I grew up in the eighties and spent a great deal of time in the glow of arcade video games. My friends and I would make a weekly trek to the local Rosati’s pizza. It was one of those restaurants with a takeout counter and a connecting lounge. In that hallway between was my first experience with a head-to-head or tabletop version of Pac-Man. My friends and I used to buy a slice or fries and then line up our remaining quarters to see who could try and get their initials onto the top ten list of scores.
This nostalgic trip down memory lane brings us to today’s review, Quoridor Pac-Man from Gigamic. This game uses two game modes: classic Quoridor or a new Pac-Man variant rules for 2-5 players and plays in about 15-20 minutes.
Game Overview:
Quoridor Pac-Man has rules for classic Quoridor but for this review, we’re going to skip those and focus on the Pac-Man variant rules. If you’re interested in the original Quoridor rules, then those can be found here: Quoridor rules.
Setup for the Pac-Man variant rules is straightforward and fast. Players choose who will be Pac-Man, with 3 lives, and the other player will be the 4 Ghosts (Blinky, Inky, Pinky, and Clyde). There’s a set maze setup diagram in the rulebook for where to place Pac-Man, the 4 Ghosts, the 6 fences (or walls), and finally the 4 Power Pellets.
Once set-up is complete play begins with the Pac-Man player who moves 2 squares orthogonally forward or backwards only. After Pac-Man moves each of the 4 Ghosts will move 1 square (the same movement rules as Pac-Man) but if a Ghost has a line of sight to Pac-Man then they can move 2 squares.
If Pac-Man lands on a square containing a Power Pellet, he collects it and gains a power boost and can immediately move 3 extra squares. If Pac-Man’s power boost lands him on a square containing a Ghost, then that Ghost is eaten and removed from the board. Eaten Ghosts are returned to their starting space at the start of their turn. If a Ghost lands on a square containing Pac-Man, he loses 1 life and is returned to his starting position at the start of his turn.
Pac-Man wins the game if he eats all 4 Power Pellets and the Ghosts win if Pac-Man loses all 3 of his lives.
Game Experience:
Quoridor Pac-Man has easy-to-learn rules, which makes this game fast to the table. The setup is fixed and the orthogonal movement rules are fairly simple and straightforward. Probably the only thing that could possibly slow gameplay down is deciding or debating if the Ghosts have a line of sight or not to Pac-Man for their additional movement. Aside from that, there’s not much that new or seasoned gamers shouldn’t quickly master.
Quoridor Pac-Man has excellent production values. All the game components are high quality. Every component included is made of wood and painted with excellent detail that definitely gives off classic Pac-Man vibes. Even the rulebook is high quality with sturdy thick paper and coated in a nice gloss so this will stand up much like the other components to younger less gentle players.
Gigamic did a great job emulating the 80s Arcade look and feel for the game. Pac-Man and the Ghosts emulate the classic arcade game, and so do the neon blue fence pieces of the classic maze walls. The orthogonal movement closely mirrors the classic arcade game to a tee for both Pac-Man and the Ghosts. Now there’s no Pac-Dots or fruit but overall designers still did a great job, nonetheless.
Unfortunately, this game does have some issues that I need to highlight. The first is that the rulebook looks great but it’s lacking. There’s a foldout that includes the Pac-Man variant set-up rules. There were pages that just had classic Pac-Man images or blank so the foldout was unnecessary and those pages could have been used for useful information (keep reading). Also, the Pac-Man rules are labeled variant and the classic Quoridor rules seem like the main ones. Gamers are not going to intentionally purchase Quoridor Pac-Man to play Quoridor. Those should have been the variant rules, not the Pac-Man ones. I know this is minor but it just seemed very silly to me.
The main issue that I had is that the Pac-Man arcade game is played with different levels but you’re given one single maze to set up in Quoridor Pac-Man. I guess you could make your own, but there was plenty of space in the rule book, or add a QR code to the Gigamic site to see other maze options, but there were no other resources provided. While the game does emulate the look and feel of the classic game, you only have one level to play, which is very disappointing.
I think the lack of variety in the mazes and overall gameplay will eventually make Quoridor Pac-Man feel repetitive for most gamers. If you play either Pac-Man or the Ghosts, you’ll likely hit a wall with this game, and it will not really feel too much different from the last play. I think different mazes would add variety, but not sure even that would give Quoridor Pac-Man much staying power in your collection unless you do not mind lots of repetition in your gameplay.
Final thoughts:
Gigamic did a great job emulating the Pac-Man arcade game experience with Quoridor Pac-Man. From the overall quality production of the components, and the orthogonal movement, this game closely mirrors the classic 80s arcade giving some players a fun nostalgic feeling.
Now the nostalgia will probably wear off for some due to the lack of mazes and odd design of the rulebook. Unlike the classic Pac-Man arcade game, Quoridor Pac-Man will likely feel repetitive, and this might have players moving this game to their trade/sell pile to open up some precious shelf space in their collection.
Final Score: 3.0 Stars – A fun nostalgic trip down Pac-Man lane that emulates the classic look and feel of the 80s arcade game.
Hits:
• Easy to learn and fast gameplay
• Excellent overall production values
• Great nostalgic arcade emulator
Misses:
• Rulebook could be better
• No variety of Pac-Man mazes
• Gameplay will feel repetitive
