Pac-Man Party (パックマンパーティ Pakkuman Pāti) is a party video game for the Wii, developed by TOSE and published by Namco Bandai Games in 2010, created in commendation of Pac-Man's 30th anniversary. It is one of the first games to feature the temporary redesigns of the main Pac-Man cast.
Pac-Man checks his mail and receives a letter from Mr. Cookie, the manager of the Pac-Dot Cookie Company. Mr. Cookie writes to Pac-Man that a thief is on his way to steal the recipe for the most delicious Power Cookies, including the recipe in the letter. Before Pac-Man can read the full letter, Blinky rams into Pac-Man and steals the recipe letter. Pac-Man demands Blinky to give it back, though Blinky refuses and challenges him into a "cookie game". Pac-Man accepts the challenge and heads to Greenwood Grove to challenge Blinky.
If Pac-Man wins, he demands the recipe back from Blinky. Blinky says he was holding back and is backed up by Pinky and Inky, though Inky felt like Blinky was giving it his all. Blinky instead throws the recipe to Clyde, who then flees to Mirage Oasis. If Blinky wins, the ghosts cheer Blinky for beating Pac-Man, though he gives another chance for Pac-Man to beat him since it was the first game. The ghosts tell Pac-Man to follow them to Mirage Oasis.
While chasing Clyde and the other ghosts to Mirage Oasis, Pac-Man stumbles into Patra, the queen of the temple in Mirage Oasis, who is running from her people because of her queen status. Clyde continues running past Mirage Oasis despite not knowing he dropped the recipe, which is them recovered by Blinky, Pinky and Inky. Pac-Man challenges the Blinky and Pinky to another "cookie game", this time brining Patra alongside them in the game after being mocked by Pinky. If Pac-Man or Patra win the game, Patra forgives Pinky for her temper and becomes friends with her. Pac-Man then demands the ghosts to give back the recipe, but Blinky declares this game is a "best out of five" and they flee to Spooky Hallow, their homeland.
Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde unite again at Spooky Hallow, where Pac-Man challenges Blinky, Inky and Clyde to another cookie game, despite Inky getting scared when Clyde mentions spiders around the area. If Pac-Man wins, Inky becomes ashamed of himself as he was trying to impress Clyde, though Clyde comforts him for trying. If Pac-Man loses, the ghosts gloat over their victory, but Inky freaks out when he sees a spider and flees, with the other ghosts following pursuit. Pac-Man demands Blinky for the recipe once again, but is denied again and tells him to go to Crystal Cliffs.
At Crystal Cliffs, the ghosts gather around, but are then ambushed by the area's local yeti, Woofa. Blinky and Inky flee the scene, while Pinky and Clyde end up trapped with Woofa. Pac-Man hears Pinky's screaming, and rushes to stop her from Woofa; only to realize the two ghosts were playing around with him since he is lonely. Pac-Man decides to bring Woofa into their next cookie game to play around with him. After the game, Pinky says the game was fun, and is soon joined back by Blinky and Inky. Inky tells the gang that he used kung-fu to defend themselves, but Woofa appears in the scene and scares Blinky and Inky away once again. Pinky tells Pac-Man to follow her to Celebration Ave., where he will supposedly find the recipe. Woofa and Clyde are initially tearful on parting ways, but remain committed to their friendship.
At Celebration Ave., Pac-Man groups up with Blinky, Inky and Clyde again. While Blinky is about to start the last cookie game, Pac-Man and Clyde are distracted by the large cakes and foods in the area. A robot named Roger shows up to prevent cake eating, declaring that the large cake is for "someone special" and Clyde is "not special". Clyde becomes sad after he can't eat the cake, though Roger doesn't understand emotions. Pac-Man decides to bring Roger in for their last cookie game to show him emotions.
After the last cookie game, Pac-Man fully demands the return of the recipe from Blinky. Blinky tells Pac-Man is too late, but Clyde reveals that Mr. Cookie had been present during the scene, telling him Blinky lost his bet. Mr. Cookie tells Pac-Man that he and Blinky have been close friends for 30 years, surprising Pac-Man. Confused about the situation, the ghosts tell him it was a test where he never gave up. Mr. Cookie and Blinky revealed to Pac-Man that the secret recipe letter is empty, telling him that the real secret to what made Power Cookies so good were the ones that are collected for themselves, and for ones shared to others. Mr. Cookie tells Pac-Man that he reminds him of how he used to chase ghosts often, but can't eat as much anymore due to his age. He tells him that the world needs Pac-Man as a sign of inspiration to play, dream, and have fun. Mr. Cookie and the Ghosts then reveal that the real reason they dragged him along the land to Celebration Ave. was to celebrate his 30th birthday, to which Pac-Man had completely forgotten. Pac-Man then directly thanks the player for supporting his adventures for 30 years, and encourages the player to never stop playing. Pac-Man, Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde, Patra, Woofa and Roger are then seen having a feast to celebrate Pac-Man's birthday in a group photo.
Gameplay[]
Gameplay screenshot of Greenwood Grove, the game's first board.
Pac-Man Party is a party game that involves players travelling across boards while collecting Cookies. The game allows play for two to four players can play, though there are options that allow the player to fill in empty spaces with CPU players, or play without using all player slots.
The main goal in Pac-Man Party is to collect as many cookies as possible in order to complete the required amount of cookies needed. Players can earn cookies by travelling spaces, winning mini-games, landing on their castles or special spaces. Larger numbers of cookies needed to win will extend the game length. There are eight different playable characters, though all of them play identically. Player's rank standings are determined based on the amount of cookies they are holding.
All players start the game with 1,000 cookies on the Cookie Factory space of each board. Each player's amount of moves is decided based on a random turn-deciding minigame presented:
The players throw darts to mark a popped balloon with a turn number.
The players drop a ball in a plinko machine, where it falls into one of the marked turn number slots.
The players throw darts on a spinning wheel.
The players stop a spinning slot machine wheel.
By acquiring or hitting the marked number in the mini-games, the player will proceed with the amount of spaces marked by their number which can range from 1 to 8. Each of these turn-deciding mini-games have a 5 second time limit; if no number is selected, the game will automatically decide the number for the player. All players decide their moves and move spaces simultaneously, though the camera will always follow the player that acquires the largest number.
For each space passed by, the player will earn 10 cookies. Each board is compromised of a loop that will bring them back to Mr. Cookie's Cookie Factory (the starting point). Mr. Cookie will give the passing player a large number of Cookies; a set of 500 cookies for passing by the space, and a batch of cookies depending on the amount of Castles the passing player owns (the player will earn 200 cookies multiplied by the number of castles owned by the player). If the player's move number lands exactly on the Cookie Factory space, they will get an additional bonus batch of cookies. The amount of bonus cookies the player receives for visiting the Cookie Factory space will increase for every time they visit the space.
By landing on an unclaimed castle space or an empty space, the player will build/reconstruct a castle and claim that castle's ownership. Castles allow the player that owns the castle to have their amount of Cookies earned from Mr. Cookie's Cookie Factory multiplied when they reach the Cookie Factory (starting point). If the player lands on one of their castles in future turns, they will earn a cookie bonus from the space (they will earn 100 cookies multiplied by the castle's level number). Castles can be upgraded into larger sizes and higher levels by merging their newly claimed castle on a spot next or in-between their owned castles. Larger castles will also result in more bonuses if the owner lands on said castle (ex. if the castle is Level 2, they will earn 200 cookies for landing on their castle space). Castles can be upgraded to a maximum of five levels; as there is a maximum five free castle spaces or free spaces in each board before a special space. Once leveled up, they cannot be split. If multiple players land on the same unclaimed castle or empty space, those players are prompted to select randomized gifts, with one of them containing a special medal giving them the right to claim the castle.
The battle mini-game "Pizza Party" in progress. Players play mini-games to steal castles or earn extra Power Cookies.
If a player lands on a castle space that is owned by another player, a battle mini-game will initiate, with all players participating. A series of up to four mini-games can occur if multiple players land on different opponent castles simultaneously. In a battle mini-game, all players participate in one of the randomly decided battle mini-games where the player that lands on the opponent's castle (attacking player) gets a chance to steal the opponent's castle (defending player). Non-defending or attacking players can earn Power Cookies if they reach higher rank standings. The mini-games presented vary between control schemes, which are instructed on an information screen before each one starts. Power Cookies can be used to give the user a boost in the mini-game, making it easier for the user; the effects of the Power Cookies will vary depending on the mini-game being played. If the attacking player ranks higher than the defending player in the mini-game, the attacking player will take over ownership of the defending player's castle. If the attacking player ranks lower than the defending player, they will lose cookies to the defender, with the amount depending on the castle's level (the attacking player will lose 100 cookies multiplied by the castle's level number).
Certain events will occur when players pass by spaces specific to the board. Each board features three kinds of event spaces with randomly decided events that will affect the player: Millionaire's Manor (Gold Mansion) spaces give the player events that will usually benefit the player, such as giving the player extra cookies, Power Cookies or castles, or allowing the player to steal cookies or castles instantly from other players; Mysterious Tarot Tent (Fortune Tent) spaces usually cause a negative impact to the player, such as losing cookies, Power Cookies or castles to either the tent or to other players, though there are events that will allow the player to steal castles instantly from other players or earn Power Cookies; and Dr. Labo (Labratory Building) spaces cause events in which usually causes the player(s) to move to different spaces or earn a Power Cookie.
As the players reach half past the amount of cookies required to win, the player in last place will obtain Hover Boots; Hover Boots will allow the player using the boots to manually select the amount of spaces they wish to move from 1 to 8, instead of a turn-deciding mini-game. The Hover Boots will pass on to the player ranked above the user when it is used. There are also specific board spaces in select boards that act as shortcuts to other parts of the board.
Across the board, there is one special space unique to each board (marked by an exclamation mark (!) on the map). Upon passing, the space at first will not do anything that alters the game, however the space will gradually change as the players interact with it. If the space is visited several times, the space will summon the board's respective boss character to the board. When the boss appears, several board spaces are buried and/or submerged into the ground or water/lava and cannot be reached by any player (they will simply pass through the spaces without any moves deducting), preventing castles from being claimed or visited in the areas for the rest of the game. After three turns finish, the boss character will reach the special space, and a boss mini-game will initiate when a player reaches the special space. In the boss mini-games, all players fight the boss co-operatively, but have individual scores. After the boss, the players get cookies comparable to their score against the boss, with a minimum of 1,000 extra cookies and an extra Power Cookie if any player does not interact in this mini-game.
The game ends when a player who surpasses the set amount of cookies needed to win makes it back to the Cookie Factory space, where said player is declared the winner. If multiple players reach the Cookie Factory with the surpassed amount of cookies, they will also be declared winners.
Characters[]
Pac-Man Party features eight different playable characters. All players play identically. While Pac-Man and the Ghosts return each as playable characters, the game also introduces three new characters.
Pac-Man Party features 5 different boards. Each board is compromised of a circular loop, though the size and placements of spaces will vary based on the board.
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A battle mini-game initiates when a player lands on a castle space that doesn't belong to the player. One of the following mini-games to play will be decided randomly.
Title
Gameplay
Spaghetti Roll-Up
The goal of this mini-game is to get the largest roll of spaghetti. To twirl their fork, players must use the Wii Remote. If the player uses a Power Cookie in this mini-game, the player twirls faster to get a larger piece. Whoever gets the largest roll of spaghetti wins.
Master Angler
A minigame in which players must catch a fish as possible using a Wii Remote (by swinging), but one chance is given. If a player uses a Power Cookie in this mini-game, they will get a bite much sooner, although it doesn't stop them from getting garbage if they pull too early.
Bottle Rocket Blast-off
The goal of this mini-game is to fly as far as possible. To shake their bottle, the players must shake the Wii Remote. Using a Power Cookie expands their bottle, allowing them to fly further. The players take off into the air after 10 seconds. If there are CPUs on the board, one of them will remain on the board regardless of whether they shoke their bottle or not. If none of the players shake their bottles.
The game ends in a tie (if all the players do so). One of the players remains on the board, while the other three fly away. Two other players leave, and the last player standing strikes a victory pose in the air. Following that, the game calculates the distance they flew.
Incoming Fruit!
A boat fires fruits at the players, and they must chop the fruits so that they can go into the bowl. Aside from fruits, there are car parts, and attempting to chop a car part results in a loss of points. If you use a Power Cookie, you get triple points for every fruit you chop and no punishment for chopping garbage.
Gummy Catapults
All players must shoot gummies (as a topping) on a 3-layer cake for about 30 seconds, from bottom to top, they increase more points. When you use a Power Cookie, you'll launch three gummies at a time and the meter stays fully charged.
Jiggling Gelatin
The players are bouncing around on top of green gelatin, attempting to knock each other over. The last person standing wins. When you use a Power Cookie, you'll grow in size, the knock-back rate on another opponent increases and the knock-back rate on you is reduced.
Pac-Man Hustle
To dance and earn points, the player(s) must swing the Wii Remote in accordance with the onscreen instructions, when using a Power Cookie you'll earn much more points than usual.
Pizza Party
Players twirl their their Wii Remote to create pizzas and cook them, each pizza giving one point. The player with the most cooked pizza wins. Using a power cookie will increase the forming speed of the pizzas and double the point value to two points per pizza for a short period of time.
Holiday Hustle
The players run on their treadmills until they reach the star, and the player with the most points wins the minigame. When a Power Cookie is used, you'll run even faster than normal and more lights are lit up faster.
Pac-Pool
Players stand on an 8-ball table and must catch as many fruits as they can before the 30-seconds timer runs out. When you use a Power Cookie, you'll grow bigger increase rivals knock-back rate and won't fall into the pockets.
Pooka Pop
The goal of this mini-game is to get as many points as possible while avoiding popping the Pooka in the middle. Each player receives three pumps per turn. If the player wishes to proceed, they can do so by pressing the A button. When the Pooka is on the verge of exploding, all of the players become concerned and terrified. The player who pops the Pooka is eliminated from the mini-game. The most recent player to pump Pooka will place first. Using a Power Cookie allows the player to gain more points for pumping up the Pooka in the center disallowing it to pop, but it grows slightly larger.
Bumpin' Trapeze
The goal of this minigame is to knock all of the players off the platform while avoiding being knocked off yourself. Be cautious, because bombs will begin to fall from nowhere, causing the platform to shorten. When a Power Cookie is used, you'll grow larger and have increased Knock-back rate.
Haunted Pumpkins
The players must shoot all the pumpkins, the one who shoot the most pumpkins is the winner. When a Power Cookie is used, you'll have double crosshairs.
Sky Climbers
The players must reach to the top by jumping on the clouds and must not fall down. Who ever is the player standing, wins. When you use a Power Cookie, you'll have the ability to Moon jump (Infinite Jumps).
Danger Dish
Players transform into balls and must push each other off the "slippery plate" in order to be the last one standing. If you grab fruit you'll grow bigger and instantly knock your rivals off. If a Power Cookie is used, you'll grow even bigger than when grabbing fruit in addition to having significantly increased knockback.
Icy Islands
Players must jump from island to island until they cross the finish line or be the last player standing. If a player uses their Power Cookie, the islands will expand for that player. If any players fall behind or fall into the water, they will be disqualified for the remainder of the mini-game.
Tea Party (Pac-Man Tea Party)
The player must shoot the opponents tea-cup boats, shooting them will destroy their boats, the last one standing wins. If a Power Cookie is used, the player will be invincible for 10 seconds.
Dangerous Diamond
The player must catch the thrown cookies before they hit on the ground, the one who has the most cookies wins. Power Cookies enable players to become larger and dash faster.
Cannon Jump
The players are at the base of a castle and must use cannons to reach the top; however, there are gold cannons that can launch the player anywhere. The first person to reach the top wins. When you use a Power Cookie in this Minigame, You'll be taken straight to the top regardless of what cannon you use.
Snowball Sumo
Players roll around on top of an icicle gathering snow while they stop their opponents from getting bigger. The player who has the most snow wins. A Power Cookie allows players to gather more snow.
Pac-Volley
The goal of this mini-game is to earn the most points by serving back the cookies that the cookie machine dispenses. Each successful hit with a Power Cookie earns you five points. There is a time limit of 60 seconds and at the end, whoever has the most point wins.
Chick Magnet
The player must catch and place baby chicks in their pen while avoiding the mother chicken. Golden chicks give more points. When a Power Cookie is used, the player can flatten their opponents and won't be stunned by the mother chicken when they touch her.
Food Shuffle
Plates containing food and bombs drop onto a table. The players must eat the food while avoiding the bombs. When a Power Cookie is used, the player eats the food faster and does not get stunned by bombs.
Frantic France
The goal of this minigame is to be the last person standing on the gears. Players must jump by pressing the A button and shaking the Wii Remote to stay in the air for a longer period of time. Using a Power Cookie allows the player to stay in the air for an extended period of time. The hammer's job is to swing the gears into the furnace in order to cause the players to lose. The gears will change colors over time, and the hammer may play tricks on the players (the hammer is about to hit the gear the players are on and goes backwards, then hits the gear the players are standing on successfully.
Pop 'N Balloons
Players start with 30 balloons each and must pop their opponents' balloons without popping their own. The player who isn't eliminated wins. When a Power Cookie is used, the player gets a double crosshair and shoots faster.
Crazy Conveyor
Players must jump over stacks of garbage while on a conveyor belt, which gradually increases in speed as time goes on and there being higher stacks of garbage that the player must jump over. If a player gets thrown into the trash compactor, they are out. If a player uses a Power Cookie, they will repel the garbage.
Pac-Logger
The players must jump on logs that float down the river. If they fall in they are out. A Power Cookie gives the player a floatier jump.
Hot Foot Hop
Players jump over a flame jet, with them earning 1 point for every successful jump. The player who has the most points wins. Upon using a Power Cookie, the player's character will receive a jetpack that allows them to float over the jets, earning them five points in the process.
Rolling Blocks
Blocks are thrown at the players, and they must move to avoid them. If a player is crushed, he or she is eliminated from the game. The last person standing wins. Players will become unsquishable for a limited time after using a Power Cookie.
Paint Rolling Rivals
Players battle to cover the most canvas with their paint. Players can roll over others' paint to cover it with their own. Power cookies make the user's roller huge for a short period of time.
Wobbly Ice Cream
The goal of this mini-game is to collect as many scoops as possible or to reach the flag. Each player has an ice cream cone to catch falling scoops. The ice cream stands up straight thanks to the Power Cookies. The player with the most scoops or the first to reach the flag wins. There is a time limit of 60 seconds.
Cookie Stamper
There is a slab of cookie dough and players must use cookie cutters to cut off as many cookies as they can. If there is no more room on the dough, a new one is rolled into place. When a player uses a Power Cookie, a giant cutout in that player's color will cut off most of the dough, giving them 6 points and a new piece of dough being rolled into place.
Chocolate Chompers
A hose is dropping chocolate balls and bombs at the players, who must collect the chocolate balls while avoiding the bombs. When a Power Cookie is used, the player gets a speed boost, double points for every chocolate ball, and immunity to bombs. The player who consumes the most chocolate balls is the winner.
Water Bike Wipeout
While riding water bikes, players speed around the corners of the course as they maintain their speed. If they speed excessively during a turn, they'll be knocked back. Players, however, must keep an eye out on their meter, as when their water bike runs out of gas, they can no longer gain speed. The player who reaches the goal first wins. When a Power Cookie is used, the player can speed up, turn corners safely, and use gas without consuming it.
Pole Position
Players race in half-pipes, picking up Pac-Dots to give their vehicle a boost. There are obstacles along the way that will slow the player down if they bump into them. To win, a player must be the first to cross the finish line. Power Cookies allow players to speed up and grant them invincibility.
Bumper Jumper
Inside a pachinko-like machine, players hit bumpers and pick up fruit for points. The player with the most points wins. Power Cookies double the points players get.
Candy Crash
There is a tray of sweets with a bomb at the top that players take turns on. With each sweet eaten, the player earns points depending on what they ate, but the structure itself becomes unsteady. The player who makes the bomb falls on the tray loses all their points. Power Cookies allow players to eat more sweets, but also increases the chance of the bomb falling on them.
The Great Soda Escape
Players race to be the first to reach the top of a glass filled with soda. There are bubbles that the players must avoid as they make their way to the top. The first one out wins. Power Cookies enlarge the player, making it easier to push the bubbles out of their way.
Food Javelin Cookout
Players throw javelin skewers through food to skewer it and land it on the grill. Each vegetable gives one point, while meat gives 3 points. Using power cookies give the user a triple skewer.
Doughnut Holes
Players shoot their characters at the flying dough balls to make holes in the doughnuts. Power cookies give the player faster reloading for a short period of time.
Pac-Golf
The players fly across a golf course in ball form. The players must reach the closest to the center in order to reach the hole, though the players can also bump the other players out of the way by colliding with them. Whoever is the closest to the hole or lands inside it wins the game. After landing, the players can briefly roll closer to the hole. Using a power cookie will call in birds to grab the user and drop the player closest to the hole.
Candy Bandits
The goal is to eat candies but avoid pumpkins. There is a day and night cycle where the candys and pumpkins change into one another. Using power cookies makes the user huge and allows them to grab and eat everything, including pumpkins for a short period of time.
Siege
Scopes are used by players to shoot at the castle's targets. The red targets are worth one point, while the blue targets are worth two. When a player uses a Power Cookie, their shooting scope expands and they fire missiles at the castle, destroying all targets and increasing their score significantly.
Crazy Curling
Players play 3 rounds of curling trying to score the most points of all players. In rounds two and three, the highest scoring players go first. The rings' scores are 5, 10, 20, and 30 respectively. If one waits too long to throw, a tip will be displayed and then a 10 second timer will appear, after which the player will lose their turn. Power cookies give the user a set of four pucks instead of one for that turn.
Sheep Shearing
Players shave the wool off sheep to earn points. For each piece of wool sheared off, they will give one point. Small sheep have two pieces of wool to shear off, while larger sheep have five pieces to shear off. Using a power cookie will give the player larger shears, allowing the player to shear off wool faster for a short period of time.
Oasis or Bust
Players shoot themselves around breaking blocks and grabbing fruit for points. Tornadoes temporarily stun the player. Power cookies make the user larger for a short period of time.
Cobra Charmer
Players input the indicated buttons or shake the Wii Remote to charm their cobra; making them emerge further from their pot and increasing their height. The first player to pass above the flag line wins. Using power cookies gives the player more height per action.
Game Modes[]
Pac-Man Party features a variety of different game modes. In the Story and Party Mode games, progress can be saved before deciding their moves, allowing the player to continue their game at a later time.
Story[]
The single player mode follows Pac-Man as he goes through all the boards of the game in progressive order, with an ongoing story connecting the board stories together. The player will still advance to the next stage even if they lost, though the story dialogue will alter depending if the player wins or loses the game. The first game starts out with Pac-Man going against only one CPU, though it will begin with three CPU players after the second board, Mirage Oasis. As the player progresses through the stages, the CPU players will increase in difficulty. The amount of cookies needed to win each game will vary depending on the board.
Party Mode[]
A regular game can be started in the Party Mode. In this mode, any of the five boards can be chosen. Rules such as the amount of CPU players and human players playing the game, CPU difficulty and cookies needed to win can be adjusted here. Larger cookie requirement settings extend the length of the game.
Mini Games[]
The player can play through any of the game's 52 different mini-games, both battle and boss mini-games. The player can choose a number of mini-games to play in order, adjust CPU difficulty and the amount of Power Cookies per player.
Awards[]
By reaching certain criteria in the games, the player will earn one of 50 awards that is displayed in the Awards mode (Collection Mode in Pac-Man Party 3D), displayed in an award collection. Earning all 50 rewards will unlock a video showcasing concept art for the game.
Classic Games[]
Classic Games contains three ports of Namco's previously released arcade games. The versions featured in the collection are similar to their Namco Museum Battle Collection versions, with the exception of changed border art. Each of the games have screen options, adjustable game settings and sound tests. Playing the classic games will also unlock certain awards.
In addition to the original Wii version, two unique ports of the game to other consoles were released, with various differences compared to the original.
Java (J2ME)[]
A unique version of Pac-Man Party for Java-supported mobile phones ("J2ME") was developed by Bandai Namco Networks. The J2ME game is based on the Wii game, though the visual style is changed to 2D sprite-based art; the music is also composed in MIDI formats.
This version features a maximum of three board players at once, compared to the original game's four players. It also omits the arcade versions of Pac-Man, Galaga and Dig Dug.
Nintendo 3DS (Pac-Man Party 3D)[]
A port of the game titled Pac-Man Party 3D was developed by Namco Tales Studio and released on November 18th, 2011. Like the previously-released Pac-Man and Galaga Dimensions, this game was only released via Game Card and did not see a Nintendo eShop release.
The game retains most of the contents from the original game, though some aspects are modified or removed entirely to fit within the limitations of the Nintendo 3DS:
Pac-Man Party 3D adds support for stereoscopic 3D visuals with Nintendo 3DS displays.
Mentions and elements of Pac-Man's 30th anniversary are removed from the game.
Multiplayer can be played by using the newly added Wireless Mode.
Players with respective copies of Pac-Man Party 3D can play Party Mode or Mini Game Mode.
An additional Download Play mode has been added for players that do not own Pac-Man Party 3D. Though the main Party Mode is unavailable in this mode, the player is able to select a theme of mini-games to play with other players.
All the characters notably lose their facial expressions in the Nintendo 3DS version.
Environments notably have less shading and castles despawn when they move farther away from the camera.
The music is now synthesized and notably changes the instrumentation of the songs. Some songs from the Wii game are omitted entirely.
The FMV cutscenes are fully removed. The boss introductory cutscenes are replaced by image slideshows.
The background environment loses altering features when the boss is introduced into the board.
The Mirage Oasis and Crystal Cliffs boards are omitted, cutting down the game's total boards from five to three.
Due to the removal of the respective boards, the boss mini-games for Arachne and Kraken are removed from the available mini-games.
Due to the removal of the Mirage Oasis and Crystal Cliffs boards, the cutscenes and dialogue in the Story Mode are altered to introduce Patra and Woofa in Spooky Hallow and Celebration Ave. respectively. The players present in Story are also changed.
The alteration of the cutscenes and story make Clyde the only character to not be a player character in Story.
Instead of the players being Pac-Man, Blinky, Inky and Clyde in Spooky Hallow, the players are now Pac-Man, Patra, Pinky and Inky.
Patra is now introduced in Spooky Hallow. When Pac-Man asks what she is doing out in Spooky Hallow, Patra mentions she is trying to avoid homework. The cutscene generally follows the format found in the Mirage Oasis introduction, though Clyde is present at the end of the game now. Woofa is now introduced at the ending transition to Celebration Ave., where Woofa is wandering at Spooky Hallow in search for food. Woofa sees Pac-Man pursuing the ghosts for the recipe; hearing that there's a "giant cookie" at Celebration Ave, Woofa decides to follow Pac-Man and co. to the place.
Instead of the players being Pac-Man, Blinky, Inky and Roger in Celebration Ave, the players are now Pac-Man, Woofa, Roger and Blinky.
Woofa is now the one that gets distracted by the giant cake instead of Clyde, and is scolded by Roger as the cake is "reserved for children's parties". Woofa had came to Celebration Ave. since the cold temperatures at Woofa's homeland prevent food from naturally producing. Roger eventually decides to settle his hunger with a cookie game, with Pac-Man and Blinky following suit. After the game, Inky drags Pac-Man and Blinky to Mr. Cookie, which Roger decides to stay with Woofa to satisfy his hunger.
The ending cutscene now follows Pac-Man being introduced to Mr. Cookie by the ghosts. Mr. Cookie is unfamiliar with the letter that Pac-Man was sent, but then realizes the truth about the letter. Mr. Cookie tells Pac-Man that the letter that he was given was actually an "invitation" for everyone to enjoy the world's tastiest cookie, and was also the reason he made the cookie game. The cookie game could only be played under the condition if it was played with friends. The ghosts then reveal to Pac-Man that the letter was actually sent by the ghosts so they could bring Pac-Man to play the cookie game, and praises him over his friendship with the ghosts; although Blinky thinks otherwise. The ghosts then celebrate his birthday, to Pac-Man's surprise. Pac-Man then thanks the player for showing how the game was about friendship.
Some minigames involving motion control with the Wii Remote are changed to use the Touch Screen or buttons, though some mini-games continue to use motion controls with the 3DS' gyroscope.
Screen and game options for Pac-Man, Galaga and Dig Dug are removed.
The version of Pac-Man featured in Pac-Man Party 3D is set to not give an extra life when any point threshold is met. An option disabling extra lives in the original is also present in the original game's DIP switch settings.
Trivia[]
Pac-Man Party is the first game in the Pac-Man series to feature the redesigned versions of the main characters introduced for Pac-Man's 30th anniversary.
This is the first game in the Pac-Man series to feature the temporary redesigns of the main Pac-Man cast (Pac-Man, Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde), in which Pac-Man was given white eyes and sneakers, while the ghosts were given different body shapes and hair styles. These designs would be used throughout merchandise and various other Namco games until 2016-2017. The designs would later serve as a basis to their appearances in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures.
This is the only Pac-Man game where the main color of Pac-Man's sneakers are orange. In later games, his shoes' main color is red, like the original Pac-Man arcade design.
Ironically, some releases of the game and artwork feature his sneakers' main color as red.
Pac-Man Party may have been derived from the Wii game Pac-Man Carnival, a tentative title announced in 2006; however, Namco Museum Remix is the more likely candidate.
An entirely unrelated game titled Pac-Man Party was being developed on the Xbox 360 around the same period as Pac-Man Party's development; the Xbox 360 game was never released.
There are several other canceled Pac-Man games which were in development shortly before Pac-Man Party's (Wii) production; this includes the canceled Pac-Man World project and an unknown Soosa Kim game. Oddly, a large amount of developers on these projects (namely Atsushi Saito, Soosa Kim, and possibly Hirokazu Yasuhara) would later work on Pac-Man Party; this may suggest that concepts from the canceled games were reworked into Pac-Man Party, and/or that the games were canceled to solely focus on Party.
The European version of the game originally came with a free poster in the box. It features the Pac-Man 30th Anniversary logo alongside rows of ghosts. It is quite small however, being the size of a standard piece of paper.
A promotional Flash game titled Pac-Man Party Scramble, loosely based on Pac-Man Party, was released in 2011 under sponsorship by shoe retailer Journeys.
The credits theme of the game would be reused as the main theme for Pac-Man + Tournaments.
Some of the mini-games feature characters or elements from previous arcade titles released by Namco:
Pooka from Dig Dug appears in the mini-game, Pooka Pop.
The mini-game Pole Position is similarly named after Namco's own racing game.
The border art for Pac-Man is based on the art featured in Namco Museum Essentials and Namco Museum Megamix, though the Pac-Man art is modified to use stock artwork created for Pac-Man's 30th anniversary in 2010 instead of the original render used.
Patra and Woofa, characters that originally debuted in Pac-Man Party, would later re-appear in Pac-Man Monsters.
Gallery[]
Screenshots[]
Pac-Man after taking Blinky, Pinky and Patra's cookies.
The Minigame, 'Gummy Catapult'
The Minigame, 'Wobbly Ice-cream'
J2ME version
Artwork[]
Prototype box art; note that Pac-Man uses the same pose as the later 3DS cover.
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