In 1980, Pac-Man took the world by storm, introducing arcade players to an entirely new kind of gameplay style. The titular pill muncher went on to become a universally recognised icon of gaming, while also spawning numerous sequels and spinoffs to the inaugural debut over the decades that followed. Now, Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 Plus aims to continue that legacy set by the original, iterating on the classic formula in notable ways, but still leaving the core of it intact. The end result is what could be seen as one of the very best versions of Pac-Man available
Gameplay in PCE2 aims to go back to the roots of the franchise and recapture that simple, yet addictive arcade gameplay where you guide Pac-Man through mazes in a never-ending quest to eat more dots, all the while being pursued by four ghosts. The key difference here is that this game is fast, taking that simple concept and elevating it to a heart pounding, adrenaline pumping sugar rush of pure arcade bliss. It takes some getting used to, but once you’ve worked out the rhythm of careening around corners and consuming countless ghosts, this becomes a Pac-Man experience like no other, perfecting the idea that its predecessor introduced.
PCE2 mainly revolves around its Score Attack mode, which challenges you to blast your way through as many boards as you possibly can within a five-minute window. Pac-Man drops into a maze and usually can follow a linear dot path that traces around the stage, with each dot contributing to a gauge at the bottom of the screen. Once filled, a bonus fruit appears, and grabbing this sends Pac-Man and his ghost assailants to a new board with a different layout, filled with more dots. All of this happens in the span of about ten seconds (or less), and repeats until you run out of time.
Every few boards, a power pellet will spawn instead of a fruit, and this is where things get really interesting. See, each board has 'sleeping' ghosts scattered about, and going near them causes them to wake up and fly to the nearest ghost chasing you. This creates a ghost train that extends in front of the ghost, telegraphing where it will turn next. As you move through boards, the ghost trains continue to grow, but they’re sharply cut down in size when you get to a power pellet board. Once the pellet is grabbed, the ghost trains run away at blazing speeds, but lines will appear on the maze that indicate the paths the ghosts are taking. Once you intercept a train, Pac-Man tears through all the ghosts, racking up a massive score boost in the process.
This all combines to make an experience that’s hard to look away from and hard to put down. Every element of the Pac-Man formula has been examined and retooled to flow seamlessly together, capturing everything great about that unique gameplay. Touching ghosts would prove to be a problem at the speeds you’re playing at, so you’re allowed to bump into them a couple times before they get 'angry' and actually do you harm. Scouring every maze for every dot would slow things down, so an easily followed path of dots is usually in place that ensures you’ll fill the gauge as quickly as possible.
Most boards don’t even require you to clear out all the dots, and in many cases, it’s in your best interests to get to the next board as soon as possible. Both Pac-Man and the ghosts gain speed with each successive board, so the last minute or so of each run is a white-knuckle battle for survival and glory, as you chomp your way to a hopefully higher score. This is Pac-Man at his most kinetic and frantic, but it’s also Pac-Man at his most exciting.
There’s plenty of diversity to maze designs, too, and this helps to keep things fresh and interesting. A menu screen gives you several options where you can choose a difficulty level and design, with some mazes having gimmicks such as jump pads that send you between parts of the screen or significantly more tight corridors that lead to intense chase sequences. They’re not different enough that they feel like unique game modes, but the different mazes help to fend off any notions of stagnation.
On top of this, you’re given a plethora of cosmetic options, which can be tweaked to your liking at the start of each run. There are 'sets' of options that are used by default across the different mazes, but you’re allowed to mix and match them as much as you’d like. If you’d prefer playing as Dig-Dug on a neon maze with the music from Pac-Land playing in the background, you can set that up with just a few tweaks. This is clearly designed to be a flexible game that players can adjust according to their tastes, from difficulty to cosmetics.
If climbing the leaderboards or achieving that coveted 'S' rank on stages isn’t your thing, then there’s also an Adventure mode that offers up a slightly more linear challenge. Here, you move through a series of 10 challenges, each of which will task you with collecting a certain amount of fruit under the time limit on a fixed set of boards. Upon completing a level, you’re given one to three stars depending on which difficulty setting you picked, and collecting enough of these will eventually unlock the boss fight for that world. These are basically the same thing as the other challenges, with the caveat being that a giant ghost in the background occasionally sends all four ghosts on the board into their angry state.
While Adventure mode doesn’t really have much in the way of unique gameplay to differentiate it from Score Attack, the focus on achieving an objective instead of just going for a high score makes for a nice slight change of pace, offering a different kind of challenge. Though it doesn’t take very long to reach the end of the 'campaign', achieving three stars on every challenge is no mean feat, one that will keep even the most skilled players busy for some time. It’s a nice inclusion that ensures players that aren’t crazy about chasing scores will have a goal that’s a bit more tangible than simply getting a better score; there’s a coveted 100% completion rate to be pursued here.
Score Attack and Adventure mode are just half the game, though, with the other half being devoted entirely to co-op play. This is largely the same as a two player Score Attack, but there’s a few notable differences here. For one, there’s no bumping into ghosts here, one touch will lead to certain death. In place of the bumping, however, is a bullet time effect that triggers when a ghost is dangerously close to you, giving you extra time to react and dodge. If you still manage to get caught, there’s a window of a few seconds where your partner can come and save you if they’re quick enough. Another change is that most elements of the game are adjusted to require both players’ participation.
When all the dots have been eaten, the two players must 'kiss' in order to receive the bonus fruit to send them to the next board. When somebody grabs a power pellet, individual ghosts can only be 'dribbled' in front of one player, requiring the other player to come from the opposite direction and sandwich the ghosts. If there’s a board featuring a ghost train, one player must first attack from the front while the other has to attack from the back before a gauge runs out.
Another notable difference is the inclusion of actual boss battles, which involve you and your partner attacking a giant, voxelated ghost. Here, you move about in arenas that wouldn’t be out of place in a 2D platformer, climbing up the walls and jumping to disconnected platforms in pursuit of all the dots, all while being followed by a massive, slow-moving ghost. Once the dots are clear, the power pellet drops and you can attack the boss by holding down the jump button and repeatedly bouncing into it like a pinball, with each strike sending smaller ghosts flying out which can be eaten for extra points. It’s the biggest departure form the standard Pac-Man gameplay in the game, yet it plays quite similarly and feels like a good fit. Though the controls here can be a little tough to get to grips with, these boss battles provide some of the most intense moments to be found in PCE2, mixing up the gameplay in a memorable way.
It may sound like adding another player into the madness of PCE2 needlessly complicates things, but the rapid-fire flow of jumping between boards isn’t lost here at all. If anything, it’s even enhanced. Having a friend on hand helps you clear out boards far faster than doing so alone, and the even more chaotic pace that results leads to plenty of laughter and shouting as you two struggle to survive together. Couple this with the interesting boss battles, and you have a mode that can provide loads of replay value and intense action while changing just a few things about the standard mode. Best of all, this co-op mode can be played solo with an AI partner, too, and we found that it is more than capable of holding its own and supporting you. Any way you cut it, the additional co-op content that comes with the Switch version is a great inclusion, building on what came before in new and interesting ways.
All this gameplay is wrapped up in a similarly exciting presentation that’s just bursting with life. A high-tempo dubstep and electronic soundtrack helps to keep the excitement of gameplay high, with pounding drums and satisfying hooks keeping your ears just as tuned into the action as your eyes. There’s plenty of catchy beats here that will be bouncing around in your head for some time, and the inclusion of classic sounds and samples from the arcade games pay the perfect homage to the past. The visuals are similarly attractive, opting for a colorful, neon art artstyle that feels like the perfect fit for an arcade game, while the other optional cosmetic changes can make the game look completely different if you so choose. Little details, like sleeping ghosts and dots that change color and bounce to the beat of the music, help to make the visuals and music mingle seamlessly together, putting on a show that’s pleasing to the eyes and ears.
Conclusion
Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 Plus is everything that fans of the classic arcade game could want out of a legacy sequel, focusing on delivering a pure, high-speed realization of the concept that was introduced way back in 1980. Between the single player and multiplayer modes, there’s enough content here for hours of play, and it’s all endlessly replayable. We would give this game a strong recommendation to anyone that enjoys the easy to learn, difficult to master gameplay that you typically find in an arcade game; PCE2 has it in spades. For 20 bucks, this one is a no-brainer.
Comments 75
Can't wait to play this!
For the price it's still not an instant purchase for me as there's plenty of games I want to play already. But I'll keep this one in mind.
Ahah love the Saturday Night Live quote!
Played first episode which was great, I'll grab this on sale tho
It's cool but I gotta ask is this worth the upgrade from the PS4 version?
Nothing to do with this actual game but man i would love a Pacman World 4 on Switch, they didn't review well but 2 and 3 were what made me fall in love with the Pacmeister haha shame it is unlikely to ever happen.
@JayJ To my understanding, the only addition here is the 2P content. If the portability and co op is worth it to you, then it's worth the punt.
Oh this looks fantastic!
I already have the PS4 version. Maybe in a sale but right now, there's games I haven't played I can get for the same price or cheaper.
Totally awesome game though. Would easily recommend.
I might get it today. Seems like a fun game I can play with my sister.
I was honestly expecting this game to be similar to the DX game on my PS3. I played this just now on my PS4 as a rental and I...wasn't impressed. Not a bad game, but not an Instabuy for me either, even with its inclusion of Co-op Mode.
hell yes. perfect commute fodder. the 2P makes the price digestible
I sure did love the original Championship Edition, this one will be an inevitable purchase, though likely during a sale.
I only bought the Steam equivalent a few weeks back for a coupla quid, so while I'd love this on my Switch, I'm gonna have to wait
Loved the first one on the 360. I'd definitely pick this up at some point on the Switch.
To be honest I much preferred the first game. This is by no means bad but I felt the flow was killed by the bumping ghosts instead of the bullet time and the fact the ghost chains had to be hit from a specific angle.
It's good though.
I don't understand why they didn't include an endless high score mode? Why is everything 5 minute bites or whatever? The developers seem to have forgotten the true essence of Pac-Man.
Very nice, I've been looking forward to this one.
Return of the Pac.
Spent hundreds of hours in the first, bought it over 5 systems and bought every version, was insanely good at it had some impressive scores looked forward to this sooooo much and played it for like 3 hours. I hated the changes, it just isn’t fun at all.
I went back to the other pac man that hit ps4, forget its name now but got hooked on that too. The one with glitches and powerups built in, awesome title.
8 player multiplayer would have made this an instant buy (4 Pac-Men/Ms Pac-Men vs 4 Ghosts), but in its current state, it seems too much like a lazy rehash of the same old Pac-Man who refused to evolve over the last 40 or so years. This reminds me of the Space Invaders Extreme games on DS back in the day, and they were good fun though, but I can only justify buying such games at a discount.
At half the price of a mid-tier retail game (AU$30), it's still too expensive, especially with that ridiculous 2GB file size (well, it's ridiculous considering how antiquated the gameplay is). I do love me a bit of Pac-Man though, and I'll buy it as soon as it goes on sale (ideally half price or less).
I would have happily paid up to double the price for a retail release though.
I just bought this before logging on to Nintendo Life here. It'll make a nice change from playing shmups all the time and I haven't played a Pac Man game in about 25 years!
I love Pac-Man, but all these different Pac-Man CE games confuse me because I don’t know which version is the best, so I have never bought any of them for any platform. If there exist a definitive edition, I’ll buy right away!
(Actually, this review might contain the information I desire, so I’ll read it later today or tomorrow.)
Pac-Man titles may not always be amazing, but they're almost never bad. This, however, seems to be good. Might get it for my wife since she only uses her Switch to play Splatoon 2 and she likes crossover games like Pac-Man.
Great review!
While I really want this, I'll wait for a sale, because it is still PAC-Man, after all. Similar to how I'm waiting for Namco Museum to go on sale because all I would play from that is PAC-Man and Dig-Dug.
The Namco 3DS version of this game (with the Galaga) is one of the most under-rated 3DS game. The 3D effect is superb and actually does enhanced the gameplay.
A welcome addition to the Switch library especially for us retro fans!!
More cowbell lol!!
Anyways loved the first one, will probably get this down the road. Glad it turned out well on the switch!
@StephenYap3 I have heard many time that this game isn't as good as the first one, why exactly?
With this, Puyo Puyo Tetris and Mario Kart, I think Switch is becoming an incredible arcade machine.
Now I just need more friends. It's not easy being on the Dark Side...
I'll wait a little longer and learn more about the game before getting it. But it sure does look good. Can't wait to play this with my elder son (9 years) if I really get it.
I still remember playing the first version of Pac-man and playing a new version on the Sega Megadrive/Genesis. I found that version amazing. If this one it is close as fun as the Megadrive/Genesis version I will surely buy it.
Looks like everyone is waiting on a sale to get this game.
Stylized 80's arcade throwbacks can be so amazing. Loved Geometry Wars Galaxies. This looks like my next jam.
It's about damn time we finally get a true Pac-Man arcade game for the Switch. For a while there I thought that our only hope of seeing a true Pac-Man arcade style game for Switch lies with HAMSTER.
Looks good and enjoyed the first one.
Given the ongoing backlog will wait for a sale.
@Oscarzxn For me this game just doesn't have the flow of the first.
In the first if you got near an enemy it'd zoom in a pinch and go into bullet time, giving you a chance to escape or use a bomb to knock them back to the start. Unless you got hit you were always moving. In this one you bump into ghosts a few times, it doesn't give you that moment of 'quick, decide!' it just awkwardly bumps you against the ghost which is jarring and on corners can make turning difficult, resulting in unnecessary death. It breaks your flow of movement.
Also in the first one you built up a chain of sleeping ghost behind you, so it almost became like snake mixed in with pac-man, whilst the main 4 ghosts went about as usual. Then once you got a power pill you could turn around and chomp through the entire chain in the most satisfying game mechanic. And you could keep picking up those power pills if you were quick enough to keep that going for ages. You could also chomp at that chain from any point, so it was fun and you felt powerful. Now the sleeping ghosts attach to one of the 4 main ghosts, which means it takes longer for a chain of a decent length to form and the snake-like element is lessened. Also you have to attack those chains from the front when you get the power pill, leading to a lot of frustration trying to predict where they're going, often loosing the power before that happens.
@Emperor-Palpsy Don't forget all the arcade ports.
As for friends, just do like Dark Side always does and promise cookies.
Getting this!!
This looks so good! Just need to wait till I have a memory card, since I just ran out of room haha
No brainier at $20!?
Really!?
You guys have too much money!
I recently bought Mantis Burn Racing, Golf Story, and Rocket League.
I totally regret the first two despite their review scores here.
I don't have money to waste on a few hours of entertainment.
I need more games that maintain my interest for dozens of hours.
So far on Switch the games that maintain my interest for dozens of hours are: Mario, Zelda, Arms, Mario kart, Steamworld dig 2, overcooked, and ???
I'm sure I'm missing some downloads there, but I have bought more than two dozen games for my switch, at great expense, and honestly I want my money back.
I'm tired of seeing 9s on reviews of so called must buy games that are 'only' $20, only to find out they're only good for a few hours entertainment.
I think Nintendo life review scores need a reset.
Subtract 5 from them and make them out of 5.
Everything is rated too high.
@sillygostly woah man you just reminded me of all the hours I threw into Space Invaders Extreme 2!
I’m not actually big on arcade games, but that really hooked me! I love it so much it’s one of those rare games I revisit from time to time, so I think I might just dust off my DSi and have a couple of rounds 😉
@BenAV @RetroGamerAndrew
You know, both of your comments remind me of another SNL quote,
"If you don't have the money....DON'T BUY IT"!
added to wish list
I might have to give this one a whirl, I know I heard how great championship edition was but never picked it up. From what I heard this version was good still but did not live up the first one with minor changes. However the 2 player co-op sounds like something that makes this more enticing.
@GreenX1 touché
@cyrus_zuo Golf Story can't maintain your interest? To each their own, but you're the first person I've heard that from.
@GreenX1 Haha. I have no issue splurging money on Switch games (I have 121 of them and counting, oops). Just not sure if I want this particular one or if I can do better for $30.
I might get this, I was wondering though, does this have Classic Mode? Not that the other modes don't look interesting or whatever, just curious if I just wanna play normal Pac-Man for a few. xD
@Oscarzxn Because CE2 makes a lot of questionable design choices that renders this game anything but an old school Pac-Man game (3D games and spinoffs like Pac-Man World and the like are a different story): Ghosts that no longer kill you (at least until you bump them enough to make them chase after you), Bombs that now pop you back to the start, and Fruits that are always placed in the exact area you appear in each maze (not to mention that the maze-transitioning mechanic is more annoying than interesting). Now, I'm okay with some changes made to a formula as long as it ends up being decent at the least in the end, but what Bandai Namco did to this game coming off of how amazing the DX game was, it felt like a gimmick-filled party game and a step down in comparison. Therefore, all the elements of skill that made both the classic Pac-Man and DX were gone.
Imagine in a Shantae game, where your hair whips only stun enemies and you have to bump them off stage to kill them while only being able to transform on magical circles on the ground, or a normal classical 2D Mario game where you can only hit ? Blocks from above while all the power ups in the game only grant you points, making you Small Mario for the entirety of the game. Those are a pretty similar situation to what CE2 did.
Now, I still think CE2 is an enjoyable game as a rental, but coming off of how amazed I was with the DX game, I was disappointed. I won't buy it right away, though.
Maybe I'll get this game down the road but I have other games I want more than this and I'd rather spend my money on those first.
obligatory comment due to my username 😋
I have this on PS4 and I love it, not as much as DX, but it really does switch up the flow of play. It does feel like a true sequel. It should have got higher scores when it was first released a year ago. Most sites were giving it a 6.
@WhiteTrashGuy I think it's important to be scored in context. Obviously this game is pretty limited compared to something like Mario Odyssey and it could be argued that its predecessor was better. Yet judging it on its own merits as an action packed arcade game, I think it justifies a high score, particularly with the added 2P mode
I'm confused, does this include the retro style Pacman as well?
I'll wait for a discount. Enjoyed the first and all, but the price is a little steep for a game of this type...
Pac Man: "For 20 bucks, this one is a no-brainer." 9/10 - NintendoLife
Lol, this site is a joke
You make the game sound neat for sure.
But with Pac-man the best versions for me will be those table units you used to find in diners and bars. That was always cool. If I ever opened a restaurant, that is something I would like to recreate.
@BigKing Please, tell us your problem.
Great tagline!
If you're a PS4 owner, this title retails for 12.99 on the PSN. That's not a sale price, that's its retail.
So the Switch price includes a 7 dollar convenience fee for portability. Or... wait for the inevitable sale.
Grabbed this yesterday. It's fun but framerate suffers when there's a zillion things going on on-screen at once (there are often a zillion things going on on-screen at once), at least in handheld mode (haven't played docked yet). It's fun, but only time will tell if it was worth the $20. I still play the first one on my XBox!
Picked this up today having not played pacman in thirty years, highly recommend it, great score chaser and looks great too
@zuul I just read a review on another site that mentions the frame rate drops in handheld mode. I am glad I read that before I bought it. If they release an update to fix the frame rate drop, I will happily buy this, but not until then.
@Superweird. I'd love an endless mode as well. I just want to see how far I can go for on a set amount of lives. Can't be hard to include but Champion Edition 1 and the DX version didn't implement this much to my disappointment.
@RusevDay PacMan 256. I freaking love that game. Spent real money on it for iOS and bought it for Xbox One. And would absolutely buy it for Switch, where it’s meant to be all along.
@BenAV so, you have like all of them? Can’t be too particular, I guess!
Nice. I was going to get this regardless. Never can get enough Pac.
@zuul Most of the good ones. Still a few I want though. So many good games on the Switch already.
@cyrus_zuo What don't you like about Mantis Burn Racing? I've put 35 hours into that, great game. It can be quite slow going at start, just need to work on upgrading.
The Switch version runs poorly in hectic situations (which happens often). Did the reviewer even play this port? I'm guessing not, as the performance struggles on both handheld and docked are obvious and noteworthy.
@OorWullie I don't like the controls or the often repeated tracks. The battle mode brought some life to it, but it feels really flat. The menus lack character, the game feels lifeless.
It's ok multiplayer, but there are a number of better options.
Different people will have different thoughts, but the metacritic review score is close to my thoughts. It's a very mediocre game.
Two player is an absolute blast.
I thought this was Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+. Went straight to the eshop to buy it ... and found out it was this.
This game is not worth a 9/10, and I'm not a review score quibbler. It's a poor game in comparison to DX+.
Love this game. Especially the co-up mode, that is essentially half of the game.
The co-up mode is more fun than the single player mode, even if you have to play it solo with the AI. It's that great, and I understand why it got such a high review score!
This co-up mode makes all the difference compared to other versions of this game on other platforms. Regardless of any performance issues, it's really worth it!
@Ogbert Couldn't agree with you more; the original CE is a classic.
Namco's sound team really made themselves when creating EDM OSTs (Tekken, Ridge Racer, now THIS).
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