Pac-Man: Circle

Pac-Man: Circle
Production company	Illusorium (animation) Blur Studio Amazon MGM Studios
Writer(s)	J. T. Petty (screenplay)
Director(s)	Dave Wilson (general) Victor Maldonado (Pac-Man) Alfredo Torres (Pac-Man)
Release/air date	December 10, 2024
Genres	Horror
Country of origin	United States, Spain (animation)
Network	Amazon Prime

"PAC-MAN: Circle" is the sixth episode of Secret Level, an animated anthology series produced by Blur Studio and Amazon MGM Studios. The short film originally released on Amazon Prime Video on December 11, 2024.

"PAC-MAN: Circle" is notable for featuring a much darker, violent and gritty tone and atmosphere compared to previous Pac-Man material. The short film is an adaption of the then-unannounced Shadow Labyrinth, serving as a prequel story to the game.

Plot

In an underground complex, a stasis tube containing a humanoid creature shatters, awakening the humanoid. The humanoid is greeted by a droid sphere known as PUCK, who tells him he is the "Chosen" who will escape the "maze": an alien world full of dangerous flora, fauna and hungry ghosts. Exiting the underground complex and into a forest, the humanoid follows PUCK. The humanoid comes across cherries while in the forest, but heavily dislikes their taste. At PUCK's urging, the humanoid takes up a sword and is urged to "eat". Shortly after taking up the sword, the Swordsman is assaulted by a carnivorous plant and cuts its roots to avoid being killed.

Now realizing PUCK's message, the Swordsman practices hunting down the roaming monsters, killing and eating other life in order to survive in the vast alien world. The Swordsman is also sought by monstrous "ghosts", which can be defeated but regenerate overtime. As the Swordsman travels for the exit, the Swordsman encounters and defeats many of the guardians across the world, becoming stronger over time.

Approaching the exit portal of the "maze", the Swordsman takes on the final guardian, which resembles a large ape. Taking on the golem, the Swordsman is bested by the guardian. Realizing the Swordsman is unable to defeat the guardian, PUCK proceeds to "eat" the Swordsman, awakening a power that envelops his body into a shadowy creature with a large mouth, which brutally pummels through the final guardian and opening the exit door, while the Swordsman screams in pain. PUCK then pushes the Swordsman to the exit, until the Swordsman rips PUCK out of him, claiming they are the one who really is trapped before the Swordsman succumbs to death from his wounds. The blood-stained PUCK approaches the gate, repeatedly banging itself on the gate proclaiming "there's strength in repetition" in frustration.

In the underground complex, multiple stasis tubes with one of them containing a humanoid creature are seen. PUCK returns to the complex and awakens a new "Chosen".

Cast

• Aleks Le - Swordsman No. 7 ("The Chosen")
• Emily Swallow - PUCK

Production

The "Pac-Man: Circle" episode was directed by Victor Maldonado and Alfredo Torres. The lead Secret Level series director, Dave Wilson, commented that it felt like Maldonado and Torres were "disemboweling people's childhoods" with the Pac-Man script. The initial concept for the episode was to adapt the family friendly Pac-Man characters; when the pitch was approved, Bandai Namco Studios had showcased to the Secret Level producers the then-unannounced Shadow Labyrinth, which was in development since 2020, to see if they were interested in using the game as a basis for the project. Following the showcase, the Pac-Man adaption redirected from the family friendly Pac-Man to Shadow Labyrinth; Bandai Namco instructed the team that they "would like audiences to wonder, 'What the fuck did they do to Pac-Man?'".

Shadow Labyrinth would be officially unveiled two days after the release of the Secret Level episode during The Game Awards 2024. Due to the game not being announced yet, the production staff would bluff in interviews when asked about the Pac-Man episode; often purporting that Namco gave them complete creative control over the project.

Reception

While the greater Secret Level series received mixed critical reception, Pac-Man: Circle was viewed more negatively, especially with longtime fans of the Pac-Man series; though some credited the episode as being a unique, if flawed, adaptation of Pac-Man. Particularly criticized was the lack of virtually any aspect related to Pac-Man, in addition to the great tonal shift compared to any previous form of Pac-Man media. Prior to its release, series creator Tim Miller commented that criticism towards the Pac-Man episode was somewhat expected.

Trivia

• "Pac-Man: Circle" is notable for being one of the rare instances of any Pac-Man media receiving a mature-like age rating, as Amazon Prime lists the episode with a 16+ rating.
• As the game is an adaption of Shadow Labyrinth, there are several references to the game and both the United Galaxy Space Force (UGSF) timeline:
  • The Swordsman featured in this adaption is the seventh in line of several humanoid creatures summoned into the world, which would then be succeeded by Swordsman No. 8.
  • The back of the Swordsman's cloak features the fictitious logo of the UGSF (United Galaxy Space Force), which was added at the request of Bandai Namco.
  • The triangular gate features the text "ZOP GAMP" written in Xevi, an encrypted character set seen in Namco's Xevious series. "GAMP" is the name of the Xevious series' primary antagonist.

References

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