Pac-Man is a popular classic video game that rose to prominence in the early 1980s. What truly made the game innovative was its colorful graphics and simplistic gameplay.
Many passionate fans have learned a few secrets about the game and have devoted a lot of time to discovering many strategies to beat the game.
Get to know the best Pac-Man strategies and learn how you can beat the game by checking out the article below.
Introduction to Pac-Man
When the game was released in 1980, more than 250,000 Pac-Man machines were sold all over the world. It was a resounding success at the time and soon sales of the arcade game rose into the millions across the world. The game was bound to become a worldwide success.
Pac-Man will always be the classic video game that inspires nostalgia and everyone loves. The game is very simple: players control the way Pac-Man moves through a maze, either left, right, up, or down.
As you move through the maze, you encounter small dots that Pac-Man ‘eats’, earning you 10 points each.
At each corner of the maze, you will find the energizer or the big dots. Each energizer is worth 50 points so make sure that you always get to them as soon as possible. Pac-Man's mission is to eat all the dots in each round.
The Elements of the Game
Apart from devouring the small and large dots in the maze, there are a lot of elements in the game that every player should know.
The maze is a huge labyrinth filled with areas that you might get trapped in so studying the maze is crucial if you want to beat the game. Apart from the dots and energizers that give you points, you also earn bonus points by devouring fruits.
Lastly, you will also need to remember that at each side of the maze is a tunnel. Each time Pac-Man goes through one side of the tunnel, he emerges on the other side. The ghosts can also follow Pac-Man through the tunnel but at a much slower pace.
Ghost Companions
Speaking of ghosts, you will also notice that Pac-Man won't be alone inside the maze. You will encounter ghosts that have different characteristics. Each of these ghosts has their own color and behave differently from each other.
When you gobble up the energizer, these ghosts turn to blue which allows Pac-Man to devour them and earn points. The first ghost you devour is worth 200 points and the second is worth 400 points. Each succeeding ghost you devour is worth double the points of the last ghost.
Introducing the Ghosts
As mentioned, each ghost has a unique color and has a very interesting personality and behavior when moving through the maze. The red ghost is called Blinky and is popularly known as ‘Shadow’ since he will always follow your trail. Pinky, or ‘Speedy’, is the fastest of them all.
Bashful, or better known as ‘Inky’, is the only ghost that will stay as far away from Pac-Man as possible. Lastly, Pokey or ‘Clyde’ is the most aggressive one where he will always find a way to attack you but is very slow so Pac-Man can always outrun him.
Strategies to Win More Games
Pac-Man's basic and simplistic gameplay is rather deceptive. However, the simplicity of the controls and their mechanics is what makes the game so iconic.
Pac-Man would be a very boring game if it was only a game about collecting the dots inside a maze. The ghosts in this game are what truly bring the spice that makes the game even more interesting.
The ghosts make it so that every player who plays this game will always be on their toes. With that in mind, there are strategies involved in how each ghost behaves and how you can beat the game in many different ways.
Scatter and Chase
The moment they spawn into the game, the ghosts are programmed to scatter in different directions while also maintaining each of their own set of behavior.
To beat the ghosts, you will need to understand their mechanics, especially how they move and when they are summoned into the game. This should be the perfect time for you to collect as many pellets as possible before they transition into the next phase.
Each ghost will travel through a certain distance and loop around a certain path. At this moment, they will switch over to chasing Pac-Man within the maze. Use this time to avoid the ghosts as much as possible or collect the energizers so you can devour them and reset the game to your advantage.
How to Avoid Ghosts
Each ghost has a different pattern but most of the time, they will be coming to get Pac-Man. Sometimes, you will find yourself in a sticky situation and you might think that there is no way out.
The beauty of this game is that there is always a way for you to get out but you just need to dig deep. One good way to avoid ghosts is to turn corners.
The ghosts will simply continue with their path and if they continue to follow you, turn another corner to slow them down. You may also hide behind the T-shaped walls in the maze and wait for the ghosts to pass by.
Eating the Ghosts
You can always turn the tide of battle against the ghosts by eating the energizer located at the corners of the maze. However, wait until the ghosts are nearby before you eat the energizer so you can devour more ghosts, as the energizer runs out after a set amount of time.
You may also bait them into your corner and round them up before you take the energizer so you can have a better chance at eating them all at once.
Before anything else, take the time to collect the pellets in specific areas like the bottom area of the maze where it is highly dangerous when the ghosts are in scatter mode. You can then focus on leading the ghosts into a trap so you can finish them off.
Find the Hiding Spot
As mentioned above, there is a hiding spot where ghosts will not be able to follow you. This is a spot where you can get some rest or if someone is trying to break your concentration in the game, you can always come to this spot to hide for a few seconds before you continue your mission.
It is also a good spot if you are getting tired of evading the ghosts. Get to the T-shaped area in the maze and hide inside it for a while.
Make sure that the ghosts are not looking at you or following you. You will only have a few seconds to rest before the ghosts begin to move around the maze to try and find you.
Use the Tunnel
The tunnel is the most effective way to get the ghosts off your tail momentarily. It is very useful in situations where you want to escape them or if you want to get across the other side of the maze as fast as possible. The tunnel is a great tool for you to finish the game as fast as possible.
Lure the ghosts when you are near the tunnel and then go inside. The ghosts move slower than Pac-Man when they go through the tunnel which gives you more time to traverse through the maze and collect all the pellets faster.
If you still have the energizers on one side of the tunnel, lure the ghosts in and take the energizer so you can ambush them and devour all of the ghosts in one single swoop when they come through.
Misdirection
Another great strategy when playing Pac-Man is the use of misdirection. This technique is highly advisable for those who are in control of the game and have a better understanding of how each ghost behaves.
Make the ghosts think that they are following you and then turn a different corner. This will change their behavior and their pattern thus giving you ample time to collect more pellets.
Avoid Eating the Last Pellet
Now that you are totally in control of the game with the strategies that you have applied, it is always best to stop yourself from eating the last pellet. Eating the last one would only cause the game to stop and end the level thus you waste the potential in getting a higher score.
Make sure to take advantage of maneuvering away from the last pellet and lure the ghosts into the corner with the last energizer to devour them. By this time, all of the ghosts have been sent back to their origin and all you need to do is to take that last pellet to win the game.
Conclusion
In a single glance, the game of Pac-Man is seemingly very simple however, fans of the game know that Pac-Man is not just some surface-level video game that you can play with friends.
There's a lot more going on under it that makes it even more interesting to play. Use the strategies given above to ensure you get the highest scores possible.
