Go, Pac-Man, Go!
A new battle royale game is getting ready to hit Nintendo Switch. Pac-Man 99 is inspired by the classic Pac-Man arcade game, but it will turn the chaos up a notch by allowing players to compete against 98 other people in each game. (If your family has tried Tetris 99 or Super Mario Bros. 35, the setup here is similar).
In each game of Pac-Man 99, each player will direct Pac-Man around their own maze in the center of the screen, while other players’ mazes are shown in tiny previews around the outside of the screen. Similar to a regular game of Pac-Man, players will need to move Pac-Man around the maze to collect pellets while avoiding ghosts.
The twist here comes when players collect a power pellet and eat a ghost. When this happens, they’ll send “Jammer Pac-Man” to other players’ mazes to trip them up. The more ghosts players eat, the more Jammer Pac-Man they’ll send. The last surviving player wins the game.
Players will be able to choose from eight preset gameplay strategies, based on their preferences. These include “speed up,” “send extra Jammers,” and more. Once players choose a strategy, the game will implement it on its own, so players can continue focusing on their own screen. At the same time, players can switch between strategies during a game, which may help them gain the advantage over their opponents.
Pac-Man 99 will be released on Switch on April 7 at 6 p.m. PT. The game will be free to play (with optional in-game purchases), but it will only be available for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. To learn more about the Nintendo Switch Online membership, check out our guide.
Pac-Man 99 is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.
Top image via Nintendo.
Brandy Berthelson has been writing about video games and technology since 2006, with her work appearing on sites including AOL Games, Digital Spy, and Adweek. When she’s not gaming, Brandy enjoys crafting, baking, and traveling with her husband.
