Pac-Mania
System: Genesis
Release Date: September 1991
Developer: Sculptured Software
Publisher: Tengen
Genre: Maze
Here comes Pac-Man back to your home console in isometric 3D in Pac-Mania! There’s a maze. There are dots. Enter ghosts and a yellow sphere with a mouth. Eat all the dots and avoid the ghosts. Do it over and over again. Enjoy!
I already played this on the NES and it plays exactly the same. You see far too little of the board at any given time. The power pellets last for too little time after the first few levels. Jumping is fun until the jumping ghosts appear.
You get the Pac-Booster as an option here, so if you want to go fast, hold the A Button and enjoy an advantage. Don’t get too comfortable though, one wrong turn and you’re ghost chow. Play until you get bored or until you die.
Graphics: 1.5
The Genesis is capable of so much more.
Sound: 2.0
The music and sounds are fine, I guess.
Gameplay: 2.5
I like the premise and it’s an alright distraction.
Difficulty: 3.0
Learn the ghost patterns and you’ll be fine… until they trap you.
Fun Factor: 2.0
It’s alright, but I won’t go out of my way to play this.
Overall Rating: 2.2
Pac-Mania earns a C+. It’s still a decent game. Nothing you’ll spend too long playing, but nothing offensive.