Ms. Pac-Man could be considered the sequel to the SNES game Pac-Man, but really it's the next game in a long series. Starting back in the arcade many years ago, Pac-Man has been ported on almost every major game console to be released to date. Originally there was just Pac-Man, and nobody ever thought another Pac-Person could exist. But I suppose one day the feminists got to them, and they decided to add another feature player to the Pac-Man world: A female. In order to set her apart they decided to add a fancy little pink bow on her. And so, Ms. Pac-Man was born.
The game play of this game is very much like the other Pac-Man games around. You start off at the bottom of a maze and you work your way through the maze, collecting every single pellet in the room. There are pellets everywhere, they're perfectly lined up down every corridor in the game. So if you wish to complete a level, you have to work your way down every path in the maze. But that would be much too easy wouldn't it? So to fix that, right in the middle if the maze there is a small box. Within that box ghosts are cultivated. There are about five ghosts that can be out in the maze at a time, each coloured differently in an attempt to give them some individuality. When Ms. Pac-Man touches one of these ghosts, she instantly dies and has to restart the level. But fear not, when you restart, all the pellets you have previously collected will not regenerate. Oh yes, you can get your revenge on the ghosts though. There are extra large pellets in various places in each maze, and when touched, Ms. Pac-Man will speed up and be super powered. The ghosts will then all turn blue and flee in terror. If you happen to touch a ghost while in Super Pac-Man mode, the ghost will die and will need to regenerate in it's lair at the center of the maze. The other objects that will occasionally float around the maze are the fruits. There are many different fruits that will float around the corridors, and each gives you a different number of points for collecting them. Some of these fruits include the apple, the orange, the watermelon, and the grapes.
There are a few new features in this game as well. After all, they can't be reproducing the game exactly the same as it was, can they? If you press or hold the B button, Ms. Pac-Man gains super speed. I like to call this the boost button. There are advantages and disadvantages to using the boost button though. I have to admit, it is much more fun to rocket around the level at an intense speed, but if you do you may very well miss a turn and propel yourself right into a ghost. But using the boost is like smoking cigarettes: You know the consequences, but it's just too addictive. Once I started holding the boost button all the time, I couldn't stop. Even if I knew it might get me killed. Also, there was a two-player mode added. So, if your buddy wants to get in on the action, he now can. The two player mode can be run in competitive or cooperative. The names speak for themselves, but there are minor changes what will take place depending on which option you choose. In competitive mode, when a power-up pellet is collected, only one player goes into Super Pac-Man mode, while the other will notice a drastic lowering in speed and a lack of super powers. In cooperative mode, if one player collects a power-up pellet, both players will get super powers. Two player mode is loads of fun, and is a welcome addition.
The graphics are really subordinate to the game play. When you're running around a two-dimensional maze, the last thing you're worrying about is stunning graphics. Keeping with that idea, nothing exceptional was done in this area. The maze's walls are comprised of one or two base colours, depending on the level. Each level is coloured differently, on the walls and on the floor. Ms. Pac-Man is also very basic. You essentially see a small yellow circle with a pink bow 'waka waka'ing around the maze with an opening and closing mouth. The ghosts are just one base colour, and each ghost has a different colour. They have a rounded top and a spiked bottom, which makes it look a bit like the have sheets over their head in an attempt to get some Halloween candy. The fruits are fairly well designed, with a lot of contours in them. The best example of this is the grapes: they are in a bunch, so there are many small circles. The contrast between each circle is good, and I detect a bit of a lighter shade in the colour around the edges of each grape. Nothing amazing, but everything required is in place.
The sound and music is perhaps the most mediocre aspect yet. There are very few compositions used in this game. There is one for the start-up screen, and the levels are set into groups, with each group having a different musical piece. In true arcade tradition, we see the full glory of the 'bleepy bloopy' effect used here. There are no big orchestral performances, because why would you need it? There are just a lot of sounds put together into a catchy beat in an attempt to get you even more into the game. The sound effects primarily consist of the 'waka waka' sound. As Ms. Pac-Man moves around the maze she is eating, and the 'waka waka' is the well-known sound of Pac-People consuming their precious pellets. When a fruit is collected a basic 'bing' comes into play to let you know you got the bonus. When a power-up pellet is collected the music changes during Ms. Pac-Man Super-Power mode. Again, only the basics were included.
Overall the game was put together with the same formula as all the other Pac-Man games. It may not be complex, but it's extremely addictive. Ms. Pac-Man is the perfect example of how a very simple game can be very fun. You'll find yourself becoming consumed in the quest to complete all the stages. you’ll go without sleep and food, just to finish. Then when you finally do finish, you’ll want to do it again on a higher difficulty level. The game is very challenging, but it is still very fun. Such a formula makes the replay value simply infinite. An amazing addition to an amazing series.
