Pac-Pix (Nintendo DS) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

Like many of the arcade classics Pac-Man has had something of a second coming recently, mostly fuelled by the current swing towards all things retro. ZOO Digital in particular have released a handful of games featuring the entire 'Pac' family and will continue to do so with a number of sequels this year. Updating these classics is tricky business though. Give them a full make over and gamers want the original and untouched classic. On the other hand retaining the original look is often seen as publishers milking a well-worn genre. With this in mind the new DS system presented a new challenge and whilst the ethos of Pac-Man has been retained in Pac-Pix there's certainly enough new here to ward off the retro critics. The question is 'can what started off as an E3 product demo really make a full rounded and, more importantly, an enjoyable game?'

Gameplay

As far as similarities to the original Pac-Man go you have two things: the ghosts and the Pac-Man but here the latter has to be created by you. The object of each level is to clear the area of ghosts which generally come in two waves with a counter on the top levels to indicate how many you've yet to clear. In addition to this you have a countdown timer and a counter of how many Pacs you have left, as they do tend to roam off the screen. Strategy wise it's important to remember that the larger your Pac-Man is the slower he moves although clearly he can also munch many more items at once. Changing direction is as simple as drawing a line and you?ll find that drawing other items such as arrows and bombs will be useful as the game progresses.

If all this isn't enough you have to contend with an ever-increasing number of other problems too. These begin with the odd moving wall, or pressure pad activated obstruction, which makes shooting your arrow into floating ghosts a lot more challenging. Other hitches in completing the level include armored ghosts and others that must be devoured in the correct order. The book has 12 chapters and each of these has five of six levels but sadly there is no multiplayer option included. There are some wonderful ends of level bosses though, which are incredibly well designed and occasionally difficult to take down, but as with the overall game design you always feel they can be defeated, it's just a case of when.

Controls

Entirely touch screen controlled so get down to the 'Dual Screen Use' section.

Graphics

Whilst the backgrounds and animations are fairly simple there's a certain charm to their 'water color on parchment' appearance. You though generate the most important visuals here, but before you shout 'I can't draw', just hang on to your stylus for one second and listen. You see there are really only a handful of shapes you have to master and these are incredibly simple. You'll know when you get them just right too as they'll generally bounce or hiss into action. There's even a series of classes available if you really need a hand. Budding artists will also discover a blank canvas available, which allows you to scribble to your heart?s content and who knows you may just uncover some hidden animation talent.

Sound

The soundtrack is every inch an arcade classic and does a wonderful job of enhancing the on screen action. Elsewhere the sound effects do a fine job of reminding you just which game you're playing. Waka-waca-waca, anyone?

Dual screen

While other games have dabbled with the touch screen Pac-Mix is simply unplayable without it. The top screen is used too though and you'll occasionally have to guide your Pac-Man up there to activate a pressure pad or collect a bonus item. What let's this drawing feature down is the lack of recognition by the DS's software, which means that you'll occasionally attempt to draw a bomb only for it to turn into a Pac-Mac or even draw a Pac-Man facing one way only to see it scurry off in another. These are only minor quibbles though for what's otherwise a unique and incredibly clever means of interaction.

Final comments

It's hard to know exactly who to recommend Pac-Pix to and while it's based on an arcade classic it just may end up being described as a genre definer itself in years to come. It's certainly Pac-Man at its core but its unique interface makes it far more accessible. What isn't under question is just how much fun it is even when you're attempting the same chapter for the ninth time because you can't draw an arrow under pressure. There's also a fair bit of gameplay for your money but there's no doubt that the absence of any multiplayer feature hurts the overall package. Overall Pac-Pix is as frustrating as it is entertaining but there's no denying it highlights just what the DS is capable of and for that reason alone it's definitely worth a look.

Pro: Unique Gameplay
Con: No Multiplayer
Final score: 8.1

Share on Twitter or Facebook

Comments