A new Pac-Man game, Pac-Man 99, is released today exclusively on Nintendo Switch and you can play it for free if you are a Nintendo Switch online subscriber.
Like the one with a similar name Tetris 99 and the already disappeared Mario 35, Pac-Man 99 gives a large-scale competitive twist to the original Pac-Man arcade game. The basic game of Pac-Man is here: move Pac-Man around a maze-like level, eating points and fruits while avoiding ghosts. Eating an electric pellet puts Pac-Man on the offensive for a few seconds, which allows it bite the ghost pursuers and temporarily remove them from the level.
But Pac-Man 99 has a new threat to fight: 98 more players.
Each person in a game plays their own level of Pac-Man and, if captured by a ghost, loses the game. Players can affect the game of their opponents by eating ghosts to send a “Pac-Man Jammer” to another player’s board. Playing a Pac-Man Jammer slows down the Pac-Man movement, making it easier for ghosts to catch you.
Pac-Man 99 it also introduces new ignition elements that open up additional play styles, such as getting “ghost train” combinations that increase a player’s personal score, outperform opponents with additional Pac-Men Jammer, or increase the speed of the game for additional challenge and higher rewards.
Each Pac-Man 99 the match lasts until there is one player left, but you will get rewards even if you do not win the round. Points you earn while playing will unlock game elements, such as avatar icons.
Pac-Man 99 has other game modes if you don’t want to play Battle Royale games, including CPU Battle and a single player. However, these additional modes are not included in the base and must be purchased separately. You can also buy unique themes that change the ones in the game look at. There are over 20 available at launch, and each is based on other Namco arcade games, such as Dig Dug, Galaga, Druaga Tower, i Xevious.
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Some call Pac-Man 99 the “replacement” of Mario 35, since it arrives only a week after Nintendo shut down Mario 35 servers and both games share similar game assumptions. Still, it seems Pac-Man 99 is here to stay, not a time-limited event like Mario 35 era. That said, given that Pac-Man is now the third retro title to receive Battle Royale treatment on Switch, it makes you wonder if we’ll see more games in the “99” series. I could go for one Donkey Kong 99 or Legend of Zelda 99.
Pac-Man 99 unlocks on April 7, at 6 p.m. Pacific / 21 a.m. East. It is available as a free download at Nintendo Switch eShop for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, and you can download it soon so you can start playing immediately once it’s available.
The Nintendo Switch online service costs $ 4 a month, $ 8 for three months, or $ 20 a year. You can also sign up for one package which supports up to seven accounts for a single charge of $ 35 per year.