Once you have inserted your coin into the cabinet of Namco's 1987 arcade game Pac-Mania, the text "PUSH START BUTTON! ONE PLAYER ONLY!" will appear on the screen if the "PLAY MODE" setting in its options menu is set to "CONTINUE" or "RETRY 1ST"; however, if it is set to "SELECT", the additional texts "TO ENTER SELECT MODE" and "WHILE PUSHING JUMP" will appear between it, which means that if you press the Start and Jump Buttons simultaneously the game will not start immediately (instead, the texts of "MOVE STICK TO SELECT WORLD & PUSH BOUNCE BUTTON TO START" and "PLEASE SELECT FAVORITE WORLD" will appear at the top and bottom of the screen, and you have to select either Round 1, 3, 6 or 9 by pushing the joystick up and down, then pushing the Jump Button to confirm your decision, which renders the first eight rounds skippable if desired). You also cannot continue the game by inserting another coin into the cabinet after Pac-Man lost his final life in the "RETRY 1ST" or "SELECT" modes.
In the US version (which increases the default high score from 50000 to 100000, adds a high-score table, and removes four rounds from the first part), the round selector screen will only appear if the "SELECT" setting in its options menu is set to "ON"; you also cannot start on "Round 6" (the Japanese version's Round 9), but if you choose to start on "Round 2" (the Japanese version's Round 3) you will receive a "Courage Bonus" of 70000 points after clearing it, and if you choose to start on "Round 4" (the Japanese version's Round 6) you will receive a higher "Courage Bonus" of 150000 points after clearing it. If the "CONTINUE" setting in this version's options menu is set to "OFF", you also cannot continue the game after Pac-Man lost his last life.
In the Japanese version, the default setting for the "GAME END" option in its options menu is "23 ROUND" ("19 ROUND" in the US version); however, should the arcade operator set it to "11 ROUND" ("7 ROUND" in the US version), it shall immediately proceed to the ending after the first Jungly Steps world, and if he sets it to "ENDLESS" it will loop back to the second Sandbox Land world after the second Jungly Steps world. For the twenty-three (or nineteen)-round and endless games, Funky and Spunky will also lose their jumping capabilities in the second Block Town and Pac-Man's Park worlds.
On the rounds with two possible special bonus items the first one listed will appear if Pac-Man has not eaten any power pellets prior to its appearance, while the second one listed will appear if he has; the green Speed-Up Pellet will also increase Pac-Man's speed until he either eats a power pellet and the effect wears off, or he loses a life. However, the red Score-Up Pellet will not only cause the ghosts to become vulnerable for a very short period of time when it is eaten, but it shall also double the amount of points Pac-Man will receive for eating ghosts until he loses a life - and as the ghosts' point value does not reset if Pac-Man eats a power pellet but then eats another one before that first one has worn off, it can significantly increase his score.
There is a "secret" maze on the Sega Master System version of the game (which is seen on the next page); in order to get to it, Pac-Man must eat all regular pellets on the first round (avoiding the power pellets) and then eat the special bonus item that appears in the centre of the maze. The "secret" maze in question looks like it is made out of enormous coins with pictures of Pac-Man on them, and it is for this reason that it is entitled "Coin World".
Block Town[edit]
Japanese version: WELCOME TO THE PAC-MAN WORLD.
LET'S HAVE FUN WITH PAC-MAN.
NOW, LET'S GO TO BLOCK TOWN.
US version: WELCOME TO PAC-MAN'S WORLD.
LET'S HAVE FUN WITH PAC-MAN.
- This maze appears on the first, second, twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth rounds. It contains 102 pellets (106 if you count the power pellets).
- As you can see from the image, the maze is made out of enormous LEGO blocks. The ground is also made to look like a LEGO baseboard.
- On the second and thirteenth rounds, the blocks are red, white, and blue. On the fourteenth round, they are a darkened red, yellow and blue.
| Round | Regular bonus item | Special bonus item | Pellets to eat before special bonus item appears | Ghosts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cherries (1000 points) | Speed-Up Pellet (1000 points) or Score-Up Pellet (7650 points) | 90 | 4 - Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde |
| 2 (US: 1) | Strawberry (2000 points) | Speed-Up Pellet (1000 points) or Score-Up Pellet (7650 points) | 50 | 5 - Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde, and Sue |
| 12 (US: 8) | Bell (7000 points) | Galboss (7650 points) or Score-Up Pellet (7650 points) | 50 | 7 - Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde, Sue, and two Funkys (non-jumping) |
| 13 (US: 9) | Key (8000 points) | Speed-Up Pellet (1000 points) or Score-Up Pellet (7650 points) | 20 | 8 - Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde, Sue, two Funkys (non-jumping), and Spunky (non-jumping) |
| 14 (US: 10) | Key (8000 points) | Silver Key (10000 points) or Speed-Up Pellet (1000 points) | 50 | 8 - Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde, Sue, two Funkys (non-jumping), and Spunky (non-jumping) |
The layout of the "Coin World" maze in the Sega Master System version is also identical to that of this one, and the point value Pac-Man shall receive for every regular pellet he eats in it is increased from 60 to 500 (however, in this conversion, and several others, the power pellets are not worth any points).
Pac-Man's Park[edit]
Japanese version: WELCOME TO PAC-MAN'S PARK.
NOW, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!
THIS IS THE PAC-MAN THEATER.
US version: WELCOME TO PAC-MAN'S PARK.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
- This maze is on the third, fourth, fifth, fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth rounds. It contains 138 pellets (142 if you count the power pellets).
- Any die-hard Pac-Man fan would have noticed that this maze is the maze from the original Pac-Man arcade game in an isometric perspective.
- On the fifth and sixteenth rounds, the railing-like walls are a brownish shade of red. On the seventeenth round, they are a dark shade of purple.
| Round | Regular bonus item | Special bonus item | Pellets to eat before special bonus item appears | Ghosts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 (US: 2) | Orange (3000 points) | Score-Up Pellet (7650 points) | 110 | 6 - Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde, Sue, and Funky (non-jumping) |
| 4 | Orange (3000 points) | Candy (4000 points) or Speed-Up Pellet (1000 points) | 60 | 6 - Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde, Sue, and Funky (non-jumping) |
| 5 (US: 3) | Apple (4000 points) | Green Apple (6000 points) or Speed-Up Pellet (1000 points) | 20 | 7 - Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde, Sue, and two Funkys (non-jumping) |
| 15 (US: 11) | Key (8000 points) | Speed-Up Pellet (1000 points) or Score-Up Pellet (7650 points) | 60 | 7 - Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde, Sue, and two Funkys (non-jumping) |
| 16 (US: 12) | Key (8000 points) | Speed-Up Pellet (1000 points) | 20 | 8 - Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde, Sue, two Funkys (non-jumping), and Spunky (non-jumping) |
| 17 (US: 13) | Key (8000 points) | Hamburger (7000 points) or Speed-Up Pellet (1000 points) | 60 | 8 - Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde, Sue, two Funkys (non-jumping), and Spunky (non-jumping) |
Sandbox Land[edit]
Japanese version: COMMONS ARE PLAYING OUTSIDE.
BE CAREFUL! WARE THE JUMPING MONSTERS.
US version: FUNKYS AT PLAY.
- This maze is on the sixth, seventh, eighth, eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth rounds. It contains 115 pellets (119 if you count the power pellets).
- By this point, Funky will have gained the ability to jump whenever Pac-Man jumps for five rounds, so good timing is essential to getting over him.
- On the eighth and nineteenth rounds, the pyramids and the water around the edges are turquoise. On the twentieth round, they are red and gray.
| Round | Regular bonus item | Special bonus item | Pellets to eat before special bonus item appears | Ghosts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (US: 4) | Apple (4000 points) | Score-Up Pellet (7650 points) or Speed-Up Pellet (1000 points) | 100 | 7 - Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde, Sue, and two Funkys (jumping) |
| 7 | Bananas (5000 points) | Speed-Up Pellet (1000 points) or Coffee (5000 points) | 55 | 7 - Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde, Sue, and two Funkys (jumping) |
| 8 (US: 5) | Bananas (5000 points) | Speed-Up Pellet (1000 points) | 20 | 8 - Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde, Sue, two Funkys (jumping), and Spunky (jumping) |
| 18 (US: 14) | Key (8000 points) | Score-Up Pellet (7650 points) or Silver Galboss (9000 points) | 55 | 7 - Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde, Sue, and two Funkys (jumping) |
| 19 (US: 15) | Key (8000 points) | Silver Bell (9000 points) | 20 | 8 - Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde, Sue, two Funkys (jumping), and Spunky (jumping) |
| 20 (US: 16) | Key (8000 points) | Hamburger (7000 points) or Speed-Up Pellet (1000 points) | 55 | 9 - Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde, Sue, two Funkys (jumping), and two Spunkys (jumping) |
Jungly Steps[edit]
Japanese version: NEXT WE GO TO JUNGLY STEPS.
YOU BETTER WATCH OUT OR...
ANYWAY, THE SHOW MUST GO ON!
US version: LET'S GO TO JUNGLY STEPS.
YOU BETTER WATCH OUT...
ANYWAY, THE SHOW MUST GO ON!
- This maze is on the ninth, tenth, eleventh, twenty-first, twenty-second, and twenty-third rounds. It contains 172 pellets (176 if you count the power pellets), and there are invisible walls around the edges along with the holes that act as walls, to prevent Pac-Man and the ghosts from falling off.
- Because Spunky can jump just as high as Pac-Man, it is impossible to get over him, so you should not even bother trying it, unless he is edible.
- On the eleventh and twenty-second rounds, the steps and sky are green and blue. On the twenty-third (final) round, they are pink and turquoise.
| Round | Regular bonus item | Special bonus item | Pellets to eat before special bonus item appears | Ghosts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 (US: 6) | Peach (6000 points) | Ice Cream (6000 points) or Score-Up Pellet (7650 points) | 80 | 7 - Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde, Sue, and two Funkys (jumping) |
| 10 | Peach (6000 points) | Speed-Up Pellet (1000 points) or Soft Cream (8000 points) | 80 | 7 - Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde, Sue, and two Funkys (jumping) |
| 11 (US: 7) | Bell (7000 points) | Silver Bell (9000 points) or Score-Up Pellet (7650 points) | 80 | 8 - Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde, Sue, two Funkys (jumping), and Spunky (jumping) |
| 21 (US: 17) | Key (8000 points) | Silver Key (10000 points) or Score-Up Pellet (7650 points) | 80 | 7 - Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde, Sue, and two Funkys (jumping) |
| 22 (US: 18) | Key (8000 points) | Score-Up Pellet (7650 points) or Silver Key (10000 points) | 30 | 8 - Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde, Sue, two Funkys (jumping), and Spunky (jumping) |
| 23 (US: 19) | Key (8000 points) | Silver Key (10000 points) or Score-Up Pellet (7650 points) | 80 | 9 - Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde, Sue, two Funkys (jumping), and two Spunkys (jumping) |
Japanese version:
NICE GOING!
YOU OUTLIVED THE FOUR WORLD.
TOO BAD YOU'RE NOT OVER.
AS YOU KNOW,
THE SHOW'S GONNA GO ON!
US version:
NICE GOING!
YOU'VE COMPLETED THE FOUR
WORLDS, BUT YOU'VE ONLY
JUST BEGUN! STAND BY...
Ending[edit]
IT WAS FUN PLAYING WITH YOU.
WE HOPE WE CAN PLAY AGAIN.
BE SEEING YOU... THANK YOU!
...TO BE CONTINUED.
PAC-MANIA
CREATIVE STAFF
GAME DESIGN
ST. DAIMYOJIN
CHARACTER DESIGN
T. YAMASHITA
GRAPHIC DESIGN
A. USUKURA
VISUAL DESIGN
SATOSHI S.
BABE. TESHIMA
YUKARI M.
TOMOYUKI S.
MUSIC AND SOUND
JUNKO OZAWA
YURI.
Y. TOMURO
GAME PROGRAM
TARO. SHIMIZU
SYSTEM PROGRAM
TARO. SHIMIZU
KOSEI M.
DR. TAM.
H. YAMAZAKI
...AND SUPERIORS
SYSTEM DESIGN
T. OGAWA
T. OKADA
M. INOUE
DR. TAM.
...AND SUPERIORS
DIRECTOR
ST. DAIMYOJIN
T. IWATANI
PRESENTER
FUN FIRST PRO.
NAMCO LIMITED
After the credits have finished, the Japanese version will go back into attract mode, but the US version will now go into high-score mode; your score will most likely be the highest on the cabinet to date so you should enter your initials at the top of the table with pride by pushing the joystick left and right to select the letters, then pressing the Jump Button to confirm them. Once you have done so, the background will fade out and the high-score table will be displayed on the screen as an anthropomorphic Pac-Man runs from right to left above it (pursued by an anthropomorphic Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde, and Sue) - and once the anthropomorphic Pac-Man and ghosts disappear off the left side of the screen, the US version shall also go back into attract mode.