Pac 'n Roll (DS)

CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
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Overall score: 7.1 (3.5 stars)
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Gamespot editors' review

• Reviewed by: Bob Colayco
• Reviewed on: 08/22/2005
• Released on: 08/23/2005

Namco's yellow-dot chomper is all but synonymous with classic video games, but Pac-Man's transition into modern gaming has yielded mixed results. Whether it's been in platforming, party, or the puzzle genre, Pac-Man games in recent years have never captured the magic that made the original games so iconic over the decades. Nonetheless, Namco has dutifully forged ahead with Pac-Man spin-offs, and its latest is Pac 'n Roll for the Nintendo DS. The game is part puzzler, part platformer and it offers a decent implementation of the stylus and touch screen for control. Unfortunately, the novelty of the interface can wear thin, despite some different wrinkles in gameplay that you encounter over the course of the game.

Pac 'n Roll answers the question, 'What if you merged Marble Madness, Pac-Man, and Sonic?'

Pac 'n Roll's unusual design premise is explained by its plot. An evil superghost named Golvis has arrived to terrorize Pac-Land. Golvis has captured the area hero, Pac-Master, as well as Pac-Master's family, by turning them into limbless and helpless balls. As Pac-Man, Pac-Master's hero apprentice, you also fall under Golvis' curse but manage to escape capture. With the assistance of a helpful fairy, you must take on Golvis and his ghosts across several different worlds in order to rescue each member of Pac-Master's family and restore everyone to their normal state. Each of the game's more than two dozen stages requires you to roll around and collect dots and jewels while navigating tricky mazes, dodging ghosts, and avoiding environmental hazards. This gives the game its puzzler-platformer feel, sort of like a cross between Marble Madness and Sonic the Hedgehog.

The top screen of the DS shows you the playing field, while the bottom screen shows Pac-Man's smiling face. You'll use the stylus to move across the bottom screen, which will roll Pac-Man around the level as though you were using a trackball. You can also rotate the camera around using the D pad or the face buttons. And that's the extent of the control scheme.

The implementation of this design conceit is good for the most part. You can build up a fair amount of speed by using long, deliberate strokes. You also have the ability to do a speed burst, which is useful for running away from ghosts, shooting up ramps, or breaking open boxes. There's also a palpable feel of momentum, which changes depending on whether or not you've picked up either of the two modifier items: a suit of armor, which weighs you down and lets you sink in water or break open metal boxes; or a feather cap, which makes you extremely light, letting you float for short distances but also rendering you vulnerable to blowing away in gusts of wind. The designers have also thoughtfully included a fail-safe method for falling off of ledges. If you're not speed bursting, you'll need to swipe the stylus an extra time at the lip of the ledge to actually drop off of it. The problem with the control scheme comes in the later levels when you're required to carefully control Pac-Man and perform a lot of abrupt changes in direction. Since the touch pad recognizes longer strokes more easily than shorter ones, it feels cumbersome as you execute deliberate control and change in direction, which are required of you in later levels.

Moving the little guy can get frustrating when you need more focused control.

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Nintendo DS

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