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Orson

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"It's a fairly standard mechanism, Pac-Man. Rev Roll plates, big stuff moves, you know the score."

— Orson, Pac-Man World 3

Orson (オーソン Ōson) (referred to as just Ors. by Pac-Man and named Toc-Man (Ghost) in Pac-Man World Re-Pac) is a ghost who first appeared in Pac-Man World as the main antagonist. He only directly appeared at the end of the game, after Pac-Man defeated his Toc-Man mech. He returns in Pac-Man World 3 as an ally to Pac-Man. where he builds a new Toc-Man to assist him.

History[]

Early life[]

According to an interview with Pac-Man World designer Scott Rogers, Pac-Man and Orson grew up together and slowly drifted apart as Pac-Man became more popular. This led Orson to attempt to copy what Pac-Man had done to become famous, such as making his own games, cartoon shows, breakfast cereals, and more, which failed every time. Realizing he would never find success in the entertainment industry, he then turned to manufacturing Pac-Dots, making a fortune and building a castle on Ghost Island.[1] Orson grew more obsessed and paranoid with Pac-Man, and eventually built Toc-Man to effectively steal his identity and in turn gain his popularity.

Before the events of Pac-Man World 3 (and presumably before Pac-Man World), Orson worked with and studied alongside Erwin.

Pac-Man World/Pac-Man World Re-Pac[]

Main article: Pac-Man World
Pac-Man_World_Cutscene_3

Pac-Man World Cutscene 3

Orson constructed Toc-Man sometime around Pac-Man's twentieth birthday. While piloting Toc-Man, Orson held a party on Ghost Island with the promise that Pac-Man would be there "live and in person". This plan was cut short when a sentry Ghost announced that the real Pac-Man was coming to the island in an attempt to find and save his family and friends, who were mistakenly kidnapped when Orson's henchmen were sent to capture Pac-Man.

After rescuing his family, Pac-Man crashes the party and defeats Toc-Man, causing Orson to reveal himself. Orson comes out crying, stating that it’s “so unfair” and that “nobody loves a ghost”. Upon hearing this, rather than provide sympathy, Pac-Man instantly grabs a Power Pellet and eats Orson.

Main article: Pac-Man World Re-Pac
Orson in

Orson in Pac-Man World Re-Pac

Orson is present in the game’s remake, Pac-Man World Re-Pac, where he is referred as Toc-Man (Ghost). His role in the game's story remains unchanged: he kidnaps Pac-Man's family and hosts a party on Ghost Island under Pac-Man's guise. If the player saves all of Pac-Man's family members before defeating Toc-Man, Pac-Man will forgive Orson instead of eating him. The original ending takes place if Pac-Man doesn't do so.

Pac-Man World 3[]

Main article: Pac-Man World 3

On Pac-Man's twenty-fifth birthday, Orson teleports him to a landfill of Erwin's broken machinery in an attempt to bring him to the Outpost to tell him about Erwin's evil plans. The two primarily communicate through the Pactrometer, which functions similarly to a walkie-talkie. When Pac-Man finally arrives at the Outpost, Orson tells him to travel to the spectral realm to "check things out" and find the other ghosts. Orson then asks Pac-Man to help him calibrate a new Toc-Man model, which, unlike the previous Toc-Man, is a giant fifteen-ton mech designed for combat.

Throughout the game, Orson primarily provides expositional dialogue concerning the stages Pac-Man finds himself in and the enemies he faces. Near the end of the game, he ends up recruiting Erwin's disgraced janitor, stating that he "has need of someone handy with a mop at the Outpost". According to Blinky (known as Clyde in the trilogy), Orson is the one "fixing up" the spectral realm after Erwin's defeat.

Other appearances[]

Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac[]

Main article: Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac

Although Orson is not physically seen in Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac, his mech, Toc-Man, appears as a secret boss. Toc-Man is fought in the level Flying Dark Shadow, which is unlocked after completing the post-game campaign.

In addition, Orson is referenced through a costume and a Gashapon figure. The former, a hat that resembles the gray Ghost, is unlocked by completing all of the Missions for Flying Dark Shadow, and the latter can be obtained from the "PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC Collection 3" Gashapon in Pac-Village's Arcade. Notably, both the costume and the figure refer to him as "Orson" instead of "Toc-Man (Ghost)".

Characteristics[]

Orson in Pac-Man World 3.

Orson in Pac-Man World 3.

Appearance[]

In Pac-Man World and its remake, Orson is light grey in color with black gloves. His eyes are also large with a unique, droopy shape. In Pac-Man World 3, he is a subdued shade of green, and has dark teal gloves.

Personality[]

Smart and kind, Orson shares a mutual respect with Pac-Man, despite being eaten by him in Pac-Man World. While Orson has a tendency to be skittish, he will always be there to help Pac-Man when the need arises. Past interviews regarding the plot of Pac-Man World have described Orson as jealous, obsessive and paranoid.[1]

Trivia[]

  • Despite being linked to the series and appearing exclusively in the trilogy, Orson doesn't appear in the original Pac-Man World 2. He does, however, cameo in Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac.
  • In the original script for Pac-Man World, Pac-Man was intended to state “I love you, Orson” before eating him. However, the Namco staff (particularly Namco of Japan) could not decide on a voice actor for Pac-Man, leaving him mute in the scene instead.[1]
  • Orson is the only Pac-Man World character not to appear in Pac-Man World Rally. However, it is possible that he is the one controlling Toc-Man in it.
  • According to Pac-Man World designer Scott Rogers, Orson was named after Orson Welles, best known for directing the film Citizen Kane.[1]

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 https://web.archive.org/web/20190816105838/http://www.flamingmayo.com/firstchurchofpacman/pac_interview.htm
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