To celebrate Pac-Man's 20th anniversary in 1999, Namco released Pac-Man World on the PlayStation. Critics thought the 3D platformer was fine, and it sold well enough that the game saw two sequels on multiple consoles for the then-next-generation GameCube, PS2 and Xbox. In 2022, Bandai Namco brought back the first game in a remastered format, and whether it's because the game sold well or because an incomplete effort would look bad, we're now getting Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac. The funny thing is that this time around, the game is getting more than just a remastered treatment, making this the best way to experience the title.

The story is simple yet effective. One night, while the denizens of Pac-Village were sound asleep, the Ghost Gang (Inky, Pinky, Blinky, and Clyde) came in to wreak havoc. The group settled on stealing the golden fruits from the town square, but their mischief accidentally released a malevolent spirit named Spooky, who was sealed within the tree by those same golden fruits. Spooky commands the Ghost Gang to hide the golden fruit while he plots his revenge against the Pac citizens. The next day, the village is overrun by malignant thorns, and only a few citizens can move about freely. One of them is Pac-Man, who sets out on a quest to retrieve the fruit and defeat Spooky.

From the start, you can see that there's been some effort put into this remaster. Unlike the original game, the FMV cut scenes are now rendered in-game, and it looks much better than the original cut scenes. The scenes have had their dialogue tweaked, and a few angles were changed. The one change that everyone will notice is that Pac-Man now speaks. That's also true for characters in later scenes that never spoke before, but it's a big deal to have the previously silent protagonist say anything. His voice is fine and  matches the voice quality of the game's other characters, but that one change shows that this isn't just a straight port with higher graphical fidelity.

For the most part, what you're getting is exactly the same type of gameplay provided in the first Pac-Man World title. In true platformer fashion, Pac-Man can jump on enemies and do a bounce that can be powered up to help Pac-Man reach higher elevated areas while stunning or killing enemies in close proximity of the bounce's shockwave. Pac-Man can dash forward after building up some speed, similar to Sonic the Hedgehog's spin dash technique, and he can swim underwater without the fear of running out of oxygen. All the while, you'll collect dots and fruit, including those that will automatically take you to new areas in each level.

Compared to the first game, the formula has changed a tad in this iteration. Pac-Man can ride vehicles like a submarine and don roller blades and ice skates for traversal in specific levels. There are still areas that play out their dots in a maze-like pattern, but the game ditches the mini-mazes altogether in the main quest in favor of more platforming. You also have a flip kick that can be executed when jumping in the air; you'll use this to destroy boxes and uncover secrets.

The first Pac-Man World Re-Pac title introduced more moves to the arsenal, and those mechanics return in the sequel. The dots you collect are mostly used as points, but you can also use them as projectiles. They can't be thrown very far, and it takes some time to wind them up before the dots can be unleashed, but it is an option to employ. You can also perform a flutter at the top of your jump arc, giving you more distance for your leap before you start descending.

Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac also makes some changes to Pac-Man's move set that weren't in the original title. The flip kick isn't relegated to an air move; you can perform it at any time while on the ground. The move is good enough that you'll use it more often than your jump or spin dash to eliminate foes. Grabbing a power pellet will make you large, and you can destroy a few rocks because of it. The power is more imposing when combined with the fact that this is still the only way to eat the game's ghosts. The bounce system also has an indicator that allows you to execute the more powerful bounce easier, but that only comes about when you figure out the timing, since the indicator and the exact button press don't always match up. The biggest mechanical change in the game pertains to the camera. The camera can freely be moved around, and it is more stable, so it doesn't zoom into the environment as often. This change fixes the biggest complaint of the previous version of Pac-Man World 2, where the camera system was often immutable and very finicky, making some jumps harder than they should've been.

The stages run the gamut of environments you'd expect to see in a platformer of this vintage. There's a forest, an ice level, a fire level, etc. You get to do roughly three normal levels before getting into a boss fight, a pattern that has been around for a very long time. The formula is solid and enjoyable, but don't expect anything to wow you. The levels also happen to be an area where some tweaking has been done. Some traps have been changed out, and some of the gaps have been switched around. Levels are also bigger, so while veterans of the game will recognize most of the stages, there's still enough to surprise those players in a good way. The only knock is that there are still invisible boundaries in some areas, which serve as a reminder of how boxed in you are in a stage — even if an area looks reachable under normal conditions.

With all of the positive things that have already been said about the title, there is one potential negative to keep in mind, and that's the fact that the game is relatively easy. Even if you've never played the original game, veteran platform players will be able to recognize how to get through some of the trickier platforming sections, and boss battles will be very predictable. The game could present a challenge for younger players or those unfamiliar with 3D platforming games, but the title also has an option for an easier difficulty level to allow you to take on no damage. There's also a two-player mode that lets the second player hover around as a drone and take care of enemies, similar to what you'd see in the Super Mario Galaxy series. In short, there is no way that a player couldn't beat this game due to its overall difficulty.

The only other major complaint people will have with the title is the same one levied against the game all those years ago: The experience is rather short. You can complete the game from beginning to end in around five hours and with a bevy of extra lives to spare. That's on the default difficulty, so those playing on the lower difficulty level will burn through the title faster. To be fair, the game has some nice bonuses to keep the experience going. Each level sports a time trial mode and some challenges that unlock new costumes for Pac-Man to wear for his adventure. There's also a ton of collectibles, including ones that let you try special mazes in the arcade. That arcade also houses a number of classic Pac-Man arcade titles, and while their presence isn't so novel anymore considering how many times these games have been released in other compilations, it is comforting to know that these original unlockables weren't ripped out along the way.

Graphically, Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac looks quite good. The colors are bright, and the color palette does a good job of making everything look cheerful and cartoon-like. The animations are also well done, and the environments are textured well. There are no obvious errors, like texture pop-in, and the game runs at a solid 60fps at all times, which the original game also did.

As far as the audio goes, it's also very good. As stated before, the voices aren't exceptional, but they're fine as far as performances go, and they do a good job of making the script sound good. The sound effects lean heavily toward the classic Pac-Man arcade sounds, and that's fine since those effects are still very fitting. The music is bouncy and one of the few things that hasn't been changed from the original game; this is good because that soundtrack was already good.

Steam Deck users will be pleased to know that the game is already marked as Verified on the Steam store page. The 1280x800 resolution is locked in, and the game runs at a constant 60fps with everything set to High graphically. With a full charge on the LCD version of the Deck, the game can run for around three-and-a-half hours. With stats like that, this is a perfect title for Valve's device.

As stated before, Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac is the best way to experience what is otherwise an average platformer. The game isn't challenging, but it remains a solidly constructed platformer with improvements and changes in the right places. The game looks and sounds as great as it plays, and while it is fairly short by today's standards, that doesn't detract from the overall fun factor. For genre fans, this is a good addition to the library, even if you already have the original iteration from a few console generations ago.

Score: 7.5/10