Ms. Pacman: Maze Madness (Game Boy Advance) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

It does appear that the one thing you can do with a classic video game character is expand the franchise until you have milked it dry (well, almost dry anyway). The classic Space Invaders has been resurrected on countless occasions as have Defender and Tank Command but with Pac-Man it's a family thing. Not content with redesigning the original character, Namco have seen fit to extend the family tree to include the original Pac-Man, Pac-Man Jr., the All Stars and here Ms. Pacman. There's even a Pinball game and a DS outing in the works so it's fair to say that the next couple of months could be the busiest yet for the pellet munching characters. Hopefully Maze Madness will offer something new but with the classic still loved by millions of gamers worldwide, is it really wise to tamper with a winning formula?

Gameplay

One thing all the various Pac-Man spin offs have had in common is the fact that, regardless of what other objectives the game presents, you still have to eat pills and chase ghosts and Maze Madness is no exception. Where this one differs is that it now takes place over 100 mazes through four differently themed worlds. The mazes in question now also have puzzle elements, such as pushing timed 'TNT' blocks into others to create a clearing or utilizing a springboard to jump an opening. Others involve simply pushing blocks out of the way and even if you happen to push these in the wrong direction there's always the ability to simply 'reset' the puzzle. It's not all about getting from 'A' to 'B' either as each level has a set of objectives, such as collecting a given number of fruit or all of the dots, but it's not essential to complete these to move on. If you do, you'll be rewarded with a gold star; collect 32 and you'll get an invitation to battle it out with the game's overall boss. Multiplayer fans aren't overlooked either and Maze Madness includes three modes (Collect the Dots, Tag, and Bomb Tag) although you'll both require a copy of the game to enjoy them. Finally everything is saved automatically to a battery back-up, which is essential for attempting to beat your high scores.

Controls

Couldn't be simpler really with the classic Pac-Man grid keeping you on track throughout the different courses. If that isn't enough then bumping into one of the many Professor Pacs dotted around (well a hologram of him anyway) will give you all the help and guidance you need.

Graphics

The first thing you'll notice here is the change in perspective with the 'top-down' visuals replaced by a more adventure friendly isometric view. These remain pretty basic throughout despite being arguably a huge leap forward from the original's visual style. For the animation the developers have chosen to go back to sprite based characters, replacing the now favored 3D generated ones, but outside of the leading lady these are far from pleasing and appear more like rushed Shockwave characters rather than, what was clearly intended, fluid animated foes.

Sound

Unusually for a GBA title I actually had to fiddle with the volume control during the game's 'cut-screen' intro. Why? Well, because there's no music to accompany it. This is a strange decision indeed and the reasoning for it is anyone's guess but it does appear to be a development oversight. When the music does actually kick in it's probably best described as a 70s TV series mixed with a fairground, which is likely to annoy and delight in equal measures. There are few sound effects to report, although the famous 'waka-waka-waka' does follow the yellow star of the game as she munches though the levels.

Final comments

While this game is enjoyable enough it's not nearly as satisfying as Pac-Man World, which we reviewed only weeks ago although it is probably a great deal closer to the original's design. The main problem with it is that it's just too easy, with none of the puzzle elements requiring much thought. It's also a little on the short side meaning even the casual gamer will complete it is around five hours. It is saved to some extent by the Multiplayer Modes but unless you're completely obsessed with all things Pac-Man then this is definitely a try before you buy title.

Pro: Easy To Master.
Con: A Little Too Short.
Final score: 5.9

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