Pac-Chain (パックチェイン Pakku Chein) is an iPad game released in 2010 by Namco Bandai Games, in celebration of Pac-Man's 30th Anniversary. The game was later ported to the iPhone/iPod Touch as Pac-Chain Compact, which features slightly modified gameplay. It was removed from the App Store on March 30, 2015, alongside numerous other Pac-Man mobile releases.
Gameplay[]
The game plays similarly to the Collapse! series. Rows of colored tiles, mostly comprised of Ghosts, rise from below the playfield. If two or more of the same ghost are touching each other, they can be cleared; this makes the matching ghosts disappear, resulting in surrounding tiles falling down. Other tiles include Pac-Dots, Fruits, Power Pellets, and blue barriers (resembling the walls of the Pac-Man maze). If any tiles reach past the top of the playfield, the game is over.
If groups of five or more Ghost tiles are cleared, a "Chain" starts. For roughly six seconds, the player can clear Ghosts without the surrounding tiles falling down, earning more points.
In addition to the above, the player simultaneously controls Pac-Man, who can move in any direction. If Pac-Man touches a ghost or a blue barrier, he will be blocked from moving further; he can eat the dots and fruit if the path to them is cleared. If Pac-Man eats a Power Pellet, all of the ghosts momentarily turn blue, allowing Pac-Man to eat through the tiles.
The game also features an additional "Scramble" mode, in which players must make as many matches as they can under a time limit.
Pac-Chain Compact[]
The iPhone/iPod Touch version, Pac-Chain Compact, follows largely the same rules as the iPad version. However, its playfield is much smaller, being played on a 10-by-13 tile grid (whereas the iPad playfield is 16-by-20 tiles). To accomodate for this, a "Chain" can be performed from touching a minimum of four tiles rather than five.
Pac-Chain S[]
Pac-Chain S menu artwork from Pac-Man Games.
Pac-Chain S is a variant of Pac-Chain included in the Pac-Man Games iOS app, released in 2012 as part of the "S" game series. The game is effectively the same as the original, but is altered to feature a time limit; whereas the original version(s) are endless. Additionally, all Pac-Man 30th Anniversary branding appears to have been removed. Unlike most other "S" titles, this game was not released on Facebook (though it did have Facebook connectivity).