"Pac-Man World Repac" Is A Huge Power Pellet For The "Pac-Man" Franchise

I decided to buy the game Pac-Man World Re-Pac. I remember borrowing Pac-Man World on the PSX back in 2000. With minimal Internet back then - I never got to finish Pac-Man World. Some games were tough back then presumably to sell the fabled cheat devices. Oh yes, I used to use GameShark often in survival horror games like Resident Evil 3 (my first Resident Evil game). I gave Pac-Man World a shot and I got too frustrated with it. Someone I knew only played the classic game instead of exploring the Pac-Man franchise's evolution from a chomping maze into a platformer.

The game's story still follows closely from the original. Pac-Man returns home to find his family missing. Pac-Man must rescue his family from the Walking Spoiler villain Toc-Man and the ghosts. What happened to the Ghost Witch of Netor from the past games? The game has a semi-open world where Pac-Man must explore and try to save his family. One can play a bonus game if one is diligent enough to collect all the PACMAN letters. As a remake, the easier controls make it more manageable to collect bonus items than the first version. 

The game can be frustrating (at first) due to some level designs. I can remember getting a lot of game-overs in later levels. However, it's advantageous to farm up 1Ups or play the bonus games. I seldom replayed a few levels to get more lives. However, I usually blame my tired mind on the game's difficulty. I usually quit the game either when the PS4 controller runs out of juice OR when I get tired.

The wackiness can go with the boss fights. We get diverse bosses after several levels of standard Crash Bandicoot platforming style (2D and 3D elements). Trying to figure out how to beat the bosses can be fun and frustrating. However, one can eventually figure it out. In my case, I still Googled how to defeat some of the bosses. Anubis, Krome Keeper, and Toc-Man can be frustrating at times. I confess I was beaten by Toc-Man several times before I BARELY WON the final fight.

After finishing the game, there are some extras one can go for. Racking up lives makes Marathon Mode bearable for me. I always suck at the classic Pac-Man so I didn't bother to try and play more of the classic. Unlocking the mazes can be hard but rewarding. The marathon mode was designed to entertain new players while not estranging the older ones. I usually prefer to zoom out of the maze since the enlarged view drives me dizzy.

Overall, Pac-Man World Re-Pac is an interesting retcon of the original game. Will Pac-Man World 2 and Pac-Man World 3 get a Re-Pac treatment soon? Hopefully, and maybe make the games more reasonably difficult.