In recent years, different compilations of classic games from various companies have been coming out. Titles in which, through a menu, we could access different retro games. Pac-Man Museum+ is a more than compelling follow-up to the Pac-Man Museum released in 2014, with some additions that help differentiate it not only from its predecessor, but from the rest of these compilations. We play it on PC and Switch and we tell you everything in this review.
In fact, It is not the first time that a compilation of Pac-Man games has appeared in 2014, since Namco has been doing it for a long time for different consoles.. In Pac Man Museumwe had 9 different games, and 1 additional one that we had to buy. Pac-Man Museum+for its part, has 14 games in the franchise and, to be honest, we did not know that there were so many variants of this classic.
Visually, as soon as we open the game, we already find a huge change: instead of a simple selection menu, let’s see an arcadecolorful, where we will find the different machines that give us access to the different games.
Inside that place, we will be able to control a Pac Man humanoid in appearance (such as Pac-Land or Pac-In-Time), and not only approach the different machines to play, but we will be able to customize the entire arcade roommoving the machines around, changing the designs of the walls, the floor, and even buying different decorations to decorate the environment.
We are going to do all this with the coins that we earn as we play. Each game has different achievements to complete, missions, which will not only give us coins depending on the points we make, but will also allow us to unlock several of the games. For example: to play Pac-Man Arrangementwe are going to have to play twice Pac-Landor by playing twice at Pac Man it unlocks super pac man.
It is worth noting that, as soon as we start playing, the game will give us the sum of 500 coins enough so that we can test, taking into account that each game only subtracts 1 coin.
We just need to approach each machine so that a popup will tell us if the game is locked or not tell us how to unlock it if needed, and give us different data of the game in question. Once we are playing the different titles, when we feel like going back to the main room, it will add up the points, it will show us what achievements we unlock, and it will give us different gifts. These can be other arcade machines to add to our room, decorations and decorations, and music.
It would have been great if these rooms were accessible to our friends, who could visit our place and see how we personalize it. Even, that you can build cooperative games online from there (since cooperative games are all local). But not, all this possibility of creating our own arcade is for our eyes only. However, something interesting is that part of those gifts that we mentioned in the previous paragraph can be different characters from the game, such as ghosts, which once unlocked will appear hanging around the premises.
The titles that we will find in Pac-Man Museum+ are: Pac-Man, Super Pac-Man, Pac & Palm Pac-Land, Pac-Mania, Pac-Attack (the Super Nintendo version), Pac-Man Arrangement (the arcade version and the PSP version, without the option for two players), Pac-Man Championship Edition, Pac-Motos, Pac ‘n Roll Remix, Pac-Man Battle Royale and the most recent Pac-Man 256. All the games come with a guide to know how to play them, in case it is the first time that we enter any of them.
Beyond all the games that we are going to be able to enjoy in this compilation, there is a feeling of progression that is highly valued and it is the one that has to do with the coins. It is very difficult for us not to receive a coin every time we play and replay any of the available titles, and taking into account that, as we said, we start with 500, not only is it very difficult to run out of coins, but we are going to be able to spend lot of input to be able to personalize our room.
The equation is simple: the more we play, the more coins we receive, the more achievements we unlock, the more we can spend. Although all this has no practical purpose, at least it is not a simple menu with which we can barely interact.
In any case, it is not the absolute compilation of games of Pac Man. It is inevitable to think, for example, of Ms. Pac-Man or the more than frustrating Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures. The Ms. Pac-Man thing is understandable because, apparently, Bandai Namco does not have the license. But everything can happen in new updates or perhaps in DLCs that are released. What is certain is that Pac-Man Museum+ It’s a great title for fans of the franchise, for those who love nostalgia and retro, and even for those who don’t know much about the character and want to immerse themselves fully in their own universe.
RELEASE DATE | May 26, 2022 |
DEVELOPER | NOW PRODUCTION |
DISTRIBUTOR | Bandai NamcoEntertainment |
PLATAFORMS | PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch |