Museum Remix; 2007)
Pac-Man Battle Royale (2011)
Pac-Man 256 (console version (2016)

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