PAC-MAN DASH! Review

By , on July 22, 2013
Last modified 10 years, 9 months ago

PAC-MAN DASH!
Download on the AppStore
3 out of 5

PROS

  • Mission-based stages are welcome.
  • Power-pellet collection offers a decent sense of progression.
  • Hyper-happy music.

CONS

  • Doesn't do enough to differentiate itself from other auto-runners.

VERDICT

If you like Pac-Man, and still enjoy endless runners, you'll probably enjoy a few rounds of Pac-Man Dash!. It's a pretty bog-standard entry in the genre, however.


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You'd be hard pressed to meet someone who hasn't at least heard of Pac-Man. One of the original videogame icons, his legacy persists to this day, largely thanks to his fans, and his revival in games such as Pac-Man Championship Edition. With Sega chucking Sonic onto the auto-runner bandwagon, it's not surpise to see Namco pushing out their spherical star towards the genre. Thing is, while Pac-Man Dash! does approach the genre in an interesting way, it may be too little too late.

The action kicks off in a city environment. You have fifteen missions to complete, each one unlocking the next mission as a separate stage. Pac-Man runs faster the more power pellets he consumes. As you follow the trail of pellets throughout the stage, you must run and jump to maximise your intake. In a neat role reversal, ghosts run in fear of Pac-Man the instant they see him. Gobbling them up will increase the level timer, allowing you more to complete the mission objectives and rack up a higher score.

Perhaps we've played too many endless runners, or are just overly familiar with Pac-Man, but it took a little effort to not instinctively jump over a ghost the instant one appeared on the screen.

The rest of the game is standard endless-runner stuff. You progress through a series of environments, using your currency to buy upgrades that make the level's easier and change Pac-Man's skin. If you play daily, you will net a handy jackpot bonus. Thankfully, the freemium design isn't too pushy. Pop-up links steer you towards the Pac-Man toy website, where you can buy figures and other accessories from the upcoming cartoon, but that's about it.

Unfortunately, beneath the game's chirpy exterior and super-charged soundtrack, there's just not much here to recommend Pac-Man Dash! to anyone other than auto-runner enthusiasts. Though the mission-based stages add some interest, the formulaic gameplay can't sustain that interest for long. In the end, we fear Pac-Man Dash! is is destined to forever chase the ghosts of other auto-runners.

Screenshots

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