QS stands for “Quickshot”, a series of short form review/preview/opinion articles.
Well friends…we’ve officially arrived at a day I never in a million years would’ve expected. Especially not three years ago, when I wrote another Quickshot article on a closely-related subject.
One of my all-time most nostalgic childhood games, Pac-Man World 2, recently received a full remake in the form of Pac-Man World 2 RePac…and I couldn’t be happier.
For those who might not remember, the original Pac-Man World 2 was a 3D-platformer collect-a-thon, where you adventured through a world filled with various environmental biomes, leap from platform to platform, bash some baddies and gobble some ghosts, and pick up tons of pac pellets and fruits on your journey to save the land. The evil ghost Spooky is causing havoc, and you’ve got to stop him.
RePac is nearly the same, and that’s reasonable, of course. The story is still the same, the order of worlds you explore is still the same, the progression of levels is still the same, the arrangement of boss fights is still the same, the soundtrack is still the same, Pac-Man still plays the same, and the ending of the game is still the same.
Okay…I’m lying to you a little bit. See, when I say “the same“, what I actually mean is “the same but also so much more“. I did say that RePac was a full remake, and not just a remaster. The developers went the distance with this updated version of a forgotten classic, and then some!
The story is still the same…but there’s tons of new cutscenes, and everything is fully voiced now. The order of worlds is the same…but the world map has shifted to create a central hub around Pac Village. The progression of levels is still the same…but their layouts have been revamped and evolved in so many new ways. The arrangement of boss fights is still the same…but they each play completely different, with new attacks and tricks. The soundtrack is still the same…but most tracks are reorchestrated, and there’s a bevy of brand-new tracks and remixes. Pac-Man still plays the same…but he’s also got new moves like a Super Bounce and a grounded kick-flip. The ending of the game is still the same…but entirely new never-before-seen content unlocks after the credits roll!
You see what I mean? RePac isn’t some lazy re-release that brushes up the visuals and then moves on. The developers clearly had nothing but love and care for the original, and that shines through in every single facet of this evolved experience. Just looking at RePac makes it obvious that this is a new-and-improved Pac-Man World 2, but until you actually play the game, it can be hard to realize just how massively updated all of this is!
And for someone with intense nostalgia for the original (like me), it’s almost mind-boggling how many new things they’ve added, how many tweaks they’ve made, and how this version just stands head-and-shoulders above the original. Playing RePac feels like I’m a child again, reliving everything with fresh and excited new eyes.
On the topic of ‘improvements‘, putting nostalgia aside, the original game had more than it’s share of flaws.
The difficulty curve was the stuff of nightmares, with absurdly-punishing ice physics causing dozens of lives lost even in World Three, and then it just got worse from there. The bosses too, with the boss of World Four infamously being one of the most challenging fights in any 3D platformer. Not only that, but a few of the bosses are just copy/paste of their previous matches. Production values were also a bit iffy, given the stiff low-effort cutscenes and lack of content outside of the main game. And that main game was way too short as well, clocking in below ten hours of playtime.
Just about every single possible complaint you could have towards the original has been eased by RePac.
The difficulty curve is far smoother thanks to improved ice physics in World Three, more frequent checkpoints, and more forgiving (and less janky) platforming moments…though the World Four boss is still the hardest in the game. Boss repetition is removed by having brand-new showdowns in place of the old less-inspired fights. Production values are way up thanks to the voice acting and legitimate cutscenes. And the length is improved by a more engaging mission system encouraging replaying levels, alongside a multi-hour post-game adventure filled with harder missions and revamped superbosses!
I actually want to draw special attention to RePac‘s post-game, because nothing in the promotional material suggested it would exist at all, to the point where some ‘professional‘ reviewers don’t seem to have even known it was included. It’s six levels and six boss fights, which together provide some of the tensest thrills and toughest challenges in the whole game, alongside new mechanics and remixed tracks that are great to groove too! And then even after that, there’s one final uber-tough secret boss waiting. And all of this post-game content has more voice acting and cutscenes, so the presentation remains vivid and enjoyable throughout.
I really don’t think I can put into words how weird-but-amazing all of this is. I seriously never would’ve dreamed Pac-Man World 2 would come back into my life, and I definitely wouldn’t have dreamed it would be up to this shockingly high of a standard. I would’ve settled for a simple port with touched-up visuals, and instead I’ve been treated to a veritable feast of childhood nostalgia and brand-new excitement in equal measure. For a game that, ultimately, isn’t exactly reinventing the wheel of the platforming genre, the fact that this much love was shown to it is astounding.
There has never been a better time to enjoy one of the most entertaining and overlooked 3D platformers of all time. And now, not just nostalgic-childhood-me can tell you that it’s a great game! Enthusiastic-present-day-me can say the same thing!
9/10
The Contrarian Corner 