Pac-Man Arrangement/Getting Started

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[edit] Gameplay

Gameplay

Pac-Man Arrangement was originally released as part of the compilation arcade game Namco Classics Collection Vol. 2 in 1996. The objective was very much the same as the original - to eat all the pellets in the maze while avoiding the ghosts, but eating a power pellet would temporarily turn the tables. However, several new changes had been made to the gameplay, including new three-dimensional mazes, special bonus items, and the opportunity for two players to play simultaneously (the second player would take control of a fluorescent green version of Pac-Man).

On the game's title screen, the ghosts' names are listed, and the "character" names (Oikake, Machibuse, Kimagure and Aosuke) are paired with the more familiar "nicknames". There is also a new ghost named "Kinzo" (his other name is listed as "Hinekure"), who wears sunglasses and is edible at all times. If Pac-Man eats him, he acts as a power pellet, making the other ghosts edible. However, if Pac-Man doesn't eat him, he will eventually "meld" with one or more of the other ghosts which makes them larger and gives them special powers:

  • Blinky takes on the look of an enraged bull, and can charge from one side of the maze to the other. For reasons unknown, he also has a pair of boxing gloves.
  • Pinky takes on the look of a rabbit, and can hop from one side of the maze to the other. His landing target is depicted by glowing concentric circles.
  • Inky sports sunglasses and has the ability to create a transparent copy of himself that mirrors his position on the other side of the maze, providing a "ghost of a ghost" for the player to contend with. The transparent copy will disappear when a power pellet is eaten.
  • Clyde becomes obese, and attempts to slow Pac-Man down by spitting out new and larger 50-point pellets.

On some rounds, there are "DASH" arrows that let Pac-Man rapidly dash from one side of the maze to the other. When on the dash, hitting ghosts will make them dizzy and temporarily motionless, but hitting them while they are edible will cause them to be eaten up. On other rounds, there are "JUMP" arrows that let Pac-Man (and the ghosts) warp from one part of the maze to another. (The ghosts continue to be able to use these when edible, and even their bare eyes can still use them after being eaten.)

On the final round, the ghosts chase Pac-Man in a giant robot ghost. As Pac-Man eats the pellets, they are shot at the robot, wearing down its resistance and eventually destroying it.

[edit] Regular bonus items

  • Pineapple: 100 points
  • Mushroom: 200 points
  • Cherries: 300 points
  • Peach: 500 points
  • Strawberry: 700 points
  • Orange: 1000 points
  • Bananas: 2000 points
  • Grapes: 3000 points
  • Aubergine: 4000 points
  • Galaxian Flagship: 5000 points
  • Bell: 6000 points
  • Key: 7000 points
  • Lock: 8000 points

[edit] Special bonus items

All special bonus items are worth 1000 points (except for the Gold Firecracker and Smiley Face).

  • Brown Sack: Causes the ghosts to be thrown into a huge sack in their pen for about 5 seconds.
  • Magic Wand: Turns all the ghosts into presents, which can then be eaten for 1000 points each.
  • Red Firecracker: Gives Pac-Man a speed boost for the rest of the current round.
  • Pink Firecracker: Has the same effect as the Brown Sack.
  • Blue Firecracker: Creates a transparent copy of Pac-Man on the other side of the maze.
  • Orange Firecracker: This one only seems to be worth the extra points.
  • Gold Firecracker: This one only appears once per game, and is worth 10000 points if eaten.
  • Smiley Face: Like the Gold Firecracker, this one only appears once per game, and will give Pac-Man an extra life if eaten.