Pac-Man Remix review

Pac-Man is back and he’s hungrier than ever. Yes, everyone’s favorite dot-eating, ghost-munching, maze-navigating yellow sphere has been resurrected by Pac-Man Remix.‚  This iPhone app, brought to you by the now throwback masters at Namco, brings all the excitement of the classic Pac-Man title, while amping up the graphics and adding tons of extra features in the process.

Though it sounds great, there are sometimes mixed results with updates of classic franchises on the iPhone. Pac-Man does hold a special place in my heart though, so I especially wanted to keep an open mind, even if the possibility of a poor controlling interface or unimpressive graphics was still present.

When first launching Pac-Man Remix, I knew I was in for a treat. The splash screen instantly brought me back to my classic Pac-Man days, while the interface gave the game a more modern look.‚  The opening menu lets users know what game modes are available: campaign and free play.‚  Though fairly self-explanatory, I’ll go ahead and describe them anyway.‚  The campaign mode, not surprisingly, is most in line with the classic Pac-Man gameplay.‚  Players go through a sort of Pac-Man adventure island, exploring different and unique maps.‚  When each area of the island is completed, a new region is unlocked and available to be played.

Each region of the island is unique due to the diverse features found in the maps.‚  At one area, maps will resemble (to an extent) the classic, simple maps of the original title.‚  However, a few levels later, one will run into such additions as elevating platforms, acceleration devices and even teleportation pads.‚  Each map also has its own color scheme and design, again dependent on the region in which the player is trying to complete.

Free play mode essentially has the same meaning in all Namco iPhone releases, but it’s always good to touch on because I see it as an important feature.‚  This mode allows players to go back to their favorite levels and experience the fun again.‚  For a game like Pac-Man Remix, with the very diverse levels and mere depth it provides, having a mode like free play can really help the replay value of a game.‚  With so many games that can downloaded for free at the App Store, a game like Pac-Man Remix , which is currently running for $4.99 at the iTunes App Store, will need any additional features it can get to compete with the competition.

Though game modes are great, the majority of Pac-Man Remix’s value comes from the revamped graphics it features.‚  First of all, instead of the flat, pixelized graphics of the past, Pac-Man Remix brings some eye-popping, colorful 3-D visuals to the table.‚  These graphics make what was once a super simple game into a complex and interesting title to play.

Pac-Man Remix also features one of the best controlling interfaces that I’ve seen from Namco as of late.‚  Though it still offers the (dare I say) awful “Flick” controlling system, which requires players to flick their finger across the screen to dictate what direction Pac-Man should go, Pac-Man Remix offers an arrow pad option that is infinitely superior to the other option.‚  The arrow pad resembles what one would find on a keyboard, making it fairly natural to use.

Blast Factor: Overall, Pac-Man Remix is a fun little app for the iPhone.‚  Sure, its not the most innovative thing anyone has ever seen, but it is quite fun and very addicting.‚  For the price ($4.99), it might be a questionable buy for a lot of iPhone gaming enthusiasts, but for fans of Pac-Man and classic games in general, this is probably a must-have title.

Pac-Man Remix is available exclusively in the iTunes App store for $4.99.