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. donmopa
    Apr 17, 2023
    7
    Entertaining enough. However it needs more players to play against instead of computer based
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. Maxdom77
    Jun 16, 2022
    5
    tetris 99 pero ahora pac man?
    Se vuelve aburrido rapidamente y el contenido es muy poco (exepto si pagas)
  5. 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

Awards & Rankings

65
#65 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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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