- For information on the version of Pac-Man who appears in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, see Pacster. For other uses of Pac-Man, see Pac-Man (disambiguation).
"Lucky for us, I eat danger for breakfast!" |
Pac-Man (パックマン Pakkuman, stylized as PAC-MAN and formerly known as Puck Man in Japan) is the titular main protagonist of the Pac-Man series, and is the longtime mascot of Namco and its successor company, Bandai Namco Entertainment. Residing in Pac-Land, he is the husband of Ms. Pac-Man, and the father of Jr. Pac-Man and Baby Pac-Man. Pac-Man regularly enjoys eating food and various types of Pac-Dots, as well as eating Ghosts, his enemies.
Since his first appearance in the eponymous arcade title in 1980, Pac-Man has become a video game icon and is one of the most recognizable fictional characters in the world. Pac-Man, along with other video game characters such as Mario have some of the highest video game character awareness in the world.[1]
Quick Answers
Who is Pac-Man?
Who is Pac-Man's wife?
Who are Pac-Man's children?
Concept and creation[]
Concept art of Pac-Man (1980), showcasing the earliest sprite sketches of Pac-Man.
Namco became accustomed to the video game industry following the releases of Gee Bee, Bomb Bee and Cutie Q; despite the titles being considered commercial failures. In Japan, video games had surged in popularity following the success of games such as Space Invaders and Breakout. At the time, game developer Toru Iwatani felt arcade games only appealed to men for many games sharing themes of crude graphics, shooter gameplay and violence. He decided to create a concept for a game with cute characters that would appeal to women. Iwatini believed that making a game that would appeal to women would make arcades appear more family friendly, since he felt that arcades at the time had seedy environments.[2][3] When deciding on the game's theme, Iwatani thought of what women enjoyed, and settled on the theme of eating for the game and characters since women enjoyed eating sweets and other desserts.[4]
The game and its concepts went into development in 1979 alongside Namco's shooter game Galaxian, which would be Namco's first video game with an RGB video display, allowing for colorful palette selections and graphics. The RGB display would be pivotal for the idea of the project which eventually became Pac-Man, because it could display vibrant colors for the titular character.[5]
Throughout the years, there have been conflicting sources of Pac-Man's origins. From Toru Iwatani; the creator of Pac-Man, the inspiration was pizza without a slice, which gave him a vision of "an animated pizza, racing through a maze and eating things with its absent-slice mouth".[6] However, in a 1986 interview, Toru Iwatani said that the design of the character also came from simplifying and rounding out the Japanese character for a mouth, kuchi (口). Additionally, possibly by coincidence, a separate Pac-Man brand by Tomy existed six years prior to Iwatani's creation. Pac-Man's name comes from the onomatopoeic Japanese word paku-paku (パクパク), which is onomatopoeia for gobbling something up.[7] The idea for Pac-Man powering up using Energizers (later known as Power Pellets) was a concept Iwatani borrowed from the cartoon character Popeye the Sailor Man, a cartoon character that temporarily acquires superhuman strength after eating a can of spinach; as well as being partly inspired by a Japanese children's story about a creature that protected children from monsters by devouring them.[5]In a design session, Iwatani noisily ate fruit and made gurgling noises to describe to Toshio Kai, Pac-Man's sound designer, how he wanted Pac-Man's eating effect to sound.[3] Upon the game's completion, the character and game was titled Pakkuman (パックマン), romanized as Puckman in English.
When the American division of Namco localized the "Puckman" game for North America, Namco America feared vandals would change the P in the word of "Puck" to an F, resulting in a swear word. Namco president Masaya Nakamura made the decision to change the game and the titular character's name to "Pac-Man" overseas, as the name was similar to the Japanese pronunciation of the name, Pakkuman. The Pac-Man name would eventually become the character's universal name for all Pac-Man related products worldwide.[8]
Character designs[]
Tadashi Yamashita design[]
Early designs of the side cabinet artwork for Pac-Man from Tadashi Yamashita from the 11th and final episode of "NAMCO MUSEUM of ART", showcasing a cabinet artwork draft featuring an early design of Pac-Man.
Pac-Man as originally depicted in Puckman (1980). In his early designs, Pac-Man had noticeable features such as a long, "Pinocchio-like" nose and cheeks that would be simplified in later renditions of the character.
Pac-Man's limbed design was created by Tadashi Yamashita, who had been working at Namco since 1969. Yamashita served as an artwork, logo and typeface artist for electro-mechanical machines made by Namco such as F-1 and Submarine. Alongside the character, Yamashita also designed the trademark Pac-Man logo.
When designing the character, Yamashita wanted the design to feel "retro"; many design elements of Pac-Man incorporated aspects of vintage American designs. Yamashita designed Pac-Man with arms and legs, but as he felt the design was basic, he added eyes and other features such as boots and gloves after sketching the character more. In early designs, Pac-Man's boots were originally colored orange, but changed to red in the final design; while his gloves were originally colored yellow but were changed to orange. The character originally had a bowtie, but this feature was removed. The character's eyes originally started as regular eyes; though as the character was drawn further, Yamashita decided to give him stretched pie-shaped eyes, in similar fashion to vintage cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse (despite not having references at hand when designing the character). Yamashita also stated that the the pie-shaped eyes gave resemblance to Pac-Man's appearance in the game.[9][10][11]
Since Pac-Man's sprites were originally designed without detail or facial features added to them, Toru Iwatani was somewhat mixed on Tadashi Yamashita's limbed design on the character; though became more supportive of it later on. Yamashita's final design was approved by Iwatani and Namco (albeit with little time to propose alternatives), and would be used on the Japanese arcade machine.[9]
Bally Midway design[]
Pac-Man was designed as a jackrabbit-like creature when he was redesigned by Bally Midway's art department for the game's cabinet art
When Pac-Man was licensed to manufacturer Bally Midway for distribution in the United States, the artists at the company were unimpressed by the Japanese artwork; Midway's artists felt the contents of the character artwork were minimal in comparison to the company's previous art for pinball machines, and sought to redesign the character for the American market.
Midway's final artwork strayed far from the original Japanese design; Pac-Man was redesigned as a jackrabbit-like creature, and had a large smirk, red or blue eyes, and two giant feet. The artwork was reportedly commissioned by Rich Scafidi, who led Midway's art department, but the character designs were not actually illustrated by him. It is speculated the artwork was created by Gordon Morrison, due to a similarity in styles, though this is unconfirmed.[12] Though the character was redesigned, artwork featuring the original Japanese design was used in some merchandising products at the time.
Subsequent U.S. designs[]
As the game became a hit in the United States, Bally Midway continued to license the character and property for merchandising products. As there were no established guidelines for the character artwork (from either Bally Midway or Namco), Pac-Man's design would greatly differ between various media; varying from designs based on his sprite appearance or completely unique design interpretations.
An alternate Midway design - potentially predating the "jackrabbit" form - was designed by Don Mastri. This illustration shows a "wedge" Pac-Man with Yamashita-like eyes and eyebrows, small arms with white gloves, and giant legs. This design is commonly seen carrying Pinky and Inky in his arms, with Blinky and Clyde running away in fear. Another key artist was Hiro Kimura, who produced wholly-unique designs for Atari's home console ports of Pac-Man (including the Atari 2600 and Atari 400/800 versions). By early 1982, Pat McMahon had become considered the lead Pac-Man artist at Midway. McMahon's design, seen in media such as Mr. & Mrs. Pac-Man and the "Kid Stuff" record albums, was inspired largely by vintage animation; though was presented much differently than Yamashita's design, despite the same draw of inspiration. When the television series produced by Hanna-Barbera debuted in 1982, Pac-Man was based similar to his Japanese design, with the additions of teeth, a hat and white eyes. The Hanna-Barbera design would also be used in merchandising products and promotions of the arcade games following.
The increasing inconsistency in American Pac-Man artwork, particularly in merchandising, gained the attention of Namco's Design Office in Japan. This prompted the office to create a "Pac-Man Character Manual" in the early 1980s, in attempt to establish better consistency of the character's appearances in future products.[11] The original Japanese artwork design would be used for the first time in-game with Pac-Land in 1984, though Pac-Man was redesigned to be based on his Hanna-Barbera design for the American release.
Namco Hometek-era designs[]
Promotional artwork (1990). Artist Greg Martin redesigned the character for Namco Hometek and the design was used throughout the early 1990s for products released in the US.
The designs of Pac-Man would continue to vary across products until Bally Midway's distribution rights for the Pac-Man IP expired in 1987. After the Pac-Man rights were transferred back to Namco, the Japanese design was used more consistently in products following. In re-releases of Pac-Man for consoles such as the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy, cover artist Greg Martin redesigned the character (among other Pac-Man characters) for Namco Hometek, which was established in 1990. The design by Greg Martin was closer to the Japanese design, but featured notable design traits such as individual glove fingers, rounder boots and eyebrows. The design traits for the character would also be applied to Ms. Pac-Man, Baby Pac-Man, and the Ghosts; an additional style guide was created in 1992 to utilize these designs in merchandising. This Pac-Man design would be succeeded by a new art style in 1999.
"World" era design[]
Promotional artwork (1998). From artist Hideki Tanaami, the art style for Pac-Man was notably changed for the first time, giving the character's outline a more uniformed and thinner appearance. The style was used in products until the 30th anniversary.
Beginning in the late 1990s, the Japanese design without modifications became the standard for almost all Pac-Man designs going forward with the introduction of a new character style guide in 1999. Hideki Tanaami would become a new recurring artist for Pac-Man, creating new art for the character with a new art style featuring thinner, consistent lines alongside rounder gloves and boots, as well as a shorter nose and bolder eyebrows.
For the development of Pac-Man World: 20th Anniversary (1999), a 3D master reference model of Pac-Man was created by Namco for designing the character in 3D.
Pac-Man's 3D appearance had varied between the development of Pac-Man World. During the development of Pac-Man Ghost Zone, Pac-Man was given triangular eyebrows popping out of his body, and had rounder boots. When the game was repurposed as Pac-Man World, Namco translated the character's design by creating a 3D wax model for reference in creating the character's 3D appearance. Pac-Man, while having most of his design aspects intact, was given more noticeable triangular eyebrows in his 3D appearances.
2010s and beyond[]
Artwork of Pac-Man from Pac-Man Party (2010). The character was temporarily redesigned in said game, which gave him white eyes and sneakers.
Pac-Man was temporarily redesigned for Pac-Man's 30th anniversary in 2010. Beginning with Pac-Man Party, Pac-Man's 3D design was altered to give the character more cartoon-like features, such as more expressive eyebrows, large white eyes and blue irises; with pie-shaped cutouts. Pac-Man's boots were also changed to a sneaker-like appearance, sporting shoelaces and Pac-Man's symbol on the sneakers. This design would be used across Pac-Man merchandising, promotions and games in conjunction with a similar design of Pac-Man used for Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures. Pac-Man's appearance in the 2014 game Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U saw Pac-Man revert to his original artwork design per the request of game director Masahiro Sakurai.[13] Though the Pac-Man Party and Ghostly Adventures redesigns would be used regularly at the time, the 3D limbed design and art for the character would gradually phase back to the original Pac-Man design used prior to Pac-Man Party; the Pac-Man Party and Ghostly Adventures designs were eventually phased out entirely by 2016-2017.
The current 3D appearance of Pac-Man in use since 2016.
Along with the 30th anniversary celebrations, the 2D art for the character's original arcade design would be updated to bring back the thick line style from the original arcade art (the new style also making Pac-Man's nose long again), which had not been in use since the late 1990s. Since 2017, most Pac-Man products have continued to use Pac-Man's arcade artwork design, though designs would differ between some Pac-Man products. Pac-Man's general 3D model was updated in 2016 for merchandising. While most design aspects from the previous model remain intact, most of the shading for the character is brightened, in addition to his eyes and eyebrows being made slightly thinner.
Additionally, in 2017, Namco released a "Retro Style Guide" for licensees featuring vintage Pac-Man designs. This package includes many of the '80s U.S. designs: including the "red-eyed" Midway artwork and the Don Mastri and Hiro Kimura designs, among others.[14]
History[]
Arcade Games[]
Original Pac-Man sprite.
Pac-Man[]
Main article: Pac-Man (game)
Pac-Man's first adventure chronologically took place in Pac-Man, wherein he had to fight off a group of Ghosts consisting of Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde, while eating all of the Pellets scattered around a maze.
Many other titles in the franchise follow the same basic plot, including:
- Super Pac-Man
- Pac-Man Plus
- Pac-Mania
- Pac-Man VR
- Pac-Man Arrangement (1996)
- Pac-Man Arrangement (2005)
- Pac-Man Vs.
- Pac-Man Championship Edition
- Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
- Pac-Man Championship Edition 2
- Pac-Man 99
Ms. Pac-Man[]
Main article: Ms. Pac-Man (game)
In the game Ms. Pac-Man, Pac-Man fell in love with Ms. Pac-Man. In the original arcade release, Pac-Man only appeared in cutscenes, and was not playable; though in various ports of the game (Game Boy, Tengen versions, etc.), Pac-Man is playable as the Player 2 character. He also had his first child with her, Jr. Pac-Man, in this game.
Jr. Pac-Man and Baby Pac-Man[]
Main articles: Jr. Pac-Man (game), Baby Pac-Man (game)
Jr. Pac-Man and Baby Pac-Man show the adventures of Pac-Man's two children, Jr. Pac-Man and Baby Pac-Man. Pac-Man himself has minimal roles in these games, however.
Pac-Land[]
Main article: Pac-Land
At a later time in the game Pac-Land, Pac-Man must travel through his homeland of Pac-Land to save the fairies who have been taken by the mischievous Ghosts.
Pac-Pix[]
Main article: Pac-Pix
"Pac-Man has overcome countless challenges, but he can't use his power while trapped in this piece of paper!" |
In Pac-Pix, Pac-Man helps seal away the Ink Ghosts into the book but ends up getting trapped in a piece of paper so he bestows the player the Magic Pen to help defeat the ghosts. He serves as a tutorial guide on how to draw the various gestures.
While not physically present for most of the game, the main gesture uses his likeness. At the end of the game while fighting the Ink Master, Pac-Man uses his power to aid the player to defeat the ink monster. After doing this, Pac-Man thanks the player for being the real hero of the story and tells them that he will seal the bottle away so the ghosts can never wreak havoc again via putting it into a chest and putting it into an unknown sea.
Pac 'n Roll[]
Main article: Pac 'n Roll
"I wanna train, Pac-Master!" - Pac-Man to Pac-Master
Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man in their youth.
Pac-Man's second adventure canonically began in the Nintendo DS game, Pac 'n Roll. In his youth, Pac-Man trained under the mighty Pac-Master during his summer vacation. He taught Pac-Man all about fighting and power pellets, so he could help in defending Pac-Land from the many Ghosts that plagued it. During his training he grew close to Pac-Master's family, he especially grew close to Pac-Master's beautiful daughter who would one day become his future sweetheart, Ms. Pac-Man.
Sadly, the joy would not last for long, as a young group of Ghosts were planning to summon a powerful Ghost named Golvis, who had been banished to the far reaches of space. To defeat Pac-Master, Golvis used his magic guitar Jack to turn every Pac-Person into limbless orbs, thus making them unable to move. The guardian fairy of Pac-Land, Krystal, temporarily defeated Golvis, but was only capable of saving the young Pac-Man. She then convinces Pac-Man to help her save Pac-Land, as he is the only one left. After traveling throughout all of Pac-Land they finally reach Golvis' home base where, with their combined forces, finally defeat Golvis, thus restoring the bodies and saving all the Pac-People.
Pac-Man World series[]
Pac-Man World[]
Main article: Pac-Man World
Pac-Man finding Professor Pac-Man's present in Pac-Man World.
His next adventure took place in Pac-Man World. On the day of his 20th birthday, Pac-Man's Family was planning a big surprise party for him, but the evil Pac-Man impostor Toc-Man sent out his minions to kidnap his entire family. Pac-Man sets out to rescue his family and get rid of Toc-Man (who, in the end, is revealed to be a ghost named Orson).
Pac-Man World 2[]
Main article: Pac-Man World 2
In Pac-Man World 2, the Ghost Gang sneaked into the Pac-Village. They unwittingly picked the Golden Fruit off the tree in the center of the village, releasing Spooky, an ancient ghost imprisoned underneath. Pac-Man must travel from Pac-Land to Ghost Island to reclaim the Golden Fruit and stop Spooky.
Pac-Man World 3[]
Main article: Pac-Man World 3
In Pac-Man World 3, on his 25th birthday, Pac-Man is suddenly teleported all around Pac-Village and then into a waste dump. The one responsible for this was Orson, the evil ghost from the first game, who desperately needs Pac-Man's help.
Animated Series[]
Main article: Pac-Man (TV Series)
Pac-Man from the television show.
In 1982, Hanna-Barbera produced the animated television series Pac-Man, which featured the misadventures of Pac-Man and his family in Pac-Land. Pac-Man is seen in the show taking care of his family, going to work guarding the Power Pellet Forest, or defeating ghosts when he needs to. The Ghosts have a leader in this show - a pale green-skinned humanoid named Mezmaron - who wanted to defeat Pac-Man and seize the Power Pellets.
Pac-Man was often addressed as "Packy" by his wife Ms. Pac-Man, who he would address as "Pepper". Pac-Man himself was voiced by veteran comedian and writer Marty Ingels.
Other appearances[]
Pac-Man World Rally[]
Main article: Pac-Man World Rally
Pac-Man appears as one of the playable characters. Pac-Man is a fast character and drives a "light", four-wheeler vehicle.
Pac-Man Monsters[]
Main article: Pac-Man Monsters
After a new evil comes to Pac-Land, Pac-Man must travel far and wide defeating and recruiting all manner of Ghosts and Monsters while gaining more power to combat the new evil.
Pac-Man 256[]
Main article: Pac-Man 256
A game seemingly taking place right after the original Pac-Man, in which Pac-Man must continue to survive against the ghosts in the maze while also trying to escape from the evil Glitch destroying everything.
Super Smash Bros. series[]
Main articles: Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Pac-Man appears as a third party character in several Super Smash Bros. games. His appearance and moveset is largely influenced by arcade Pac-Man and other Namco titles from the 1980s (most prominently Pac-Man, Super Pac-Man, Pac-Land and Mappy).
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U features a stage based off of Pac-Land, and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS has a level based on the classic Pac-Man maze. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate sees the return of the Pac-Land stage, but the Maze stage is not present.
Mario Kart series[]
Main articles: Mario Kart Arcade GP, Mario Kart Arcade GP 2
Pac-Man has appeared as a playable racer in several Mario Kart games, specifically the arcade ones. Alongside Mario and all his friends, he is joined by Ms. Pac-Man and Blinky, as well as Bandai's Mametchi. He is replaced with Pacster in Mario Kart Arcade GP DX.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds[]
Main article: Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
Pac-Man will be set to appear in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds as a playable character and part of the PAC-MAN DLC pack, as a celebratation for his 45th anniversary. He is set to drive the PAC-MAN Mobile.
Film[]
Wreck-It Ralph[]
Main article: Wreck-It Ralph
Pac-Man, appearing in Wreck-It Ralph.
Pac-Man makes a cameo appearance in Disney's 2012 film, Wreck-It Ralph, where he was seen at Fix-It Felix Jr.'s Penthouse party, commemorating his game's 30th anniversary. Later, Ralph loses his temper and accidentally wrecks a cake, pelting Pac-Man with bits of it, and Pac-Man does a jaw drop at Ralph's behavior.
Pixels[]
Main article: Pixels
Pac-Man, appearing in Pixels.
Pac-Man appeared as an antagonist in the 2015 film, Pixels, as one of the arcade invaders attacking New York City. When confronted by the films protagonists, Toru Iwatani is among them and tries to reason with his creation, even calling him his son. However his touching words have no affect on the alien Pac-Man, who proceeds to bite off Iwatani's hand and continue rampaging through the city.
While eating everything in his path, Pac-Man is then chased by the heroes in their souped-up ghost cars which they use to tackle Pac-Man with fields of energy which KO him on impact. After several chases throughout the city and three hits, Pac-Man is seemingly destroyed and the city saved. At the end of the film, Iwatani's hand is restored by the aliens after their defeat.
Kamen Rider films[]
Main article: Kamen Rider Heisei Generations: Dr. Pac-Man vs. Ex-Aid & Ghost with Legend Riders
Dr. Pac-Man, the main antagonist of the film.
Pac-Man is attacking Kamen Rider Ghost Ex-Aid Damashii and Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Ghost Gamer Level 2.
This film is the eighth of a series of Kamen Rider crossover films called Movie Wars. Much like in Pixels, Pac-Man is an antagonist, but isn't actually at fault as his likeness was used by the main villain to infect the world with a virus of his likeness.
A Pac-Man game themed item, known as the Pac Adventure Gashat, is given to Kamen Rider Ex-Aid in a spin-off YouTube Special. Numerous references are made to the original game with this power-up (such as Ex-Aid needing to obtain a 'Power Cookie', based on the Power Pellet, to be able to successfully damage his foe).
Personality[]
Pac-Man's voracious appetite.
Tadashi Yamashita explained that when drawing Pac-Man, the character naturally came across as a carefree and happy character. The original 1982 animated series would be the first Pac-Man media to build upon this. Here, he was established as a fairly easygoing sort and a dedicated father and husband. His easygoing nature would often lead him to be the butt of several jokes, usually slapstick and acting absentmindedly. He would also slack off in the absence of any emergencies befalling the Power Pellet Forest, but otherwise took his role highly seriously. As such, he would take every precaution to protect the forest, and often rely on his quick wit to outsmart the Ghosts.
Later Pac-Man games, especially those outside the traditional maze format, expanded on this even further. Pac-Man World 3 in particular portrayed him as a snarky, sarcastic individual who was otherwise very friendly and casual. In spite of his constant conflicts with the Ghosts (referring to them as “delinquents” in Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac), he even finds enough warmth in his heart for them, forgiving Orson and inviting the Ghost Gang to his birthday party in the good ending of Pac-Man World Re-Pac and trying to reason with the Ghost Gang in Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac before resorting to fighting.
However, there are limits to his kindness. In the original ending of Pac-Man World (and the bad ending of Re-Pac), he wastes no time chomping Orson for kidnapping his family. Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac sees him treat Spooky with utmost seriousness and outright refuse to entertain Wormwood’s monologuing. He is dedicated to helping and protecting those around him, and always maintains a wide smile doing it.
The one outlier in all this is Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures, a game heavily reliant on Pac-Man’s mood. As a result, Pac-Man in this game is highly prone to mood swings and is far more inept than usually depicted.
Pac-Man loves to eat. His regular meal includes Pac-Dots, Power Pellets, and fruits such as Cherries, Strawberries, and Oranges. He also seems very good at navigating mazes, due to his extensive time in them.
Appearance[]
Four art styles used for Pac-Man and the Ghosts, all of which are currently in use by Bandai Namco. (2010s). Modern artwork using the first style no longer use the outlines.
Pac-Man is a yellow circular creature with a large mouth, shaped as a pie and/or pizza with a slice missing. His original arcade design simply depicts him as a yellow circular creature. In certain occasions when the design is portrayed in 3D, he has two pie-shaped eyes that appear similar to Pac-Man's shape.
In his limbed design which often appears in game artwork or several later games, he has a long, Pinocchio-like nose and pie-shaped eyes. He commonly appears with arms and legs in artwork, and often wears red boots and orange gloves. Some depictions of his design such as Pac-Land depict him wearing a red hat.
Some earlier incarnations feature slightly different designs, most notably the Bally Midway artwork seen on U.S. arcade machines, which features Pac-Man as a red-eyed blob with long feet. Since around 1983 or so, his overall design has remained much more consistent.
Abilities[]
Pac-Man has different abilities, as well as those received from Power-Ups, found in various Pac-Man games.
Arcade series[]
Super Pac-Man[]
A superhero alter-ego of Pac-Man. First seen in Super Pac-Man, Pac-Man grows huge and can run through maze walls and ghosts. In some later games, it gives Pac-Man the ability to fly instead. It is gained by eating a Super Pellet. This ability also appears as his Final Smash in the Super Smash Bros. series.
Galaxian[]
While the Galaxian appeared as a fruit in some preceding games, it acted as a power-up in Pac & Pal. When Pac-Man eats one, he can stun the ghosts by shooting a capture beam out of his mouth (a reference to the 1981 arcade game Galaga).
World series[]
Butt Bounce[]
This attack can be used by jumping with the X button, then pressing it again while in air. There is a rare power-up where if the player touches it, Pac-Man gains the ability to do a Super Butt Bounce where if the player does the control for a normal butt bounce, a huge explosion will occur and any enemies in a certain radius will be terminated. It can only be used once per power-up.
Rev Roll[]
Pac-Man will run in place at a high speed and releasing the button will have him roll into a ball in any direction in which he is pointed. Using the Rev Roll on a ramp will send him high into the air. It can be used to destroy most enemies.
Pac-Dot Attack[]
If Pac-Man has at least one Pac-Dot he can shoot one from his hand like a bullet and damage enemies.
Super Pac-Dot Attack[]
Also known as the Bomb Attack in Pac-Man World: Re Pac. This attack is a stronger form of the previous attack. To use this attack, hold down the O button and Pac-Man will do the exact same thing, except he will spin around and then shoot a huge blast of Pac-Dots from his hand. There is also a requirement for this attack. Pac-Man must have at least 10 Pac-Dots to use it.
Swim[]
If Pac-Man enters water, he instantly floats on the water. To go underwater, press and hold the triangle button. To go back to the surface, press and hold the X button. Pac-Man can do a dolphin flip if you jump out of the water while holding the X button.
Flip Kick[]
By jumping in the air, and pressing the Square or X buttons, Pac-Man jumps in the air, and flips with his foot extended. This can be used to smash high up boxes.
Steel Body[]
Pac-Man's steel body from the Steel Ball Power Up.
Using the Steel Ball Power Up (known as the Metal Dot in Pac-Man World: Re Pac), Pac-Man's body will become steel and he can hardly be damaged. He can stand on fire and walk across lava.
Tiny Pac/Shrink Pellet[]
Using the Shrink Pellet Pac-Man will shrink in size and will be able to go through small doors. But enemies can squish him like a bug. Pac-Man is very good at using this ability. It is very uncommon for him to be attacked when he is very small.
Punch[]
Using the O or B button, Pac-Man can punch at enemies.
Electro Shock[]
Pac-Man giving Armalopes a zap.
With the Electro-Shock Power Pellet, Pac-Man can also perform an Electric Shock with the same button command. Pac-Man will be able to shoot electricity from his hands and can damage or stun enemies.
Triple Butt Bounce[]
If you hit the X or A button 4 times, Pac-Man will perform a Triple Butt Bounce. A small shockwave comes out of Pac-Man. It can kill up to 2 enemies at a time.
Ribbon Ring Power[]
The afterimage will close in on enemies when formed into a ring.
Using the Red Ribbon Power Pellet Pac-Man's body will glow. When running a red afterimage will follow behind him. If he creates a ring around enemies the ring will close and do damage to them.
Hover Jump[]
In Pac-Man World Re-Pac, Pac-Man gains a Hover Jump ability (which previously appeared in the Nintendo 3DS version of Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures) that lets him hover in the air for 2 seconds (20 seconds in Easy Mode), making it easier to jump over lengthy gaps.
Mega Pac-Man[]
In Pac-Man World Re-Pac, Pac-Man can eat a Power Pellet to transform into Mega Pac-Man, which depicts him in a giant version of his spherical wedge form (similar to his design in Pac-Mania). While in this form, in addition to being able to eat ghosts, Pac-Man can destroy stage objects, and temporary platforms appear to help Mega Pac-Man cross large gaps.
Trivia[]
- Since he made his debut in 1980, Pac-Man is one of the earliest known video game protagonists in history.
- Pac-Man's name is derived from "Paku Paku" (パクパク), a Japanese onomatopoeia for eating. More specifically, the figure-of-speech refers to opening and closing one's mouth many times, just as Pac-Man himself does.
- Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of the Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, and most other franchises by Nintendo, has stated that Pac-Man is his favorite video game character - even above his own creations including Mario.
- Pac-Man was briefly considered to be a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, under Shigeru Miyamoto's suggestion, but the idea was scrapped. The game's director, Masahiro Sakurai, thought Pac-Man's inclusion would be too far-fetched at the time (in part due to thinking of Pac-Man's classic "wedge" shape, instead of the arms-and-legs design); however, he was later playable in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.[13]
Gallery[]
For this page's full gallery, see Pac-Man/Gallery.
References[]
- ↑ According to the Davie-Brown Index, Pac-Man and Mario have the highest brand awareness of any video game characters among consumers. Davie Brown Celebrity Index: Mario, Pac-Man Most Appealing Video Game Characters Among Consumers - PR Newswire.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20190304181633/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/iwatani-pac-man-was-made-for-women
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20190607072436/http://time.com/3892662/pac-mans-35-years/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20190712174728/https://www.wired.com/2010/05/pac-man-30-years/
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20200109075706/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/132330/the_pacman_dossier.php
- ↑ https://www.salon.com/2002/06/17/pac_man/
- ↑ https://kotobank.jp/word/%E3%81%B1%E3%81%8F%E3%81%B1%E3%81%8F-600437#E5.A4.A7.E8.BE.9E.E6.9E.97.20.E7.AC.AC.E4.B8.89.E7.89.88
- ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=PTrcTeAqeaEC
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Pac-Man: Birth of an Icon", Chapter 3
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fwlH-1pZO0
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbQjPKp-A6Y
- ↑ "Pac-Man: Birth of an Icon", pages 218-220
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 https://sourcegaming.wordpress.com/2015/06/26/800/
- ↑ https://www.licensingsource.net/bandai-namco-reveals-retro-pac-man-style-guide/
| Pac-Man Characters | |
|---|---|
| Main Characters | Pac-Man • Ms. Pac-Man • Jr. Pac-Man • Baby Pac-Man • Professor Pac-Man • Chomp-Chomp |
| Other Characters | Miru • Sour Puss • Pac-Devil • Sir Pac-A-Lot • Pac-Master • Ms. Pac-Master • Krystal • Buttercup • Fairy |
| Pac-Ghosts | Blinky • Pinky • Inky • Clyde • Sue • Funky • Spunky • Kinky • Tim • Orson • Yum-Yum |
| Main Antagonists | Ghost Witch • Toc-Man • Mesmerelda • Mollusc • Spooky • Wandy • Erwin • Golvis • Ink Master • Mezmaron |
| Minor Antagonists | Gobblin • Jack • Wormwood • The Fiend |
| Pac-Man Party | Mr. Cookie • Patra • Roger • Woofa • Bearserk |
| Ghostly Adventures | Pacster • Cylindria • Spiral • Betrayus • Fuzbitz • Sir Cumference • Spheros • Dr. Buttocks • Butt-ler |
| Crossovers | Pooka • Fygar • Dig Dug • Mappy • Mr. Driller • The Prince • Mario • Sonic the Hedgehog |