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Pac-Attack (JP) (Pac-Panic (JP) in some Japanese and European releases) is a puzzle game in the vein of Columns and Dr. Mario released for the SNES and Game Boy.
Later, the SNES version was released on the Virtual Console service. The game is a derivative of an arcade game called Cosmo Gang the Puzzle and the title was released in Japan under that branding for its Super Famicom and Virtual Console iterations.
Gameplay[]
On a Tetris-like board the player drops blocks made of Ghosts, Blocks, Pac-Man, and one Fairy (if the Fairy Meter is full) to the ground. The goal is prevent the blocks from overflowing, let Pac-Man eat the ghosts, and make lines to shorten the quantity of blocks on the board.
Once the fairy lands on something, it waves its wand and every ghost in the eight lines below it will vanish, often resulting in many lines finished and simplifying the board.
Pac-Attack can also be played in 2-player mode. Player 1 must eat Blinky, while Player 2 must eat Sue, the purple ghost from Pac-Mania. As players eat ghosts and complete lines, they will drop ghosts on their opponent's board, messing up their board and bringing them closer to the top.
This game can even be played in puzzle mode. The object of this mode is to smash all 100 stages by getting rid all of the ghosts on the board with the limited number of Pac-Man's for each stage. In the event of a Game Over, all the regular blocks appear with red crosses on them. Players can then retry the level.
Version Differences[]
SNES/Genesis/Game Gear/Game Boy[]
The original releases on the SNES, Genesis/Mega Drive, Game Gear, and Game Boy all share an indentical interface and graphics (though these change slightly due to different console's technical limitations) and they all have the same soundtrack (except for puzzle mode on SNES version).
Philips CD-I[]
The CD-I version features enhanced graphics, a new interface (wordless menu screens) and an introduction cinematic was planned to give the game a story (however this was abandoned due to time constraints). This version was only released in Europe and was titled Pac-Panic.
Namco Anthology 2[]
This version of Pac-Attack includes new graphics, music, and modes, as well as some improvements over the 1993 version, such as a bar indicating when Pac-Man or the Fairy is coming and which Ghosts can and cannot be eaten. It also has a "Godhand" mode, where the player attempts to reach level 999 while all the blocks came down at intense speeds. Also, Pac-Man and the Fairy take longer to appear. The music was composed by Takaki Horigome, a musician from the Japanese band Kirinji. This version of Pac-Attack was released as an unlockable game in Pac-Man World 2, but with the puzzle mode from the Namco Anthology 2 version removed.
iOS[]
It received a downgraded version on the iOS that uses graphics from the original Pac-Man arcade game and was released in October 2010. The puzzle mode features more specific challenges on this version as opposed to the previous versions.
Reception[]
Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Game Gear version a 6.6 out of 10, commenting, "Not relying on fancy graphic effects, Pac-Attack is the type of puzzle game designed for Game Gear. ... play this game a few times and you'll definitely get hooked on this smaller version."
GamePro gave the Genesis version a mildly positive review, saying that the game's multiple play modes, while derivative, are enjoyable and challenging. The December 1995 edition of British magazine CDi gave the CD-i version 80/100, and commented "Pac Panic should keep the little ones entertained", but felt adults would be better off with the version of Tetris released for the system.
External links[]
- Pac-Attack at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Pac-Attack at GameFAQs
| Pac-Man series | |
|---|---|
| Main Characters | Pac-Man • Ms. Pac-Man • Blinky • Pinky • Inky • Clyde |
| Arcade series | Pac-Man • Ms. Pac-Man • Super • Land • Mania • Collection • Vs. • Championship Edition 2 Plus • Museum + |
| Pac-Man World series | World (Re-Pac) • World 2 • World 3 • World Rally |
| Party games | Pac-Man Fever • Pac-Man Party (3D) |
| Other games | Attack • 2: The New Adventures • In-Time • Maze Madness • Pix • 'n Roll • Pinball Advance • Galaga Dimensions • Ghostly Adventures • Ghostly Adventures 2 |
| Related | Namco (Bandai Namco) • Namco Museum • Toru Iwatani • Mario Kart • Super Smash Bros. |