Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac

Genre: 3D Platformer

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local), Online Leaderboards

The Nintendo Switch 2 Difference

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Review:

Pac-Man World 2 is a family-friendly 3D Platformer originally released in 2002 on PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube, with a port to PC in 2004, with this remake of the game releasing in 2025 on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.

I’ll start by saying that I was not at all impressed with the original Pac-Man World, and while I think its Re-Pac release was a decent remake, it was a remake of a game that aged very poorly. Imagine my surprise in seeing that the game’s sequel was not only fairly faithful to the original Pac-Man World 2, but it’s also… actually good?

It helps that movement in Pac-Man World 2 is far more satisfying, with jumping and the butt stomp move feeling far more satisfying here. What’s more, while this game’s areas are still very linear, they feel far less restrictive. And along with that, this time around players can actually control the camera. It’s a little jittery at times, but overall this is a massive improvement all-around.

This game also ditches the frustrating fruit locked doors from the previous game, replacing them with… fruit locked chests. Eh, I suppose it’s a slight improvement. Also, the level design this time is much better, with a lot of variety and clever layouts.

The presentation is mostly solid too, with even nicer cartoony, colorful 3D visuals than the remake of the first Pac-Man World, with a decent soundtrack. I will add one caveat here though – I’m not fond of the new voice acting added for Pac-Man himself. He’s super-chatty in this game, and it gets annoying really fast.

Now, having said all of that, is this a truly great 3D Platformer? No, I don’t think so. it’s still lacking in originality next to the greats of the genre, and while the game design is immensely better than the first Pac-Man World, it’s still nowhere near as great as what you’d see in, say, a typical 3D Mario game. However, while Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac might not be an ageless masterpiece, it is nevertheless a very good 3D Platformer, and well worth picking up for fans of the genre.

tl;dr – Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac is a remake of the family-friendly 2002 multiplatform 3D Platformer that’s a genuinely good remake of a game that has aged much better than its predecessor, with improved controls, improved game design, and improved level design, making for a solid entry in the genre. It’s not very original, and it’s not a timeless classic, but if you’re a fan of 3D Platformers, this is definitely a game you should consider picking up.

Grade: B-

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The Nintendo Switch 2 Difference

Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac (Nintendo Switch 2)

Genre: 3D Platformer

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local), Online Leaderboards

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Review:

Pac-Man World 2 launched simultaneously on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, but there’s unfortunately no upgrade path for this game, so players will have to decide which version to get. Let’s take a look and see how the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game differs.

The funny thing is that Nintendo.com’s pages for both versions of the game are nearly identical, so you would think the differences between the games would be negligible as well, but that’s not actually the case. Immediately upon starting the game, you’ll notice a dramatic difference in both resolution and framerate. This game isn’t likely to blow anyone away with its graphical prowess, and there are even still some graphical issues like low-resolution shadows and occasional dithering, but it still looks much better on Nintendo Switch 2.

That’s not the only improvement. The loading times are much better too – on Nintendo Switch, it took me 34 seconds to load the game to the title screen, 18 seconds to load a game save, and 11 seconds to load into a level. On Nintendo Switch 2, those times are chomped down to 15, 10, and 7.

There’s one other change here too. In the game’s 2-player co-op mode, the second player controls a helper character that aims at the screen to help Pac-Man get pickups and take on enemies. On Nintendo Switch 2, players have the option to use dynamic Mouse Mode to control this targeting reticule. This is similar to the way Mouse Mode is used in Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 on Nintendo Switch 2 – it does nothing for the main player, but the assist player has the option of using it.

It’s a shame that this wasn’t released as a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition game or given any sort of upgrade path, but both versions of the game are the same price, $30, so if you have a Nintendo Switch 2, the version of the game you should get is a no-brainer, as the improvements here are definitely noticeable. And it’s a solid 3D Platformer, so if you’re a fan of the genre, it’s well worth getting.

tl;dr – Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac is a remake of the family-friendly 2002 multiplatform 3D Platformer that’s a genuinely good remake of a game that has aged much better than its predecessor, with improved controls, improved game design, and improved level design, making for a solid entry in the genre. It’s not very original, and it’s not a timeless classic, but if you’re a fan of 3D Platformers, this is definitely a game you should consider picking up.

Grade: B

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