Latest news with #PacMan
The Verge
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
In a year full of giant games, some little mice stand out
There have been a lot of big games this year that have felt all-consuming, like Monster Hunter Wilds or Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Maze Mice offers something different: a small, pick-up-and-play experience that takes a bunch of ideas from some classics and adds a clever twist. The game, from Luck Be a Landlord developer TrampolineTales, mixes elements of Pac-Man, Vampire Survivors, and even the classic Snake. As an adorable, pixelated mouse, you zip around a maze to get blue experience gems that are guarded by cats. When you pass by the cats, they'll wake up and start chasing you, sometimes creating a hilariously long line of felines. (Cute ghost cats will also appear and inconveniently float right into your path.) All the action takes place on one screen, so it's easy to see where everything is at any given time. When you get enough gems, you can pick from a selection of three power-ups. The upgrades are often a little silly, like knitting needles that fly through the air to attack the cats pursuing you, but as with Vampire Survivors, it's fun to experiment with different abilities to create interesting builds. Maze Mice 's most interesting feature is that time only moves when you move, like in Superhot. When you inch forward, the enemy cats inch forward right behind you, but when you're not moving, they're frozen, too. Your abilities are all on cooldowns, and the time on those cooldowns also only advances when you move forward. It all means that instead of the growing sense of being overwhelmed that you might get while dodging ghosts in Pac-Man or fighting hordes of monsters in Vampire Survivors, Maze Mice gives you time to sit and think about where you want to go next — even if you have 10 cats on your tail. I really like how it all works. You're still dealing with lots of enemies, but instead of the anxiety of having to fend them off in real time like in other games, it's all much much more laid-back. The charming atmosphere and catchy music help make the experience feel more welcoming than stressful, too. After runs, you'll unlock new upgrades and characters for future runs based on your score. I'm a big fan of a mine weapon that blows up when I get the cats following me to walk over it. And my favorite character so far is a mouse named Jazz with sunglasses and a saxophone — who starts with a saxophone weapon. Such a cool little guy! Maze Mice is in early access, so it should get more content down the line. It seems like there's a generous amount to play with already; TrampolineTales launched the game this month with 30 characters and 63 upgrades, meaning there's a lot to dig into. But the thing I love most about it is that I can play for a few minutes after an hourlong Doom: The Dark Ages level and feel like I actually accomplished something – even when those pesky cats eventually catch up to me.
Digital Trends
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Shadow Labyrinth might just pull off its oddball elevator pitch
45 years after the release of Pac-Man, Bandai Namco is finally answering the age-old question: 'How would it play as a 2D Metroidvania?' Surely you've all been wondering that, right? Well, ask no more because we'll soon have an answer to that head-scratching question with Shadow Labyrinth on July 18. At PAX East 2025, Digital Trends went hands-on with the upcoming game and chatted with Seigo Aizawa, producer at Bandai Namco, about Pac-Man's new look. Aizawa showed us how the oddball game is more true to Pac-Man's core tenets than it looks at first glance. It may be a gritty Metroidvania with intense boss fights, but this is still the same maze-navigating eat-em-up you've been playing for decades, albeit in a very different light. Recommended Videos Enter the maze In Shadow Labyrinth, players wake up in a strange world where everything is trying to kill them. The only thing aiding their survival is a Pac-Man-like creature that gives them abilities and guides them through a savage planet. Amazon's Secret Level episode starring Pac-Man serves as a prequel to Shadow Labyrinth, and watching it will give players a better understanding of what to expect. 'To expand our audience, we wanted to make something new,' Aizawa tells Digital Trends. 'We wanted to get people who never played a Pac-Man game to play [Shadow Labyrinth]. When we thought about the concept of the game, 'Dark Pac-Man' came up. When you think about a dark atmosphere and a maze concept, [the] Metroidvania [genre] matches it perfectly.' Shadow Labyrinth is especially fast-paced for the genre. Every attack must be executed with a plan in mind. But that's not to say Shadow Labyrinth isn't a Pac-Man game at its heart still. There's still a maze for players to run through, you just won't see it from a bird's eye view. Instead, players navigate 2D environments and you have to figure out where they're going as they explore. Pac-Man's tendency to eat everything in sight plays a role here too, though in much more sinister fashion. After players are done chopping up your enemies, they can perform an action that essentially turns you into a Pac-Man Kiju that lets them eat their foes to gain abilities. Aizawa revealed that this was by design, as the game needed three key pillars for which Pac-Man is known for: eating, mazes, and power ups. That's not the only thing my Pac-Man companion can do. As I was making my way through mazes, I was presented with paths that had rails on them. The only way to cross them was to turn into that iconic yellow sphere from the arcade classic. The catch was that the rails were packed with all sorts of traps that were trying to kill me. If I wanted to make it through alive, I needed to evade them. While the Shadow Labyrinth itself is a new location, it still connects to a familiar universe. Bandai Namco decided to toy around with the UGSF (Universal Gaming Simulation Framework), a narrative device that the company uses to connect many of its games. A clear example of this appeared towards the end of my demo. After defeating the main boss, I uncovered a Dig-Dug easter egg that played a bit of the game's music. Aizawa says that this is just one example of how all of the games are connected thanks to the UGSF. Shadow Labyrinth takes place in a distant future, whereas Dig Dug took place 3,000 years before this game. As players progress through the story, they'll find remnants of other beloved Bandai Namco properties. Sometimes these will be simple winks and nods to other games, and other times they'll play a bigger role in the story. The overall gameplay doesn't disappoint based on what I've played so far. There's a clear sense of Metroidvania progression that gives players plenty of new abilities to unlock, changing their tool set. The boss fights are engaging clashes against larger than life monsters and the platforming almost feels like a game of its own. Every aspect of it is working for me so far, which is a pleasant surprise considering how left-field the pitch is. Shadow Labyrinth is dark, edgy, and grim, but still very much a Pac-Man game at its core. As different as it is from anything else in the series history, I'm still having fun exploring mazes and eating enemies at the end of the day. Shadow Labyrinth is taking a big swing and hopes to capture a new audience with its latest iteration of Pac-Man. From what I played, Bandai Namco may just pull that off with something entirely new. Shadow Labyrinth launches on July 18 for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.
BBC News
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Check out this new addition to the World Video Hall of Fame
The Tamagotchi is among the latest item to be inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame, in America. It joins the likes of Pac-Man, Super Mario Bros. and The Sims but it's not an easy task to get this ranking. The Hall of Fame recognises arcade, console, computer, handheld and mobile games that have been popular and loved over time or really influenced the video game industry or pop culture. Which game do you think should make the list next year? Let us know in the comments below! The new members of the Hall of Fame were whittled down from a list of 12 finalists that included Angry Birds, Frogger and Mattel not just a virtual Hall of Fame either. All of the games with the accolade are on display at the Strong Museum in New York. Games that have already made it into the Hall of Fame include: TetrisWorld of WarcraftThe Legend of ZeldaSonic the Hedgehog Space InvadersPokemon Red and Green Tamagotchi They had a resurgence recently but did you know, Tamagotchi's were first released in Japan back in 1996. By 1997 they had taken the world by storm, and people young and old were looking after their virtual pets. It was so popular that schools in China, Honk Kong, Thailand and the United States banned the device for distracting students. The toy was rebooted in 2017 and 2020 with brand new elements including a virtual library and the ability to marry pets.
Geek Culture
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Culture
‘Shadow Labyrinth' Transforms Arcade Icon Pac-Man Into Challenging But Twisted Action Platformer
Pac-Man, everyone's favourite friendly yellow puck, has evolved into a cultural icon since his debut in the classic 1980 arcade maze game. As a face so widely known in the gaming world, he has unsurprisingly received a spin-off or two over the years, along with some enhancements to the traditional maze-style gameplay, like with 2007's Pac-Man Championship Edition . Otherwise, there have been attempts to bring the icon into a whole new genre, such as with 3D platformer series Pac-Man World (1999), or with 2006's Pac-Man World Rally kart-racer. While the perspectives and gameplay styles of Pac-Man games have changed, titles in the franchise have always stuck to their family-friendly and lighthearted nature – until now. Serving as a re-imagining of the franchise's core concepts, Shadow Labyrinth , an upcoming 2D action platformer developed by Bandai Namco Studios, not only thrusts the iconic puck into a brand-new genre, but also marks a stark franchise departure with a twisted, more mature take on the character, and if our time with a 20-minute preview of the upcoming title was any indication, it's definitely not for the faint of heart. Shadow Labyrinth serves as a sequel to Circle , the sixth episode of Prime Video's 2024 animated anthology Secret Level. Like the episode, players embody the role of protagonist Swordsman No. 8, a mysterious cloaked figure accompanied by a floating yellow orb named PUCK. Jumping straight into the action, the preview opens with a glimpse of the game's sprawling segment-based map design, which would immediately feel familiar to fans of Metroidvania titles such as 2015's Ori and the Blind Forest or 2017's Hollow Knight . Embodying the franchise's core concepts, each area of the map offers a maze-like level structure, filled with optional paths and platforming opportunities littered with all sorts of critters to dispatch, from bats, spiders and other humanoid enemies. To deal with his foes, the Swordman is equipped with a standard three-hit attack combo, alongside a few defensive options like a dodge roll, and a choice between a barrier to absorb blows or a timing-based parry that can deflect attacks. These combat mechanics, although solidly implemented, might sound like standard affair that countless other games have done and perfected, but Shadow Labyrinth does shake things up by introducing another core element of the Pac-Man franchise – eating. Apart from gaining Ora, the game's currency, by defeating enemies, PUCK can also use a Devour attack to consume the corpses of any defeated foe to acquire unique materials, which can then be spent to obtain player-boosting perks to supplement the overall combat experience. While obtaining and using these perks were locked during the early build, previous trailers hinted at playstyle-altering abilities, such as adding an attack when performing a mid-air dodge, so these perks do have the potential to provide options for players to mix up their playstyle. Apart from its combat, a bulk of the game is set to focus on platforming, with the preview showcasing two of the Swordsman's abilities, the ACTIV shot and Mini Puck mode that can be used to traverse the world or complete challenges. The former operates like a grappling hook mechanic seen in many other titles in the genre, propelling the Swordsman towards pre-set points in the environment or allowing him to close the gap during combat. Unlike other games, though, the ACTIV shot is direction-based and has a rather short range, requiring precise mid-air adjustments and adding a welcome layer of challenge to basic platforming. Mini Puck mode, on the other hand, is automatically activated when a player walks on certain special platforms, fusing the Swordsman and PUCK into one entity and allowing the duo to ride rails reminiscent of the classic arcade game, even offering a throwback by making the character's iconic waka waka sound in the process. The use of these abilities is further tested when a player comes across optional platforming challenge rooms, offering the allure of health upgrades and improving potion-carrying capacity at the end of a difficult platforming gauntlet akin to those seen in 2024's Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. Speaking of challenge, Shadow Labyrinth also presents a much more difficult gameplay experience as compared to Pac-Man's previous outings. For one, the game does not use an auto-saving system and instead requires players to find checkpoints sparsely laid out across the map for a moment of respite. These not only refill the Swordsman's health, but also resupply his limited potion charges, while allowing for skill upgrading in exchange for Ora. The game's combat can also get difficult rather quickly, as although one-on-one encounters can be tackled with ease, groups of enemies attacking from all directions can quickly overwhelm a player if they are not careful. In addition, using defensive moves drains the Swordsman's mana reserves and can leave him vulnerable once depleted, encouraging tactical usage of dodging and blocking, alongside proper timing of the games rather slim parrying window, offering a combat experience that's challenging but fair, rewarding patience over simply button-mashing. In addition, Shadow Labyrinth foregoes hand-holding and instead encourages trial and error, with a lack of objective markers to guide players towards their next objective, although this could just be due to the early nature of the game build and might be a feature added down the line. In the later part of the preview, the game also introduces a new enemy type that cannot be damaged by basic attacks, leaving players to figure out how to deal with the threat on their own without further guidance. Thankfully, the game isn't souls-like, and death doesn't come with any penalty other than restarting from the previous checkpoint, at least during the early stages shown in the preview. The session culminated with a boss fight against a massive turtle-like dragon, offering the perfect opportunity to show off the Swordsman's ultimate ability, GAIA, a mech he can transform into to even the odds. While powerful, this ability operates on a timer and requires a lengthy cooldown, and also can't be used in confined spaces, and is meant to be saved for the most perilous situations. Furthermore, the battle was also a test of all abilities learned thus far, with the arena's walls dotted with rails for Mini Puck to grind on to avoid certain devastating attacks while waiting for an opening to strike back. Once defeated, the boss is then consumed by Dark Puck, a giant, venomous creature that emerges from the Swordsman. By devouring his foe, the duo can obtain a special move for GAIA that mirrors the one used against them in the fight, a powerful laser beam in this case, which can clear certain obstacles along the way. While only one example was shown in the brief play session, hunting down bosses to harness their powers would no doubt play a big part in the game's Metroidvania-inspired traversal systems, allowing players to backtrack and explore new areas using the skills obtained from bosses for additional loot and upgrades. While its early preview was short, Shadow Labyrinth is shaping up to be a promising action platformer with a lot of potential. Its combat and traversal mechanics might seem rather basic on first glance, but the ability to learn new moves by consuming foes presents a unique prospect not seen in many games of the genre, opening up the possibility for more complex gameplay systems down the line. Pac-Man seems to have transitioned into his new genre rather well, and with the combination of solid core mechanics and gameplay that's challenging but fair, the future of the yellow puck seems bright despite the dark, twisted world that PUCK and the Swordsman find themselves in. Shadow Labyrinth will launch on 17 July 2025 for the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, while the PC version will be released one day later. Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise 'duds' like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3 . He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying. Bandai Namco Geek Preview pac-man preview Shadow Labyrinth
The National
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Playing Pac-Man Live in Dubai: Chasing pellets and dodging ghosts in a fun, surprisingly physical game
It's not every day I get to run around with my friends, trying not to be eaten by ghosts. At least, not at this age. But here I am at Active Games UAE (also home to Chaos Karts) in Al Quoz, Dubai, trying out their newest attraction, Pac-Man Live Experience. As the name suggests, it's an immersive, real-life version of the classic arcade game where my friends and I step into a glowing maze and become Pac-Man. Before we enter the arena, we register by inputting our names (feeling clever, I go by Eve-Man) and get suited up in a 'Pac vest' that will track our every move. The Pac-Man game master – dressed in a yellow suit, of course – gives us a colourful rundown of the rules. The format follows the original video game: we score points by 'eating' pellets and collecting as much fruit as possible, all while avoiding ghosts (unless they're blue) and steering clear of other players (for our safety) as well as the projected walls because we lose points if we touch them. There are also symbols worth more points that we need to grab before another player does. While the explanation is helpful, it's still not immediately clear how the game plays out. Other people are joining our session, so we have some lingering questions. Are we on teams? Are we competing against each other? The instructions don't spell that out clearly, so my friends and I spend the first round figuring it out as we go. We step into the arena, where a Pac-Man maze is projected on to the floor. Each of us is assigned a starting point. The walls around us display an animated audience of tiny Pac-Men (and women), and a giant leader board shows our points after each round, revealing that we are playing as individuals. Taking the game off-console means moves are not restricted to the original Pac-Man's strict four directions and we are able to dart around. A session runs for about 30 to 40 minutes, broken into roughly two-minute games. After the first game, I realise this will take more physical effort than I expected. While we're not exactly sprinting, there's a fair bit of movement involved in chasing down pellets and fruit before anyone else does. For fitness tracker fans, my Whoop Strain was 9.3, registered as 45 minutes of physical activity with five minutes of Zone 3 heart rate. Luckily, there are short breaks built in. During the session, players are randomly selected to become ghosts – so they sit out that game – while the rest continue racking up points. The idea is that this rotates, and everyone gets the same amount of rest time so it's fair. We also play mini-games for a chance to boost our scores. After a few rounds, I come up with a strategy to maximise points but apparently, so does my friend, as we nearly crash into each other more than once. In the end, I beat him (barely) and joyously come out on top as the overall winner. However, I won't reveal my winning tactic. I'll leave that for future players to figure out. Pac-Man Live brings out everyone's competitive side, but in a good way. Whether with friends, family or even co-workers, it taps into a playful energy that's hard to resist. There's something genuinely fun about chasing dots, dodging ghosts and trying to climb that leader board – especially when trying to beat people you know. For those who want to give it a go, I'd recommend wearing trainers and perhaps packing a change of clothes in preparation for working up a sweat. This game works just as well for adults reliving childhood arcade memories as it does for children seeing Pac-Man come to life for the first time. Pac-Man Live Experience opens Wednesday; tickets start at Dh160
