Pac-Man redemption games

Flyer for the 2003 Pac-Man coin pusher, a Pac-Man redemption game.

Redemption games are arcade/amusement machines that are played to earn prizes. Many Pac-Man themed redemption games have been produced over the years, starting in 1987.

List of Games

Medal games

Machines that dispense "medals", pog-like discs that can be exchanged for prizes. Commonly seen in Japan.

• Carnival (1987, Namco) - The player bets on what number the wheel will land on.
• Pac-Slot (1996, Namco) - Video slot machine that dispenses medals.
• Pac-Eight (1996, Namco) - Sequel to Pac-Slot; another video slot machine.
• Pac-Carnival (1996, Namco) - Video game adaptation of aforementioned Carnival.
• Pac Adventure (1997, Namco) - Coin pusher with video elements.
• Pac 'N Party (2000, Namco) - Lightgun game; protect Pac-Man from incoming monsters.

Ticket games

Machines that dispense tickets. Replaced medals as the go-to redemption format. Popular in almost all countries, especially the United States.

2010s series (Namco)

A distinct "series" of ticket redemption games was released from 2013 to 2015 by Bandai Namco Amusement. The majority of these games use branding from Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures.

• Pac-Man Ticket Mania / Pac-Man Chomp Mania (2013, Bandai Namco) - Simplified, ticket-dispensing version of Pac-Man with a giant screen.
• Pac-Man Swirl - (2014) - Clone of Slam-a-Winner from 2000.
• Pac-Man Basket (2014) - Arcade basketball game.
• Pac-Man Ghost Bowling (2014) - A small Skee-Ball machine.
• Pac-Man Feast (2014) - Blast balls into Pac-Man's bucket. This game was only available in select European and Asian territories, not including North America or Japan.
• Pac-Man Alley Ball (2015) - Knock over ghost targets to turn them blue.

2020s series (Namco)

A subsequent series of ticket redemption games was released in the early 2020s, and is currently still in production. These machines use distinct "street art"-like designs not seen on other Pac-Man releases.

• Pac-Man Baller (2022) - Arcade basketball game.
• Pac-Man Roller (2023) - A Skee-Ball machine.
• Pac-Man Pinger (2023) - An air hockey machine.
• Pac-Man Slider (202x) - Upcoming release; gameplay is unknown.

Other titles

• Pac-Man's Ticket Factory (2001, Namco) - Gameplay is unknown; was possibly unreleased.
• Pac-Man Hammer/Pac-Man Against Ghosts Hammer (2018/19, Matic Entretenimento) - Whac-A-Mole machines with 6 or 3 moles to hit, respectively. Only released in Brazil. Strangely, the machines use Ghostly Adventures branding despite releasing in 2018/19, a time when the series had long ended.
• Pac-Man Power Pellets (2022, Bandai Namco) - throw the balls into the colored Pac-Men's mouths.

Prize games

Machines that dispense prizes directly, usually toys. Often harder to win than medal or ticket games. Commonly seen worldwide.

• Pac-Cap (1996, Namco) - Maneuver the prize-filled ball through the maze.
• Capsule Factory (2003, Namco) - Another ball-maneuvering game, with different rules than Pac-Cap.
• Pac-Grab (2004, Namco) - a series of crane/claw machines released in Europe. Models include Pac-Grab, Pac-Grab Jr., and Pac-Candy; the latter two are "winner every time" machines.
• Namco Fire Truck (200?, Namco USA) - a series of crane/claw machines released in the United States. There are several different models, including an alternate design known as Namco Ice Cream.
• Pac-Man Play - (201?, Namco USA) - another claw machine series.

Pachinko machines

Popular Japanese game where the goal is to win marbles, which are then exchanged for prizes.

• Fever Pac-World (2001, Sankyo) - Pachinko machine with video screen. Also released in "DX" and "SP" models.

Gambling games

Particularly in select European countries, there are "redemption games" which dispense cash, but are not intended for casinos; effectively making them gambling machines. These games were generally not released in America; or if they were, they were converted into ticket redemption titles. Note that this list does not include standard slot machines or other directly casino-oriented games.

• Pac-Man (coin pusher) (2003, Mazooma/ICE) - 8-player coin pusher. Some versions dispense tickets while others dispense coins.
• Pac-Man Ball (2003, Namco) - Reskinned version of Namco's own Puzz Ball from 2001.
• Skill Ball Pac-Man (2016, Supernova Games) - Seemingly some form of bingo.
• Pac-Man (coin pusher) (2019, BullDog Games) - another coin pusher machine, sold in both 4 and 8-player models. Dispenses tickets and coins simultaneously.

Others

Games there is very little information on; it is unknown what their redemption format is (if any).

• Pac-Man Hammer Match (2016, Namco [?]) - Gameplay is unknown.

Trivia

• Coney Island once held a large redemption game called Get 'Em, Pac-Man!, seemingly originating from the early '80s. It is more of a carnival game, however, and the license is questionable.
• Some Pac-Man redemption games were only distributed in arcade locations vended by Namco USA, particularly claw machines (such as the Pac-Man Play series).
• In an image from the now-defunct Namco USA website, a strangely-shaped Pac-Man machine appears in the doorway of an arcade. In actuality, this machine is modified from the Sega SpongeBob SquarePants redemption game; as evident by alternate pictures of the same arcade showing the SpongeBob machine in its exact place.
  • While it is possible the arcade location genuinely altered the SpongeBob machine to become a pseudo-Pac-Man redemption game, the more likely truth is that it was merely a Photoshopped image for promotional purposes (likely covering up SpongeBob for copyright reasons). Additionally, upon very close inspection, the reflection of the machine on the ground appears to be of the SpongeBob artwork.

References

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