HMS Windbag is a level in Pac-Man World and Pac-Man World Re-Pac. It is the fourth and final level of the Pirate Ship Area, as well as the fourth level overall.
This level consists of a boss fight against the HMS Windbag (referred to as Windbag in Pac-Man World Re-Pac), a sentient flying pirate ship.
Overview[]
Pac-Man World[]
The level opens with a chase sequence that takes place along a long, narrow boardwalk. Pac-Man must run across it while the HMS Windbag shoots cannonballs that can destroy parts of the boardwalk. Other obstacles can appear along boardwalk, such as gaps that Pac-Man must jump over and barrels that obstruct the way forward. The chase sequence once Pac-Man enters the building at the end of the boardwalk.
Following the chase sequence is the actual boss fight, which takes place on top of one of the building's large walls. Along this walkway are five Blue Switches, but only one of them is active. Butt-Bouncing on a raised Switch causes a mannequin to pop up behind it. In addition, when a raised Switch is pressed, another will activate in its place, though this also happens automatically if an active Switch is left unpressed for too long.
During the fight, the HMS Windbag remains in the background, occasionally firing spreads of three cannonballs while flying back-and forth. To damage it, Pac-Man must press an active Switch right when a cannonball is about to fly over it. By doing so, its respective mannequin will intercept and deflect the cannonball back into the background where it has a chance to hit the HMS Windbag.
On certain occasions, the HMS Windbag will stop firing to release five bubbles, one containing an Apple and the rest containing cannonballs. These bubbles will float above each of the five Switches; after a short period of time, they will burst, dropping their contents onto the Switches below.
The HMS Windbag is defeated after it is hit with six cannonballs. The player earns 5000 points for defeating the boss.
Pac-Man World Re-Pac[]
Like in the original game, this level starts off with a chase sequence in which Pac-Man must run across the boardwalk while Windbag destroys it. This time, however, the boardwalk's layout is more complex. In addition to extra gaps and barrels, there is also an extra set of raised platforms that have extra Pac-Dots, Fruit, and other collectables. The chase sequence ends when Pac-Man enters the building and touches the Checkpoint. From there, a cutscene plays in which Toc-Man summons Windbag and spins its mast to reveal its eyes.
Windbag's boss fight consists of two phases. The first phase takes place on a wooden platform with three Orange Switches. The object of the fight remains the same: press the Switches to deflect Windbag's cannonballs back towards it. Windbag's attack pattern during this phase is quite similar to that of the original fight, with the most signficant difference being that it releases only three bubbles to match the reduced amount of Switches.
After taking five hits, Windbag transitions into the next phase of the fight by destroying the wooden platform Pac-Man is standing on. The second phase on a stone walkway with five Orange Switches. During this phase, Windbag gains a new attack, which is to fire a row of cannonballs while quickly moving across the background. Its bubble attack during this phase is also stronger, as it now uses five bubbles instead of three. After taking five more hits, Windbag is defeated. The player earns 1000 points for defeating it; additionally, more points can be earned by collecting the Cherries and Pac-Dots that appear after the fight.
Aside from new or modified attacks, there are a few other changes made to the fight. One is that two Switches are always raised instead of just one; if they are left unpressed for too long, they will deactivate, and two others will rise in their place. The other change is that Windbag may release a bubble containing a random Fruit or a Slot Medal after each hit. These bubbles always float above the center of the arena before popping.
Trivia[]
- Pac-Man World Re-Pac introduces two new songs that play during the boss fight against Windbag: "HMS Windbag - Part 2" and a speedier version, "HMS Windbag - Part 3", that plays once Windbag has lost half of its health. The original level theme, called "HMS Windbag - Part 1" in the game's Jukebox, is relegated to the preceding chase sequence.
- In the original Pac-Man World, a jingle plays after the HMS Windbag is defeated. It is an arrangement of the start music for Ms. Pac-Man with the same instrumentation as the level's background music. This jingle is not heard in Pac-Man World Re-Pac since, as previously mentioned, two completely new music tracks were composed for Windbag's boss fight.
- HMS Windbag is the only boss level in the original Pac-Man World to feature such a jingle.
- According to Pac-Man World designer Scott Rogers, the HMS Windbag was originally going to be called the HMS Hanky. The name was changed due to there already being a character from South Park named Mr. Hankey.[1]
- The "HMS" in the HMS Windbag's name is a ship prefix that stands for "His/Her Majesty's Ship." This prefix is currently used in the United Kingdom to designate ships that are part of the Royal Navy.
- In the original Pac-Man World, some of the HMS Windbag's parts (namely, its rudders) fall off as it takes damage. This detail is not present in Pac-Man World Re-Pac.
Gallery[]
Names in other languages[]
| Language | Title | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ボスの大帆船の巻 Bosu no daihansen no maki |
Large Sailing Ship Boss Episode | |
| French | Furinavire | Furiship | Portmanteau of "furie," meaning "fury," and "navire," meaning "ship." |
| German | MS Windbeutel | MS Windbag | "MS" may be derived from the historical ship prefix "SMS" ("Seiner Majestät Schiff"), which was the German equivalent to "HMS." In the modern day, "MS" is used to designate motor ships. |
| Italian | Parolaio di Sua Maestà | His Majesty's Windbag | "Di Sua Maestà" is a literal translation of "HMS." |
| Spanish | Barco Charlatán | Windbag Ship |
References[]
- ↑ https://www.namcohistory.com/archives/pacmanworld.html
(Note: Scott Rogers wrote this forum post under the pseudonym "Pac-Man's Pal." This can be deduced from the fact that some of the information given in the post—such as the levels the author worked on—matches statements that Rogers made in interviews.)