There's a moment during the opening cutscene of Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 where the series' villain Lord Betrayus delights over his giant robot being ready to ''unleash on Pacopolis. Again!'' It's just a throwaway joke that's fitting of the Saturday morning cartoon vibe, but while it may have raised a slight smile initially, that simple ''again'' manages to echo throughout the entirety of Pac's latest adventure. You want more of the same? Well here it is.
We found the previous entry in the series to be a charming, if simple take on the 3D platformer genre, that paid fitting tribute to the yellow gobblers arcade past with some nods towards an older, more nostalgic audience. As a sequel, Ghostly Adventures 2 does very little to mess with this formula, emulating it to a fault and all without the initial buffer of nostalgia to rely on. The unexpected fun of the original is lost somewhat when you're presented with an almost identical set of stages and abilities, but for the unfamiliar, we'll give a quick rundown on the gameplay style and setting.
Set in a re-imagined universe where Pac-Man is a cocky teen attending high school, the evil ghosts seek to reclaim their original bodies and escape the netherworld. Led by the ever-so-obviously evil Lord Betrayus, they've invaded Pacopolis to wreak havoc, forcing Pac and his friends into action. It's a simple setup that's competently told through silly voice-acting and a healthy dose of kid-friendly humour — expect slapstick, and lots of it. The characters will be familiar to fans of the show, and while the questionably high-pitched voice given to our hungry hero is a very minor complaint, it's nice to see some actual personality injected into much of the dialogue.
Pac-World is broken up into five distinct areas — ranging from the starting hub of Pacopolis to a take on Atlantis — and eventually you'll be knocking on the ghost realm's front door itself. The scenery makes for a welcome change from the fire, ice, and jungle worlds seen before, but the re-use of the city in particular is a real drag. Similarly, the gameplay is untouched for the most part, offering the same solid platforming mechanics with a few minor additions. Despite the tutorial's confusing decision to play in 2D (though this can be skipped), Pac-Man will be traversing a series of semi-linear 3D levels for the bulk of the game. Obstacles come in the form of switches to be activated, ghost enemies to be chomped, and pitfalls to avoid, so it's all fairly standard fare.
Once more, finding a power berry will transform you into one of several different forms, and these grant our hero with a few fun abilities to play around with. In his normal form Pac-Man is a blast to control, as stringing chomp attacks from one ghost to another is still a lot of fun. Typically, the special attack button 'scares' ghosts into a spooked shade of blue, as they're quite eerily ordered to get into Pac's belly for additional points. As Ice, Rubber, or Metal Pac, however, you'll be able to freeze enemies, bounce up to reach tall platforms, or cling to metallic surfaces to reach new areas. While these are a welcome source of variety, it's hugely disappointing that they're almost entirely the same. Pac-zilla was a commonly advertised new addition to these transformations, but opportunities to make the change are few and far between, relegated primarily to boss fights which seem to take some inspiration from Mario and Luigi: Dream Team. It's a cheap thrill, but we're sure even younger players would have enjoyed being able to turn giant a little more often.
Ghostly Adventures 2 also introduces a couple of new playable characters in the form of Pac-Man's best friends, Spiral and Cylindria. Kids are likely to love these levels in particular, which see you taking control of a helicopter as Spiral or jumping on Cylindria's hoverboard to blast some ghosts in an on-rails section that feels suitably arcade-y. You'll also team up with these two in the main adventure as well - using Metal Pac to hang on to a steel girder suspended from your buddies chopper for example. Pac-Man gets his own vehicle section as well, though these are generally much shorter, and serve as only one part of a larger area.
Broadly-speaking, levels will take about 5-10 minutes to complete, depending on how much you want to explore. Going off the beaten path (by cleverly utilizing different Pac-forms or nailing some additional platforming) can net you some extra points, but will commonly reveal one of three icons per level. These cherries, strawberries, and Galaga ships do little more than give the player some additional bragging rights, as does the points system in general, but it does at least set up a structure for some additional challenge if you so choose. Overall the game is far from difficult, with plenty of ways to restore health, earn lives, and reach the next checkpoint; even falling off the path won't result in death, but rather a quick respawn and the loss of a single heart. It's just as well too, as the camera issues that plagued the original still crop up here. Perspective is sometimes a real problem, particularly while on the magnetized walkways, but we're happy to report that it isn't too common an occurrence. Ghostly Adventures won't cause trouble for players young or old.
The visuals are as clear and colourful as ever, with some very nice space environments to gawp at while you bound across the jump-switch platforms borrowed straight from Super Mario Galaxy 2. The irony certainly wasn't lost on us. The music is light and upbeat, with some recognizable tunes making their presence known every once in a while to supplement the goofy banter that Pac and his enemies toss back and forth. While we may not have had an interest in roaming around the glorified menu of a hub world, young players could very well delight in paying a visit to Maze High or Sir.C's laboratory between missions, though they're largely empty spaces with very little to actually do.
With the disappointing omission of multiplayer and mini-games this time around, adults may not have interest in a second instalment (no matter how many King Kong or Airplane! references are crammed in), and this release sadly doesn't rise above the label of an unimaginative retread. Everything Ghostly Adventures 2 does right, it has its predecessor to thank for it.
Conclusion
Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 was released less than 12 months after the first in the series, and it absolutely shows. While there's still a solid platformer in here, it's a bare-bones attempt which underwhelms for the sole reason that it could have been so much more. Younger fans are likely to enjoy having more of the same, but anyone who found themselves charmed by the original may want to hold off on this one until you're sure those nostalgia goggles aren't making the decision. It can be fun, but it ends up feeling like an expensive level Pac. ....We mean pack!
Comments 28
be nice to pac-man
I need to finish the first one. It is an average game, so I may pick this one when it drops to $20 or so.
Unsurprisingly, this game doesn't fare better than the first game. Makes me wonder if NamcoBandai is taking the business seriously anyomre.
Meh...
I guess after having played Pac Man World 2 on the GCN is enough.
Please go back to your old roots Namco
Yet another example of Smash treating the 3rd party characters better then their actual owners. XD
I like this one and the first game as well, the simplicity and clean gameplay kinda make god break from all the bells and whistles of the games made today. It's probably better for the kids who are fans of the TV show. Well Namco, I understand you had a very busy year making Smash Bros for 3Ds and Wii U, but in 2015 it would be nice to see Souledge, Ace Combat, Tales of something and why not Ridge Racer hit the Wii U. I would buy them all!
ugh. i cant belive what these people are doing with pac-man! they need a solid classic pac-man game but maybe like a 3d maze platformer with different platforms-kind of thing.
I had my eye on this only because I was hoping it might have included a Pacman Vs. mode where the user of the gamepad plays as Pacman while another 4 players act as the ghosts. No sale, Namco.
Sounds like they should've taken a cue from New Super Luigi U and just release this as a DLC expansion. Why make a whole new game when it realistically could just be tacked onto the previous title? Not that I've any interest in this (or the previous title), not a fan of what they did with Pac-Man, but this is what DLC should be, content created later for those that want more of the same. Paying full price for a sequel that hardly adds to the previous title is just silly!
This game is a lot better than the first one. There is an automatic camera now. There are underwater stages, new enemies that are fought differently like the sharks (using mechanics that were never in the first game). Pac-challenges for the powers. Better bosses. You can collect and find 3 fruit in every stage which increases the replay value by a lot, the scare mechanic is actually useful this time to get a gold medal on each stage by getting the high score. The controls and game in general is a lot more polished. Powers like Fire Pack have new attacks and you actually keep your power this time around and switch to your normal form whenever you want. The level design is a lot better. I say this game beats Pac-Man World 1 (not 2) This game does as much new as Mario Galaxy 2 did. Personally I wouldn't recommend the first game, now that this one is out. There's also some really epic music and environments later on. Although I prefer the original on 3DS (completely different game) but this time the sequel both the console and handheld versions are the same.
Everyone interested in this game watch this review. This shows you a bit better idea of what the game is really like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEq3PUmDdBw
Ohh Pac what have they done too you?
Look on the bright side: These bad games are training him for the real deal in Smash.
Still need to buy the first one.
@KaiserGX Sounds like I'll be picking this up instead of the first one then. Thanks for answering the question I was about to ask!
Also, thank you Nintendo Life for reviewing this game. Not many people have done this, if Metacritic is anything to go by.
Bandai Namco really should make this franchise a bit more serious and take some notes from Mario. I do like how this appeals to kids but I sure wish I can find appeal in it to.
While on the subject, another series that has done 3D platforming surprisingly well is, the Spongebob. No I'm not talking about the new poopoodoodoocacapoopledoople one, I mean Batttle For Bikini Bottom, the Movie, Creature of The Krusty Krab, and one of my favorite party games, Lights, Camera, Pants. Absolutely loved all these and they wee all on GC.
Cool review, could you review the 3ds version too?
I was hoping that this would turn out so much better Was really rooting for this...
As long as there is no 3D Mario or Jak & Daxter or Banjo Threeie or Ratchet & Clank or Crash Bandicoot this game is a good enough substitute. I give the first one 7/10.
Meh.
I want to like this, I really do. But both titles have such atrocious voice acting that I can't get past.
We need Pac-man Vs 2. It's perfect for the gamepad and since it isn't a big game,it could even be a download only title.
poor poor pac man
i agree with a couple people above me. the first game was darn solid. If this one is similar, it has my attention. there aren't many games like this being made anymore.
I played the first one and except for some decent platforming sections it's one of the worst games I played in years. I don't like the new Pacman cartoons, but even one episode of that has more plot than P-MatGA.
They should just make Pac-Man World 4 already.
Why dont they just stop making Pac-Man platformers? They have never been anything but mediocre and there are a ton of them.
So this doesn't actually have multiplayer and it's not just me being completely in capable of being able to figure out how to do it. The back of the box says 4 and the first one had multiplayer modes so I just assumed. But actually is misprint and poor design. All in all these are relatively fun games but I sure wish the back of the box didn't indicate there was multiplayer if there isn't.
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