Pac & Pal/How to play

Controls

 * Joystick: The joystick helps you direct Pac-Man through the maze. You can hold the joystick in direction that you would like Pac-Man to go before he is able to turn that way, and he will turn as soon as possible.
 * Fire: This button can only be used while Pac-Man is powered up after eating the signature stage item. He will turn blue and grow slightly.  Until he returns to his normal yellow size, you can press the fire button as much as you like.
 * 1 or 2 Players: Push these buttons to begin a one or two player game.

Pac-Man
Once again, you control Pac-Man as you guide him through the maze. Pac-Man's goal is to gobble up every target item behind the gates. There are two instances of an item in each stage that will power Pac-Man up, turning him blue and making him slightly larger. He must avoid contact with the four ghosts unless they are temporarily stunned by Pac-Man when he fires at them while powered up. Pac-Man is not invincible while powered-up, so he must still avoid contact with any ghost that is not stunned. He is capable of turning around corners faster than the ghosts, so make as many turns as possible when the ghosts are on his tail. The number of extra lives given depends on the machine settings, but you typically get one extra life at 30,000 points, with the possibility of getting a second at 80,000 or 100,000 points, and an additional possibility to get even more.

Miru & Chomp Chomp
Depending on which version of the game that you play, your pal will either be the mysterious green girl Miru, or Pac-Man's pet dog Chomp Chomp. They behave identically. Once one or more gates are open, Miru or Chomp Chomp will head towards the freed item and try to take it. They will move at half speed as they drag the item behind it. Their goal is to bring the item in to the ghost pen. You can stop them from stealing the item by eating it before they get to the ghost pen. You will lose the perfect stage bonus if the succeed in bringing any items in to the ghost pen, but there is no other penalty. There is one behavior that you can count on in order to collect the items from them. They will always cross underneath the ghost pen and enter the pen from the opposite side. So if they pick up an object on the left side of the screen, they will cross beneath the pen from left to right, and approach the pen entrance from the right. Pass beneath the pen at this time to get the item back from them.

The ghostly quartet
The familiar ghosts are back, but this time they aren't even properly introduced. Regardless, they basically behave the same. The red ghost, Blinky, shadows your trail. The pink ghost, Pinky, tries to stay one step ahead of Pac-Man. The blue ghost, Inky, will usually turn away if you take him head on. And the orange ghost, Clyde, does his own thing for the most part. The ghosts behavior is a tad more random than in the original Pac-Man so patterns can not be relied upon. The ghost will also exhibit a "stutter" behavior from time to time where they seem to shake in one spot briefly before continuing on. This can some times save you if you are being chased, or it can mess you up if you are following behind a ghost too closely.

Stunned Ghosts
When Pac-Man eats one of the stage's signature items, he becomes powered up, and can fire a beam or effect of some sort at the ghosts. Any ghost that touches this beam will become stunned for a number of seconds. During that time, they appear and animate differently, and you can safely pass through them. They begin to flash in their original color when the stun begins to wear off. Shortly after, they will return to normal and continue to pursue you.

Cards & Power Items
In order to clear each stage, Pac-Man must eat every item contained in the gates. And in order to open the gates, he must flip over every card. Flipping over one card opens a predetermined gate in the maze. You can only flip over three cards at maximum before you must eat one of the items behind the gates. You can not flip over a fourth until one of the items is eaten (or brought in to the pen by Miru or Chomp Chomp.) There will always be two instances of the stage's signature item, found on either side of the stage just below the ghost pen. These items will power up Pac-Man. All items give Pac-Man the same power, essentially. The different effects are mere cosmetic.