History VideoGame / PacManWorld

Just as [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]] [[VideoGame3DLeap jumped to the third dimension]] during [[UsefulNotes/TheFifthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames the fifth generation of video gaming]], so did VideoGame/PacMan (though the games themselves play more like ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot''). The first game, ''Pac-Man World'', was released on the Sony Platform/PlayStation on his [[MilestoneCelebration 20th anniversary]].[[note]]Almost. It was released in 1999, one year short of his actual 20th Anniversary.[[/note]] Instead of the maze game he was most known for, this game was a rather standard PlatformGame incorporating many Pac-Man motifs in new ways such as fruit to unlock doors and pellets which could be shot as lasers. However, mazes were incorporated into the levels and there's even a mode featuring them exclusively. Though this game isn't anywhere near as prominent or influential as the iconic arcade game or ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'', [[CultClassic it retains a cult fanbase]] and even spawned two sequels, a spinoff starring Ms. Pac-Man, and [[VideoGame/PacManWorldRally a kart-racing spinoff]] all in the sixth generation. The first game would even get a [[VideoGameRemake remake]] as ''Pac-Man World Re-PAC'', which released on August 25th 2022 for Platform/PlayStation5, Platform/PlayStation4, Platform/XboxOne, Platform/XboxSeriesXAndS, Platform/NintendoSwitch, and Platform/{{Steam}}.

Just as [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]] [[VideoGame3DLeap jumped to the third dimension]] during [[UsefulNotes/TheFifthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames the fifth generation of video gaming]], so did VideoGame/PacMan (though the games themselves play more like ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot''). The first game, ''Pac-Man World'', was released on the Sony UsefulNotes/PlayStation on his [[MilestoneCelebration 20th anniversary]].[[note]]Almost. It was released in 1999, one year short of his actual 20th Anniversary.[[/note]] Instead of the maze game he was most known for, this game was a rather standard PlatformGame incorporating many Pac-Man motifs in new ways such as fruit to unlock doors and pellets which could be shot as lasers. However, mazes were incorporated into the levels and there's even a mode featuring them exclusively. Though this game isn't anywhere near as prominent or influential as the iconic arcade game or ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'', [[CultClassic it retains a cult fanbase]] and even spawned two sequels, a spinoff starring Ms. Pac-Man, and [[VideoGame/PacManWorldRally a kart-racing spinoff]] all in the sixth generation. The first game would even get a [[VideoGameRemake remake]] as ''Pac-Man World Re-PAC'', which released on August 25th 2022 for UsefulNotes/PlayStation5, UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}.

* ''Pac-Man World'' (UsefulNotes/PlayStation, 1999; UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance, 2004)
** ''Pac-Man World Re-PAC'' (UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/PlayStation5, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} 2022)
* ''VideoGame/MsPacManMazeMadness'' ([=PlayStation=], UsefulNotes/Nintendo64, UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast, and Game Boy Advance, 2000)
* ''VideoGame/PacManWorld2'' (UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}, UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube, UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, Game Boy Advance, and UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows, 2002)
* ''VideoGame/PacManWorld3'' ([=PlayStation=] 2, Nintendo [=GameCube=], Xbox, UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable, UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, and Microsoft Windows, 2005)

* ''Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness'' ([=PlayStation=], UsefulNotes/Nintendo64, UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast, and Game Boy Advance, 2000)

** NoOSHACompliance: And why would it need to comply with safety standards? [[JustifiedTrope Those ghost laborers ain't getting much deader.]]

* OneHundredPercentCompletion: Full completion basically requires unlocking and completing all mazes, getting all the [=PACMAN=] letters in every episode, and rescuing all family members. In the original, completing Marathon Mode is also necessary for 100% completion (the remake instead makes this an achievement), and reaching 100% unlocks the [[HilariousOuttakes outtakes]], which were removed in ''Re-PAC''. ''Re-PAC'' additionally requires the [[BraggingRightsReward Magic Key]], which was not necessary in the original.

* BigBad: Toc-Man, a robotic version of Pac-Man [[spoiler:piloted by the ghost Orson]], is the one who kidnaps Pac-Man’s family. Taken up a notch in ''Re-PAC'' where Toc-Man is also directly responsible behind every other bosses, who all got summoned by him to cause Pac-Man trouble.

* EarnYourBadEnding: In ''Re-PAC'', there are MultipleEndings based around rescuing Pacman's family. Getting the worst possible ending requires saving none of his family members and defeating Toc-Man, which is much harder than it sounds. In the FinalBattle, each family member gives Pacman a power-up that fully refills his health meter, without any family members saved, Pacman would receive no extra health during the final fight (which has three stages). So beating the game with the worst possible outcome requires Pacman to avoid saving any member of his family ''and'' defeat Toc-Man with only four hit points.

* CameraScrew: The camera is suited just fine for a TwoAndAHalfD side-scroller, but given that a lot of level segments require Pac-Man to move not only left and right, but forth and back as well, it can make many jumps much harder to accurately judge. Most notably, are some of those wheels in Spin Dizzy far away, or just really small?
** The remake addresses most of this problem by changing the view to a slightly top-downish one on precise platforming sections, but some areas still suffer from depth perception problems, especially in the Boss Mansion episodes.

One of the more trivial details of the game is that, like the [=US=] version of ''Pac-Man Arrangement'' before them, the three platformers consistently mix up Blinky and Clyde, with the orange ghost becoming Blinky and the red one becoming Clyde (a mistake that ''World Rally'' fixed). To avoid any further confusion, they will be referred to by the incorrect names given in these games, rather than the proper ones that the rest of the franchise uses.

** Clown Prix. In almost every other [=PlayStation=] game with car controls, '''X''' is accelerate. In ''Pac-Man World'' it's the ''brake''. Averted in the remake where by default '''X''' (or equivalent on other controllers) is accelerate and the square button is brake.
** But the worst offender is ''the pause menu''. For whatever reason, when you close the menu with the '''X''' button (as opposed to the Start button) it sends the command both to the menu (to close it) and to the freshly-unpaused game engine. The result is that Pac-Man will jump. And given the abundance of the BottomlessPits, that would ''not'' be a good thing. Fixed in the remake.
** ''Re-PAC'' remaps the Rev Roll to the triangle button (or equivalent for other controllers) by default, with the square button being for Hang In Mid-Air, a new jump-related command. Unless the player remembers one of the tutorial hints or checks and reassigns the button layout, the player may press the square button on a Rev Pad and wonder why nothing happens.

* DamselInDistress: The entirety of Pac-Man's family, [[AndYourLittleDogToo and his little dog too]] ([[MyFriendsAndZoidberg oh yeah]], and [[VideoGame/DigDug Pooka]]), are held as hostages in each world, requiring a key to free them. They support Pac-Man with health in the final battle.

* GameOverMan: Lose all your lives and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fLSaeJjtz8 the game's title gets changed from Pac-Man World to Toc-Man World and Toc-Man stands next to the title laughing.]]

* AdvancingBossOfDoom: Anubis Rex from the pyramid stage is a "Run First, Fight Later" example, with a mummy pursuing Pac-Man down a corridor full of booby traps (including spears coming out of floors and descending portcullises), where Pac can only run like crazy until he reaches the exit. Once he makes it out of the pyramid, Anubis Rex itself awakens from its slumber...

** Anubis Rex, who previously was just a statue/building, can actually move now by turning its head to stare at Pac-man as our hero moves around the arena.

* HitboxDissonance: By the dev team's own admission; apparently they ran out of time when they were beta testing. It gets especially bad in Anubis Rex. The remake thankfully fixes this by revamping the chase sequence and boss fight.

* TennisBoss: The first boss, HMS Windbag, attacks by firing its cannons on Pac-Man... and is fought in an arena containing buttons which can deflect cannons with each press. Being a WarmUpBoss, his cannons are predictable enough and he goes down in four hits rather easily.

** This is also what made Anubis Rex so notorious in the original. Every time he gets hit, the jewel on his forehead rotates to a different color and he adds another hazard to the field. Initially, it's just fireballs between rev roll pads, then tornadoes that fly across them, then fireballs that hit the pads themselves, then lasers with [[HitboxDissonance hitboxes bigger than they look.]] All at once. The major change the remake made to make him easier is that while he still adds a new attack every phase, he only uses one of them at a time instead of simultaneously.

* WarmUpBoss: The first boss, H.M.S. Windbag. His projectiles are easy to time and deflect, and he goes down in just a few hits.
* WakeUpCallBoss: In complete contrast to H.M.S. Windbag mentioned above, Anubis Rex in the original is ''infuriatingly'' complex and benefits from some harsh HitboxDissonance.
* WeaponizedLandmark: Anubis Rex is a Sphinx statue turned into a killing machine capable of dropping fireballs all over the area. It's forehead jewel can shoot ''[[EnergyWeapon lasers]]''.

Just as [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]] [[VideoGame3DLeap jumped to the third dimension]] during [[UsefulNotes/TheFifthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames the fifth generation of video gaming]], so did VideoGame/PacMan (though the games themselves play more like ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot''). The first game, ''Pac-Man World'', was released on the Sony UsefulNotes/PlayStation on his [[MilestoneCelebration 20th anniversary]].[[note]]Almost. It was released in 1999, one year short of his actual 20th Anniversary.[[/note]] Instead of the maze game he was most known for, this game was a rather standard PlatformGame incorporating many Pac-Man motifs in new ways such as fruit to unlock doors and pellets which could be shot as lasers. However, mazes were incorporated into the levels and there's even a mode featuring them exclusively. Though this game isn't anywhere near as prominent or influential as the iconic arcade game or ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'', [[CultClassic it retains a cult fanbase]] and even spawned two sequels, a spinoff starring Ms. Pac-Man, and [[VideoGame/PacManWorldRally a kart-racing spinoff]] all in the sixth generation. The first game would even get a [[VideoGameRemake remake]] as ''Pac-Man World Re-PAC'', which released on August 25th 2022 for UsefulNotes/Playstation5, UsefulNotes/Playstation4, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}.

** ''Pac-Man World Re-PAC'' (UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/PlayStation5, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, and {{UsefulNotes/Steam}} 2022)

* OneHundredPercentCompletion: Full completion basically requires unlocking and completing all mazes, getting all the [=PACMAN=] letters in every episode, and rescuing all family members. In the original, completing Marathon Mode is also necessary for 100% completion (the remake instead makes this an achievement), and reaching 100% unlocks the [[HilariousOuttakes outtakes]], which were removed in ''Re-Pac''. ''Re-Pac'' additionally requires the [[BraggingRightsReward Magic Key]], which was not necessary in the original.

* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: In ''Re-PAC'', the Chrome Pellet is rechristened the Metal Dot, and the form granted as the Metal form. On paper, this has no issue, as it is a more simple and streamlined alternative to a generally lesser-known word. However, this creates some headscratching when [[spoiler: in the final battle, Toc-Man eats one himself in the second phase to power up -- except that Toc-Man, as a robot, is ''already'' made of metal.]]

* EarnYourBadEnding: In ''Re-Pac'', there are MultipleEndings based around rescuing Pacman's family. Getting the worst possible ending requires saving none of his family members and defeating Toc-Man, which is much harder than it sounds. In the FinalBattle, each family member gives Pacman a power-up that fully refills his health meter, without any family members saved, Pacman would receive no extra health during the final fight (which has three stages). So beating the game with the worst possible outcome requires Pacman to avoid saving any member of his family ''and'' defeat Toc-Man with only four hit points.
* EasilyForgiven: [[spoiler:In the good ending of the ''Re-Pac'' remake, Pac-Man forgives Orson for everything he's done as Toc-Man and allows the ghosts to celebrate his birthday with him back at his house.]]

* HilariousOuttakes: In the original, if you reach OneHundredPercentCompletion, you'll unlock a set of outtakes that are pretty funny. ''Re-Pac'' does away with these entirely.

* HostileShowTakeOver: Toc-Man changes the name of the game to ''Toc-Man World'' if you get a GameOver. It doesn't last though as if you wait long enough on the GameOver screen the "Toc" falls off the title and the title will revert back to ''Pac-Man World'' as soon as you go back to the title screen.

-->'''Toc-Man''': Look, here I am! Love me!

* LogicalWeakness: In the final battle with Toc-Man in ''Re-Pac'', [[spoiler: the Metal Dot grants Toc-Man the same boons that it does for Pac-Man, but the Power Pellet, while it does make him a colossus, doesn't grant Toc-Man the same invincibility it does Pac-Man, even when doubled up. Given Toc-Man is actually the ghost Orson, to which a Power Pellet is their bane, it follows that it wouldn't fully work for him, robot or no.]]

** In the original Playstation release, he plays it very straight, with battle phases focused around him doing the Pac-Dot Throw, then Butt Bounce, then Rev Roll.
** In ''Re-Pac'', his moves are altered a bit to emphasize him more as a robot -- the Pac-Dot Throw is replaced by FingerFirearms, for example, and his phases now focus on him [[spoiler: using Pac-Man's Power Ups; the Metal Dot in phase two and smushing A PAIR OF POWER PELLETS INTO ONE to grow to humongous size for phase three. No wonder Pac-Man needs a Pellet of his own to land the final blow.]]
* MultipleEndings: [[spoiler:After beating Toc-Man, ''Re-Pac'' splits into one of two endings: the original game's ending where Pac-Man eats Orson is reused if Pac-Man's entire family isn't saved, and a new GoldenEnding if everyone is saved where Pac-Man forgives Orson and invites the Ghost Gang to his birthday party to celebrate together.]]

* TooDumbToLive: Apparently, it's very difficult for the average ghost to tell a "Pac-person" from Pac-Man. As shown in the cutscene for ''Re-Pac'', they thus conclude that Pac-Man's ''entire family'' is Pac-Man, much to Toc-Man's frustration.

** The Space world has King Galaxian, where the game temporarily turns into an [[UnexpectedShmupLevel overhead spaceship shooter]], in a similar vein to another Namco classic, ''{{VideoGame/Galaxian}}''
** Clown Prix is a RacingMinigame where Pac-Man must win a race against a group of clowns to a finish line. The race plays like a top-down racing game in the original, and a first-person racing game in ''Re-PAC''
* UniqueEnemy: You'll run into four Pac-Neanderthals in one area of the underground level (near the waterfalls), and absolutely nowhere else.

* EvilKnockoff: Toc-Man, notch.
* FirstPersonPerspective: The Clown Prix Episode in ''Re-PAC'' uses this view instead of a third-person top-down view in the original.

* GoForTheEye: The King Galaxian has four giant red eyes. Guess where you need to shoot it.
* GroundPound: Known as the "butt bounce", it is treated like a DoubleJump.

* HeroicMime: Pac-Man, though at the beginning of the original he [[BigNo yells]] when he sees that his friends and family have been kidnapped.

* SpreadShot: ''Re-PAC'' adds this as a temporary power-up from eating a Power Pellet in the King Galaxian boss level.

* UnexpectedGameplayChange: Two of the boss stages. Apart from the aforementioned [[UnexpectedShmupLevel King Galaxian]], Clown Prix is a RacingMinigame.

** [[spoiler:Toc-Man in ''Re-PAC'' is able to use Pac's powerups to gain the aformentioned benefits Metal Dot have, as well as turning into a colossus with ''a pair of Power Pellets smushed into one''. Despite his humongous size, his Rev Roll attack in his third phase also doesn't render him winded unlike in the original game, where he's open for Pac-Man to strike back. Instead Pac-Man needs to strike one of his foot 3 times to do so.]]

* OneHundredPercentCompletion:Full completion basically requires unlocking and completing all mazes, getting all the [=PACMAN=] letters in every episode, and rescuing all family members. In the original, completing Marathon Mode is also necessary for 100% completion (the remake instead makes this an achievement), and reaching 100% unlocks the [[HilariousOuttakes outtakes]], which were removed in ''Re-Pac''. ''Re-Pac'' additionally requires the [[BraggingRightsReward Magic Key]], which was not necessary in the original.

* {{Sizeshifter}}: In ''Re-PAC'', eating a Power Pellet turns Pac-Man bigger. [[spoiler:In the final fight, Toc-Man can turn into a HumongousMecha by eating a pair of Power Pellets smushed into one. Later, turns out that Pac-Man with Power Pellet can grow his size even bigger than Toc-Man in third phase to finish him off.]]

* Sizeshifter: In ''Re-PAC'', eating a Power Pellet turns Pac-Man bigger. [[spoiler:In the final fight, Toc-Man can turn into a HumongousMecha by eating a pair of Power Pellets smushed into one. Later, turns out that Pac-Man with Power Pellet can grow his size even bigger than Toc-Man in third phase to finish him off.]]

* AdaptationalBadass: The Krome Keeper in ''Re-PAC'', who in the original was little more than a background element who occasionally kicked crates at you with no advancement in his boss fight that amounted to a static and repetitive switch-pressing puzzle, upgraded into a heavily-armed HumongousMecha who actively moves the trap-laden conveyor belts you're on and attacks with RocketPunch claws, shoulder pack missiles, and a WaveMotionGun beam in his third phase. And, rather than needing the Chrome powerup to simply hit hot switches, they here are needed to deal damage to him at ''all.''

* BigBad: Toc-Man, a robotic version of Pac-Man [[spoiler:piloted by the ghost Orson]], is the one who kidnaps Pac-Man’s family.

* OneHundredPercentCompletion:Full completion basically requires unlocking and completing all mazes, getting all the [=PACMAN=] letters in every episode, and rescuing all family members. In the original, completing Marathon Mode is also necessary for 100% completion (the remake instead makes this an achievement), and reaching 100% unlocks the [[HilariousOuttakes outtakes]], which were removed in ''Re-Pac''.

* BraggingRightsReward: The Magic Key allows you to automatically unlock every door in each level without needing the corresponding fruit. However, it's only unlocked after getting a total high score of 1,000,000 in the original or 750,000 points in ''Re-PAC'', by which time you'll have most likely played every level in the game multiple times since getting such a score requires a near-perfect run on most levels.

* CanonImmigrant: Professor Pac-Man (from an unauthorized game from ''Bally Midway'') finally makes his appearance in an official Pac-Man game. Sourpuss (from the [[WesternAnimation/PacMan Hanna-Barbera cartoon]]) makes his cameo in this game, too.