Thanks to Wolfman for helping with edits.
Pac-Man was born in a gauntlet of neon mazes, one where four color-coded ghosts perennially hunted him. That style of gameplay defines him, though Pac-Man has dabbled in a litany of genres over the decades. Actually, he’s accrued a respectable lineup of platformers, most notably the Pac-Man World trilogy. The first is neither the PlayStation’s nor Pac-Man’s best, but it’s a charming romp nevertheless. Pac-Man World 2 of the following console generation refined its ideas, yielding a stronger, if still not groundbreaking, platformer. This humble trilogy concluded a few years later with Pac-Man World 3, which I’ve seen fans deride as the worst one. Regrettably, they’re correct—it’s a substantial step backwards.
Pac-Man World 3 originally hit personal computers, the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox, and then scored Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable approximations. This review is based on the Xbox version. (Image: Bandai Namco)
First, some context. Famed animator Don Bluth was brought onboard in 2004 to work on a title dubbed Pac-Man Adventures, which would’ve offered a grittier interpretation of the mascot and his universe (notably, Bluth previously collaborated with Namco on 2003’s I-Ninja). We don’t know exactly what happened behind the scenes, but the Disney alumnus ultimately left the project, it was canceled, and elements of it were worked into what became Pac-Man World 3. Blitz Games, whose work includes a litany of licensed titles (including those Xbox 360 Burger King advergames), helmed this chimera. According to studio founders Andrew and Philip Oliver, Bandai Namco caused them “major problems,” even canceling the game mid-development. Blitz successfully lobbied to save the project and ultimately lost money on it.
That chaos permeates throughout Pac-Man World 3. Now, the World series’ core mechanics mostly endure. Pac-Man still walks, runs, jumps, and climbs ledges; he controls fine, even if he seems a tad stiffer. He still tanks up to four hits. His chargeable Rev Roll still lets you dash up steep inclines or power Rev Plates (which requires pin point precision). The Butt Bounce returns, too, though it now gets less height than a normal jump and performing three in succession closes the chain with a shockwave. World 3 replaces its predecessor’s mid-air flip kick (which itself replaced the first World’s Pac-Dot projectile) for an unremarkable three-punch combo. You’ll frequently alternate between the latter two, since the game strangely places a heavy emphasis on combat.
World 3’s tone and original characters feel out of place for the franchise, which tracks with its development history. But they’re neat and give the game an exotic flair. (Image: Bandai Namco)
Which wouldn’t be a problem if the enemy design was, y’know, interesting. The default baddies are generic monsters, some of whom have spikes that shield them from Butt Bouncing. Robots are tougher; standard units shoot lasers while spiky, spinning tops can’t be punched. A few larger, slower brutes are, ostensibly, the most challenging standard enemies and are doled out less frequently. Mechanical scorpions also tank abuse, while small, creepy bugs and walking bombs are easy to avoid. But none of these goons ever interact with you, each other, or the environment in interesting ways. Only the four power-ups break up the monotony, and even then, only the Ribbon Loop Power Pellet—which temporarily gives Pac-Man a tan aura, and if you wrap it around baddies, they die—is engaging.
Well, there is a fifth power-up: the normal Power Pellet. The dumb, evil egomaniacal genius Erwin has set up Spectral Syphons across the globe to drain the ghosts’ home, the Spectral Realm, of energy. His ultimate goal: conquer the world (oh, Erwin also has a sidekick, the cocksure yet useless Spectral Fiend, who’s unceremoniously killed in his third cutscene). Occasionally, angered Spectral Realm refugees emerge in waves and we’re forced to eat all of them. This isn’t a typical Pac-Man, mind, where eating ghosts is cathartic and rewarding and has a point; World 3‘s just wasting your time (though not as much as, say, Donkey Kong 64 does, mercifully). The fact that World 3 momentarily pauses when Pac-Man eats a specter for the sake of an unnecessary munching animation only aggravates its clunkiness.
Shockingly, Pac-Man World 3 is full of voiced cinematics. The game frequently stops mid-stage so Pac-Man can chat and joke with people, even. (Image: Bandai Namco)
Not every ghost is a foe, however! Gray ghoul Orson of the first World recruits Pac-Man and is his expository contact throughout the game. Although the original ends with Pac-Man eating him (World’s recent Re-Pac remake adds a good ending where they become friends), the two enjoy each other’s company and a solid comedic rapport—which is a pleasant surprise, considering Orson ripped Pac-Man away from his twenty-fifth birthday party. Erwin’s abducted the iconic Ghost Gang, though we save Pinky and Blinky and play as them at select points (note: the game accidentally swapped Blinky and Clyde’s names).
Pinky nominally adds puzzle-platforming to the mix. See, she can make intangible platforms solid for Pac-Man to traverse, but only three at a time—and, usually, there are four. Unfortunately, the pink duppy won’t test your gray matter: figuring out which platforms Pac-Man needs to nab a goodie or march ahead is never a stumper. Similarly, Blinky sometimes needs to knock down a pillar or break giant crates, but really, his specialty is beating baddies up with his shriek attack—and he’s good at it! Even the ghosts still feed back into World 3’s slower nature, however: retreading terrain as Pac-Man and his slightly floatier foes is repetitive. Still, their segments are usually short, so it’s not a big issue. At two points, you also man Orson’s upgraded Toc-Man mech and slowly mow down targets. There’s… very little to them.
Considering how much brawling you do, World 3 often feels more like a bland beat ‘em up than a bland platformer. (Image: Bandai Namco)
Pac-Man World 3’s levels are straightforward: you move through mostly large, forgiving courses (platforms in the final few stages are noticeably smaller). Health pickups and checkpoints are spread throughout generously, extra lives are rarer but not uncommon, and optional diversions contain collectibles (more on these later). Stages in the previous Worlds were great in number and short in length, while World 3 hosts thirteen stages that can take up to forty minutes—even longer if you’re aiming for one hundred percent completion. Kindly, each stage (save for the insanely short, simple Toc-Man Battle) hosts multiple save stations, so you don’t need to finish them in one sitting.
The camera hurts, too. When you’re jumping, it automatically pans downwards in an attempt to help guide you. But it’s disorienting; during tighter jumps I’ll try to micromanage the camera with the C-stick to no avail. Sometimes, the camera even loses sight of the platforms! Moving it when grounded isn’t much smoother, since it takes a second to start and doesn’t pan up or down far. The camera can also get stuck on scenery. Pressing the right trigger resets it behind Pac-Man, which helps, but if you hold it for too long, you enter a first-person view that leaves him vulnerable. Altogether, World 3’s camera is hardly the worst one to ever grace a 3D platformer, but it never feels completely reliable.
The three Spectral Realm levels focus less on fighting and, therefore, are probably the best ones. They host timed challenges where you have to run through rings, but the time limit is absurdly generous. (Image: Bandai Namco)
One of Pac-Man World 2‘s smartest ameliorations is how it uses collectibles: they were entirely optional, getting them often required treading along more difficult routes, and they often had a Pac-Dot trail nearby that’d carry Pac-Man back to the main path. It’s a lesson World 3 sadly forgets; fruits now mostly float in the open, are stored in breakable crates, or sit just out of sight on ledges (pan the camera around a lot to find everything). Only a handful are cleverly hidden. Even Pac-Man’s iconic Pac-Dots are unimportant: collecting fifty in the last game restored a wedge of health, but now they only increase your score. Clearing a stage saves your high score, which—like the pellets and fruits as a whole—is a harmless but arbitrary inclusion that only feels like it’s here out of obligation.
The only collectibles of any real import are the trading cards, which unlock artwork, and the Galagias. The spaceships teleport Pac-Man into a more traditional Pac-Man maze, where you’re given three lives to eat every dot. They have four Power Pellets, dash pads, and other luxuries; they’re quick and simple. Destroying a Spectral Syphon requires clearing a maze, too, so not all of them are optional.
Thankfully, World 3 has a few memorable platforming segments. Leaping across Gogekka Central’s bounce pads and red girders is the sort of set piece I wish Donkey Kong 64 had. (Image: Bandai Namco)
Still, there’s a somber character to Pac-Man World 3’s levels I appreciate. One aspect it retains from World 2 is how its stages feel naturalistic, and a few are spatially connected; this is a world. But there’s a difference: World 2 contains your usual meadows, forests, snowy mountains, and volcanoes. That isn’t a flaw, but there isn’t much you haven’t seen elsewhere (the first World, conversely, sports blocky obstacle courses blatantly built for Pac-Man that also have more fantastical visual variety). World 3 boasts a more atypical set of archetypes: it starts in a radioactive sewer before teleporting Pac-Man through pollen-infested valleys, ruins littered with futuristic technology, the ghosts’ putrescent dimension, and abandoned villages and cities, much of which employ fairly muted color palettes. Even its music is subdued and contemplative, a drastic change from the previous games’ energetic scores (though, oddly, World 3’s music abruptly stops playing on occasion, which is jarring). Pac-Man World 3 kinda reminds me of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, a game whose decaying locations were refreshing after its predecessor’s safer (though still beautifully realized) roster.
There are only two proper boss fights, both against Erwin. In the first, you Butt Bounce switches to deactivate his machine’s shields and then whack him while evading hazards. It’s a long, repetitive process that, kindly, retains your progress if you die. The rematch is the same deal, except somehow easier. A recurring problem in this trilogy is how boss battles overstay their welcome, something World 3, if anything, only exasperates.
Since I haven’t yet mentioned them, a major part of the backstory deals with the Ancients, an extinct group that unsuccessfully attempted what Erwin’s trying to do. Things end just as badly for him. (Image: Bandai Namco)
Pac-Man World 3 has a humble assortment of extras, some of which play into its status as an anniversary title. You can skim a timeline that lists each game, play the original Pac-Man, and watch an interview with franchise creator Toru Iwatani. The art gallery is also located here, along with a trailer for the then-upcoming Pac-Man World Rally. All of this is contained within a compact 3D museum that’s accessible from the main menu.
So Pac-Man World 3 is the weak link of its trilogy, but does that mean it’s bad? Well, I wouldn’t recommend it. A litany of other platformers of its era also tried blending in beat ‘em up elements, often to more successful results. And if you simply want a fun 3D platformer starring Bandai Namco’s mascot, reach for the other Worlds. Nevertheless, I find World 3 fascinating and, yes, I like it. It was neat exploring a different, somewhat dirtier side of his home and getting a deeper look into the family man—and I’d be open to another, better Pac-Man platformer in this vein.
Seeing Ms. Pac-Man again was refreshing. Should Pac-Man World 3 get the Re-Pac treatment, it’ll be deflating watching a cheap knockoff replace her. (Image: Bandai Namco)
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