Review: Pac-Man 256

One of the legendary bugs in the history of video games is the entire 256 level in the classic version of Pac-Man . Due to technical limitations, he became the reason for the impossibility to go through the game to the end. The entire right side of the location at this level was similar to the porridge of multi-colored symbols, and therefore it was impossible to understand what it was necessary to do there. Pakman recently celebrated his 35th birthday, but people still remember about this bug and even make it the basis for new games. As, for example, it happened with Pac-Man 256 from the studio of Crossy Road created by Hipster Whale .In general, it's amazing how the games about Pacman still have not lost their charm and relevance. While SEGA struggles to return the former greatness of Sonic, literally driving the brand into the grave, the yellow pointer of white points remains unchanged. Although creating platformers is much more difficult than similar arcades, but the authors of Pac-Man 256 managed to add a lot of innovations, without introducing any drastic changes in the gameplay.

Moving away from the usual division into levels, the authors offered the audience an endless labyrinth with the same rules. In front of the player there is a huge field on which white dots are scattered, and also colorful ghosts are scurrying back and forth. Points to eat, and ghosts - to bypass, while trying to earn as much points as possible and not perishing. Sometimes on the way of the hero there are big points - they allow for a while to become especially strong and eat up enemies alive, but the effect lasts only a few seconds. In general, this is the classic Pac-Man , but without limitations.

By earning enough points, the user unlocks special features. Bombs, temporary slowing of ghosts, stealth - you can choose only three abilities before the start, and they are activated only when they are eaten on the field. That is, to freeze enemies at any time will not succeed - you need to find the appropriate icon in the labyrinth. Note that the start of the passage with the improvements is not free - you will have to spend one of six granted loans, which are being restored with time. They are used to resurrect Pakman, which is allowed only once in one passage. If the improvements are not needed, the player will not remember the existence of credits.

In addition to the points, we collect gold coins, which are extremely small in the labyrinth. Much more you can get for viewing ads (videos for a few seconds), as well as for performing simple tasks. For example, the game can ask to collect four strawberries - as there are a lot of berries in the location, the quest ends in minutes. The gift will be given a box with a random reward - a couple of dozen coins or a bundle of credits, if some of them have already been used. The latter are restored with time, so it makes sense to leave the chest open for later, so as not to get them instead of precious gold.


And from it there really is a benefit, because with his help the skills of the hero are "pumped". Frost lasts longer, allowing you to stop ghosts for a longer period. Stealth also improves - you can run past unsuspecting opponents for a few more seconds. The only drawback is that when you "pumped" the skill, it becomes temporarily unavailable. And if you only expect a few minutes at first, then at later stages the timer shows an hour, or even more. 




So why is the number 256 rendered in the name of the game? It's simple - since Pac-Man 256is an endless maze, the player must somehow be punished for excessive slowness and lack of progress. Here, the lower part of the location gradually turns into the same hodge-podge of multi-colored symbols, a long finding in which leads to the death of the character.

Because, on the one hand, the player tries to hurry and not be distracted by all the points / berries / improvements, and on the other - seeks to score as much as possible combo. Although the dots are in most cases side by side, there is sometimes an empty space between them, knocking down the resulting combo, but do not forget about flying ghosts everywhere. And it is often necessary to decide in a split second what is more important in a particular case: to risk and turn aside, which can lead to equal success and death, or go ahead. The second is more often the right decision.

The only notable drawback is that the game drains the battery of a smartphone or tablet very quickly. This is due to the playback at 60 frames per second, which can be disabled in the settings, but in this case, the smoothness of movement will be lost. In general, it is convenient for anyone - to try both options, if the issue of charging you strongly worried.

It's hard to believe, but the formula of thirty years ago (albeit with new features) works fine to this day. Not really changing the basis, the developers of Pac-Man 256 managed to create almost the ideal modern "Pacman", with respect to the classic. And microtransactions here are so hidden that you can not even recognize the possibility of buying endless credits and doubling coins. So the game is one of the free applications required for download. 

Rate:8 /10 

Cheers :)