Pac-Man 99

 Switch
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 37 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 37
  3. Negative: 3 out of 37

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  1. Kiera44
    Apr 8, 2021
    10
    This game is honestly a timeless classic is really fun, then add some Nintendo magic and a battle royale to it and it is a perfect experience in my opinion, if you have switch online is an absolute must play.
  2. Zerarch77
    Apr 13, 2021
    9
    Pac-Man 99 is surprisingly one of the best Pac-Man games. It combines design elements of the arcade original, the modern Championship Edition series, and the "battle royale" format of Tetris 99 and Super Mario 35. The result is a game that is relentlessly engaging, intensely challenging, and deceptively deep.

    The game has no tutorial or manual, which is a huge oversight because it is    Pac-Man 99 is surprisingly one of the best Pac-Man games. It combines design elements of the arcade original, the modern Championship Edition series, and the "battle royale" format of Tetris 99 and Super Mario 35. The result is a game that is relentlessly engaging, intensely challenging, and deceptively deep.

    The game has no tutorial or manual, which is a huge oversight because it is harder to learn from gameplay alone than any other Pac-Man game. With that said, the extra rules layered on top of classic Pac-Man successfully facilitate interesting choices during gameplay.

    Here are some examples to consider:
    1. You only need to eat half the dots in a round to spawn the fruit that refreshes the maze (and crucially, the Power Pellets). But if you eat all the dots, you'll get a permanent speed boost.
    2. Eating a Power Pellet clears all jammers but not killers. Eating a fruit clears all killers, but not jammers. Killers are more dangerous, but fruits provide no protection from ghosts.
    3. Powerup modes come with drawbacks. "Speed" doubles your speed, but dramatically weakens your attacks. "Train" doubles the sleeping ghosts you wake, but spawns an extra jammer for each. "Stronger" doubles your attacks, but has a short duration and permanently lowers your speed.
    4. Sometimes you must avoid a vulnerable ghost train if you wish to build a stronger attack. But this may slow your dot-eating progress.
    5. When not powered up, you'll have to deal with the four ghosts that each have a unique movement style. Together they form a complex threat.

    Each gameplay element has a push and pull. As Pac-man and the ghosts get faster, the powerups last shorter, and jammers spawn erratically, you'll have to make and execute increasingly difficult decisions at breakneck speed. And if you think you can camp near Power Pellets and delay the later rounds as long as possible, you will find yourself moving slower than everyone else while they swarm you with jammers that bring your motion to a standstill as the ghosts close in.

    Perhaps the best part of Pac-Man 99 is that virtually all your arcade Pac-Man skills (if any) will carry over. Solid game design is timeless, and Pac-Man 99 is a great twist on a beloved classic.    … Expand
  3. Syhlcam
    Apr 12, 2021
    9
    Pac-Man 99 est excellent, tout comme Tetris 99, le fait de partir d'un classique qu'est Pac-Man reste une excellente idée. Le jeu est ultra rapide, facile à prendre en main et très plaisant à jouer. Le système de stratégie est vraiment très bien pensé et permet de s'adapté rapidement et simplement à la situation.
    Le jeu est également bien plus punitif qu'un Tetris 99 où vous pouvez faire    Pac-Man 99 est excellent, tout comme Tetris 99, le fait de partir d'un classique qu'est Pac-Man reste une excellente idée. Le jeu est ultra rapide, facile à prendre en main et très plaisant à jouer. Le système de stratégie est vraiment très bien pensé et permet de s'adapté rapidement et simplement à la situation.
    Le jeu est également bien plus punitif qu'un Tetris 99 où vous pouvez faire des erreurs et revenir, ici une mauvaise observation et/ou anticipation et c'est fini. Le seul point noir du jeu est la lisibilité qui lorsque de très nombreuses animations, c'est vite le bordel à l'écran.
    Mais il reste vraiment très cool à jouer et à s'améliorer.    … Expand
  4. Resin1
    Apr 11, 2021
    8
    When I first saw the reveal for this game, I was really scared that it was going to just flop in terms of quality, but I find this one of the best Battle Royale games out of the series of Tetris 99 & Super Mario Bros. 35. The gameplay controls like Pac-Man, however on Pro Controller, I really wish they could change movement to the Left Stick, instead of having the D-Pad control moving,When I first saw the reveal for this game, I was really scared that it was going to just flop in terms of quality, but I find this one of the best Battle Royale games out of the series of Tetris 99 & Super Mario Bros. 35. The gameplay controls like Pac-Man, however on Pro Controller, I really wish they could change movement to the Left Stick, instead of having the D-Pad control moving, which is fine because you can get used to it, but I still think there should have been options for controls before you start the game, because it will throw players off. The main priority is to just survive, and don't get killed. Prioritize getting any Power Pellet, and eat the Ghosts, because as the game goes on, these shadow-like Pac-Men appear to slow you down, Ghosts get faster, and eventually Red Pac-Men will appear, which will kill you if you touch them. The game however is sixty percent luck, and forty skill. Skill will get you far, but hitting 1st Place will take time for sure, I think it could be toned down a bit to make your chances of getting 1st Place.

    There's also other modes, BUT you have to purchase them. There's one of my problems that doesn't really get this game the perfect score it really should deserve. You see the game is technically free if you have Switch Online Membership, BUT with the free version, you can only play the 99-person BR and unlock some emblems for your profile picture. To get everything in the game, all the modes, the themes, emblems, and all of that, you need to pay $30, yikes. However, if you're playing this game only for the Battle Royale, you won't really WANT the other modes, the themes is really the only thing you'll want. The themes changes everything COMPLETELY. The map, the enemies, even the soundtrack, the only thing that generally remains the same is pellets, and when you access the power-pellet the enemies turn into blue ghosts. The only DLC I've gotten is the Galaga Theme, which is really fun, listening to the Galaga theme before a match starts, my problem with that is that it still goes on for about a second when the game starts, its a minor thing, but it threw me off.

    For a short Soundtrack, well, its good. The Lobby theme is nice, and the game over and music while the game is on is good. The Soundtrack is good but there isn't much of it to review, which is understandable since the game is just some modes and a load...a LOAD of theme packs.

    Overall, if you have Online, play it, its a fun timewaster and it can get addicting at times, the only flaws are some bits of the gameplay and how in order to play anything but the BR you need to pay for it, I just wish some could be unlockable by advancing levels, which would encourage playing the game more. But yeah, I think this is SLIGHTLY better than Tetris 99 and better than Super Mario Bros. 35. I really hope they do events and some fun activities for the game, because it HAS potential, even with some minor flaws. So yeah, play it, its fun.    … Expand
  5. nusco
    Apr 22, 2021
    8
    After the transcendent Tetris 99 and the disappointing (and now unavailable) Super Mario Bros. 35, Pac-Man 99 is Nintendo's third iteration of the same idea: mash up battle royale with classic games from the 80s. I'm glad to say that this one is another winner, and a potential contender for king of the subgenre.

    PROS: - ADDICTIVE, IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY: Pac-Man 99 has fun, fast    After the transcendent Tetris 99 and the disappointing (and now unavailable) Super Mario Bros. 35, Pac-Man 99 is Nintendo's third iteration of the same idea: mash up battle royale with classic games from the 80s. I'm glad to say that this one is another winner, and a potential contender for king of the subgenre.

    PROS:

    - ADDICTIVE, IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY: Pac-Man 99 has fun, fast action, and hectic risk and reward mechanics that continuously push you forward. Even after dozens of runs, it's hard to say no to yet another go.

    - FEELS MORE BALANCED THAN ITS SIBLINGS: Where its two predecessors required monster reflexes or speedrunner-level insight, Pac-Man 99 makes you feel like you always have a chance. And when you die, most of the times you can only blame yourself.

    - IT'S PAC MAN: Most classic arcade games are just curiosities today. Not Pac-Man. It's truly a timeless classic that's still as fun to play as it always was, especially with modern touches like the satisfying "ghost trains".

    CONS:

    - SURPRISINGLY GREEDY: You already need Nintendo Online if you want to play multiplayer battle royale. To play additional modes, you're asked to fork out good money on top of that.

    - STILL A BIT THIN: Like other games in the same mold, Pac-Man 99 has no real sense of progress. It's nice for a while, but the tight "one more go" loop eventually gives way to a nagging feeling that you're just wasting your time.    … Expand
  6. donmopa
    Apr 17, 2023
    7
    Entertaining enough. However it needs more players to play against instead of computer based
  7. Onioncreature
    Apr 23, 2021
    8
    Pac-Man 99 is an interesting twist on the classic arcade game. Like Super Mario Bros. 35 the execution is slightly confused, and takes a while to get a handle on. It's still enjoyable, but the formula doesn't work quite as well with Pac-Man as it did with Tetris.
  8. GreatGateway547
    Apr 8, 2021
    5
    I wanted to enjoy this, I really did, but it's a well-presented mess of ideas that ultimately turns the game into one of luck overall. The lack of tutorial, controls on the Joycon and strange ghost AI is only the beginning.

    - It's too easy to clear the obstacles off the board because of ease of access to Power Pellets, so most attacks are useless which was a big problem in Mario 35.    I wanted to enjoy this, I really did, but it's a well-presented mess of ideas that ultimately turns the game into one of luck overall. The lack of tutorial, controls on the Joycon and strange ghost AI is only the beginning.

    - It's too easy to clear the obstacles off the board because of ease of access to Power Pellets, so most attacks are useless which was a big problem in Mario 35. EXCEPT for the Red Pac Men. If they happen to randomly spawn in a place that boxes you in... good luck. You may get a warning that they're going to appear, but the fast paced nature of the game makes it impossible to plan for their arrival every time, especially as the patterns of the dots that will appear and placement of traps is never the same twice.

    - The different power modes feel unbalanced. Since most attacks are just negated with a single power pellet anywwy anyway, why not use Speed mode all the time, especially when there is no major benefit to Standard, Train mode only carries more risk. As for Stronger mode? It instantly takes a Speed unit away from you, which requires you to clear the entire maze of Pac Dots to obtain. In exchange you get twice the attack power... Which will promptly be erased by a power pellet anyway. If anything this one is a power-down!

    - Because the ghosts spend a lot of time in their vulnerable state, it's impossible to keep up with which is which when they turn back to normal. They may suddenly change behaviour to what you expected, just because you guessed wrong. The huge trains only mask their identities further, because of how many ghosts start moving in different directions at once.

    - The regular ghosts sometimes blend in with the crowd of the trains, making it very hard to see which way they're going next, especially if they suddenly about-face as they sometimes tend to do after a power pellet to readjust their pathfinding.

    Perhaps most importantly, it doesn't feel like you're up against other players. Since there's no way of judging how powerful your attacks will be - especially as higher chains don't seem to make any difference - and no way of deciding if you'll send Red Pac Men or just regular jammers, it feels like the game is just tossing things at you and hoping it traps you, rather than you outlasting real opponents like with the superior title, Tetris 99.

    Presentation and music wise, the game is fantastic, although the DLC prices seem rather stingy. Were this a full priced game the score would be much more harsh, but mercifully at least it's a free title that won't be going anywhere for a good while, unlike a certain other title...    … Expand
  9. MinePlay512
    Apr 11, 2021
    10
    Yes, it may be a classic and it's a battle royale game, but PAC-MAN 99 is basically awesome.
  10. ChillCat
    Jun 26, 2021
    7
    Pacman-99 is super fun classic Pac-Man against 98 other people! Although, I think it's a shame that Nintendo put the ability to customize your Pac-Man game & the ability to make private lobbies behind a paywall.

    Yes, Nintendo did that. I shouldn't be surprised, but it is still unfortunate to see. There's actually even more things in Pac-Man 99 behind paywalls that I'm not a fan of.    Pacman-99 is super fun classic Pac-Man against 98 other people! Although, I think it's a shame that Nintendo put the ability to customize your Pac-Man game & the ability to make private lobbies behind a paywall.

    Yes, Nintendo did that. I shouldn't be surprised, but it is still unfortunate to see.

    There's actually even more things in Pac-Man 99 behind paywalls that I'm not a fan of. Like the CPU battle for instance.

    There are unlockable icons players can get if they do Time Attack, but really? Just the icons? That blows.

    All in all, a good game, but has flaws.    … Expand
  11. MaddoxWhite
    Apr 24, 2021
    9
    Pac-Man Championship Edition + Dig Dug skin + 99 other people = amazing, apparently.
  12. Adasc2906
    Mar 11, 2022
    8
    This is a nice alternative after Mario 35 servers were shut down. try cause it's loads of fun
  13. Maxdom77
    Jun 16, 2022
    5
    tetris 99 pero ahora pac man?
    Se vuelve aburrido rapidamente y el contenido es muy poco (exepto si pagas)
  14. SonicFan20
    Sep 15, 2022
    7
    The Pac Is Back! But This Time There Are 99 Pac-Men. Its Basically The Same Pac-Man But Way More Chaotic. In My Opinion A Little Too Chaotic. A Bunch Of The game's Side Content Is Locked Behind A DLC Paywall Plus You Must Have a Switch Online Membership. Its Pac-Man At Its Core But Ehh. I Don't Know. Its Eh. Pac-Man 99 On The Nintendo Switch Gets A 7/10
  15. JJtheTexan
    May 1, 2023
    8
    I *love* Pac-Man, and this might be my favorite way to play. It combines elements of the 1980 arcade classic and newer iterations, particularly Championship Edition, with the 99-player "battle royale" format Arika first established with the sublime Tetris 99. If you have any love for Pac-Man, you will get a kick out of this frantic, competitive version.

    My only complaint is that the    I *love* Pac-Man, and this might be my favorite way to play. It combines elements of the 1980 arcade classic and newer iterations, particularly Championship Edition, with the 99-player "battle royale" format Arika first established with the sublime Tetris 99. If you have any love for Pac-Man, you will get a kick out of this frantic, competitive version.

    My only complaint is that the active player base is far smaller than Tetris 99, and most games these days (as of 2023) are a handful of humans competing against several dozen bots.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

65
#65 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 26 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 26
  3. Negative: 0 out of 26
  1. Ninty Fresh Magazine
    Dec 3, 2021
    70
    Pac-Man 99’s paid-DLC takes the shine off a decent battle royale. That said, fans looking for an action- packed version will enjoy this immensely. [Issue #4, p.68]
  2. CD-Action
    Nov 19, 2021
    75
    Until now there was only one sensible way to play Pac-Man – the Championship Edition. Pac-Man 99 is a new viable option. Even though the presence of other players is barely noticeable and the whole trick gets old quite fast, the game is simply more interesting than the basic version of the classic. [06/2021, p.39]
  3. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Oct 6, 2021
    85
    Being a free game (outside of DLC options), it's a very welcome distraction from the grief of losing Super Mario Bros. 35. [Issue #53 – July/August 2021, p. 20]
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