Thanks to Hamada for helping with edits.
We’re all familiar with Pac-Man, right? In the icon’s first outing, he’s stuck scouring a gauntlet of mazes while four ghosts hunt him. Pac-Man starts with three lives, and additional ones are earned by hitting score milestones. Every maze is filled with pellets, and consuming them increases the player’s score. Four larger Power Pellets rest in each corner of the maze, which temporarily render the ghosts vulnerable to Pac-Man — and eating the creeps rewards you with bonus points. Extra points can be obtained by eating fruits, which spontaneously appear and vanish. Once every pellet in a stage is eaten, Pac-Man advances to the next one. The game’s simplicity makes it timeless, honestly; surviving longer and reaching a new record is always exhilarating.
I have a long history with Pac-Man: unofficial DOS entry CD-Man is the second or third game that entered my possession, I’ve been playing Pac-Man proper for as long as I can remember, and Championship Edition DX is among my all-time favorites. I’ve had the Pacster on the brain lately, too. A local candy store closed earlier this year, meaning my days playing its Ms. Pac-Man machine are over. Recently, I procured a copy of Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness, another inevitable “Beat the Backlog” subject. Finally, Pac-Man Museum+ was released one week ago. It’s a compilation containing fourteen of the mascot’s games, including Pac-Man 256. In celebration of this new Museum, I’ve been revisiting my copy of 256.
Pac-Man 256 initially hit smartphones in 2015. A tweaked version came to consoles shortly thereafter, which is the one I’ve been playing. (Image: Bandai Namco)
Since Pac-Man’s heyday, countless sequels and knockoffs have provided unique spins on its formula. Some are excellent and others subpar, but where does 256 rank? Crossy Road developer Hipster Whale’s crack at Pac-Man features a nifty premise, one inspired by a notorious bug plaguing the original. Like that arcade classic, our hero is trapped in a maze. However, 256’s continues indefinitely — yes, this is the Pac-Man equivalent of an “endless runner.” A wall of doom perennially moves upwards, which can distort 256’s visuals and forces Pac-Man to keep charging ahead while evading ghosts. Tunnels appear along each side of the procedurally generated labyrinth, letting Pac-Man and his pursuers swiftly move between them. Arrangement-esque conveyor belts also occasionally appear, which speed Pac-Man up if he’s moving in their direction or slow him down if he isn’t.
Similar to contemporary Pac-Man titles, pellets exponentially increase in value if eaten consecutively. This is encouraged; if you eat 256 in succession, an explosion destroys all on-screen foes. Kindly, the game counts each chain for you, and the longer one goes, the louder Pac-Man’s munching gets. The latter adds a surprising intensity to 256, potentially overpowering all other audio. Fruits sit along the maze, as do coins. Collecting change doesn’t increase your score, but does give you currency to spend on enhancing Pac-Man’s power-ups.
Occasionally, 256 will disadvantage you. Offscreen ghosts may blindside you, one might teleport in front of you, or things will be positioned in a way that simply traps you. (Image: Bandai Namco)
256 boasts a large arsenal. By default, the enduring Power Pellets dot the maze. Eating progressively larger totals of pellets, meanwhile, unlocks the other twenty-four weapons. Before starting a game, players can choose three power-ups to appear during it (joining the Power Pellets, which always appear) and spend coins to level them up, making them last longer. After eating one, a bar appears displaying how long is left until it expires. If Pac-Man is enhanced by a Power Pellet, eating ghosts partially refills the meter. Upon eating any power-up, every other variety turns into a white cube, which also partially restores the bar. Occasionally, 256 plops a new power-up along your path, the next one you’re set to unlock as a teaser of sorts.
Unfortunately, most of these new tools aren’t interesting, and many overlap with each other: there are two types of bombs, lasers, tornados, magnets, ghost-freezing icicles, and protective, Pac-Man-enveloping flames. Even the Giant power-up, despite not altering the ghosts’ behavior, is basically a glorified Power Pellet. Unless you’re a completionist, though, fully upgrading every item isn’t worth it; accruing coins is an excruciatingly slow process. Any effort 256 makes to expedite it — occasionally giving some out as “gifts” and rewarding players for completing vapid missions, like “eat five cherries” — isn’t nearly enough help (meanwhile, 256’s mobile version doles them out through advertisements and microtransactions). Plus, littering coins throughout the maze can tempt players away from score-increasing activities, which is counterintuitive towards the Pac-Man ethos. Oh, and the final power-ups you unlock trivialize the ghouls.
Upon reaching Level 8, most power-ups last a while. If you maximize the electricity, radar, and beam, then it’s rare for you to ever be vulnerable. (Image: Bandai Namco)
Only two of 256’s new power-ups are interesting: the magnet and “Regen,” both of which surround Pac-Man with a small, green radius that collects every item it touches. Pellets collected with the latter also regenerate after a moment, hence the name. These goodies, unlike their contemporaries, directly tie into 256’s pellet-eating mechanic, a quality I appreciate. Still, the Power Pellet remains the most enjoyable power-up to use. Chaining kills with it is thrilling, especially since doing so rewards point bonuses that increase by increments of 100 (most of the other weapons, conversely, only grant a flat 35 points upon killing ghosts). Visually, these energizers also remain the most satisfying items; seeing the flashing ghosts slow down and desperately try to flee always makes me smile.
Unlike later Championship Edition titles, where ghosts pose little threat, 256 tries — and until you get those better weapons, largely succeeds in — reinstating the series’ survival aspect. Quick reflexes are essential; in fact, if a ghost touches you once, it’s an instant game over. The original four ghouls return, augmented with four newer pests. Clyde descends down the maze, while Inky circles specific sections of it. Pinky stands still, but if Pac-Man enters her line of sight, she instantly sprints in that direction, only stopping upon hitting him or a wall. Naturally, Blinky actively pursues his rival. Gray ghost Spunky lies sound asleep…until Pac-Man approaches, causing her to awaken and chase him. Sue and Funky come in groups of three and four, respectively, and try to horizontally block Pac-Man from ascending. Finally, newcomer Glitchy plays into 256’s motif, changing colors and teleporting around. Altogether, Pinky and Blinky remain Pac-Man’s most dangerous rogues (that wall of doom, for the record, will rarely kill you).
Like the Championship Editions, players can choose different visual styles. Also, the console version of 256 sports a two-player mode. I haven’t gotten to try it, but it seems fun. (Image: Bandai Namco)
Ultimately, this is a kosher Pac-Man game; just narrowly avoiding death and surpassing your or your friends’ high scores is fun. There isn’t much else to say about 256, though. Pac-Man’s “endless maze” entry is a perfectly fine time killer that suits the smartphone space. Grinding for currency is tedious, a faux pas common of mobile fare. And should you avail yourself of 256’s best items, it becomes significantly less exciting; you’ll murder most ghouls before they even get close to you. Still, while this doesn’t approach the franchise’s best or most ambitious offerings, it doesn’t need to. I wouldn’t recommend buying Pac-Man Museum+ just for 256, but it’s nevertheless a worthwhile inclusion.
Regrettably, 256’s leaderboards aren’t robust, which limits the appeal in score attacking. (Image: Bandai Namco)
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