Review Preview

Hey, vizzed members! Welcome to my review of Pac-Attack for the Game Boy, released in 1994 by Namco. Fun fact: I already reviewed Pac-Panic for the Game Boy. It’s the same thing but now I get to do a better job reviewing the other version. Now let’s get to the good stuff: the many categories. For those of you that haven't read a game review before, no this is not like Jeopardy. In game reviews, categories are just different aspects of the game I get to review XD

GRAPHICS

10/10

I’m not taking points off for the game being in black and white. That would be unfair because all Game Boy games are like that. I rated this a 10 because this game doesn’t need a lot going on for it to be good. The fonts are highly readable and the brick pattern in the background makes the game look less ordinary than it could. The logo on the title screen has the nice touch of Pac-Man for the C’s, which most Pac-Man games should have.

I like the simplicity of the graphics of the area where the actual gameplay occurs. It’s just the brick pattern, the blocks, and the ghosts.

ANIMATIONS

7/10

I rated this a 7 because the transitions aren’t smooth at all. In fact, they’re nonexistent. The screen just switches to the next, no fade-outs, fade-ins, spins, or anything cool. However, everything else is great and can be funny to watch! I like the blinking hand that points to the mode you want to choose. That isn’t there on the title screen, but it is in Normal Mode and Puzzle Mode.

Watching the ghosts’ eyes dart constantly is the definition of entertainment! Sometimes, it actually distracts me from the task I’m supposed to be completing. It gets better with the ghosts. They also spin, and open their mouths. I don’t know if it’s supposed to be yawning but it reminds me of it.

Another entertaining animation is watching Pac-Man gobble up the ghosts. Their eyes run away and then Pac-Man disappears in a not-so-ordinary way.

SOUND EFFECTS

10/10

I rated this a 10 because there isn’t a single sound effect I don’t like! The sound effects are just as, if not more, catchy than the music. My favorite sound is when Pac-Man eats a row of ghosts in one chomping session. I also like the high-pitch sound when you rotate the blocks you’re about to put down.

MUSIC

10/10

I rated this a 10 because I boogie all night long to the great songs in this game! Don’t laugh, of course I don’t. But I could listen to the title screen theme for quite a while. It’s catchy and gives a great first impression on the game’s quality and excitement. The difficulty select screen in normal mode, also the “welcome screen” in puzzle mode, makes me not feel bad about taking my time.

The theme that plays during gameplay in normal mode is simple and good. The gameplay would be boring if the music was calmer than this, or slower. The theme in puzzle mode is also very nice because it’s fitting for a mode that has limited turns.

Finally, the song that plays when you complete a level in puzzle mode makes me want to dance and dab like crazy because I feel pumped up and victorious. Yes, I mentioned dabbing in a game review. Don’t judge me or I’ll smack dab you! Yes, I made a pun too.

ADDICTIVENESS

6/10

This isn’t near as addicting as Pac-Panic for the Game Boy!

Ahem. I rated this a 6 because I actually don’t find this very addicting if I play every mode at once. However, if I only play it for a short time, I’m more likely to come back to it sooner. I’m not into puzzle games that much, so this isn’t something I would play every day. I just play this somewhat often because I like its uniqueness and I’m good at it

STORY

N0nexistent/10

Were you expecting a story? Aww, I’m sorry. You see, this is a classic Pac-Man game so it doesn’t have a story. That’s how it works! NEXTTTTTTT!

DEPTH

7/10

I rated this a 7 just because maybe there could be more added to this game. If you choose to play every mode, you would likely be here for a while. You might even need some snacks. I doubt you have any Pac-snacks, but if those exist, grab some of those.

In normal mode, there are 4 of what I’ll call sub-modes, which I’ll talk about in the difficulty section. Then there’s puzzle mode. I like trying each mode when I’m in the mood to play this game for a long time. If not, I’ll just try easy mode and maybe normal mode.

DIFFICULTY

10/10

I rated this a 10 not because it’s brutally difficult. But I did because normal mode has 4 difficulty modes: easy, normal (yes, normal mode in normal mode. WUT?), hard, and hyper. Hyper sounds fun, doesn’t it? Well, try it. Unless you’re experienced, you’ll probably regret your choice. Your friends will laugh at you, until they try it themselves and then you laugh at them.

Also, puzzle mode is, in my opinion, more friendly to new players. In normal mode, your task is to prevent the blocks and ghosts from reaching the top of the screen, like Tetris. In puzzle mode, your task is to find successful strategies to get rid of all the ghosts on the screen in a set amount of turns. It sounds simpler and it certainly is. It’s more fun too!

OVERALL (not counting story)

8.6/10

Pac-Attack is fun to play regardless of whether or not you’re interested in puzzle games! If you like Pac-Man, this is something different to try. You can still chomp ghosts so you aren’t missing out on that part by playing this instead of the original Pac-Man. I recommend this game if you want a game that you can play for a half hour or more without running out of new things to do.

Thank you for reading this review and have a great day!