Pac-Man Vs. is a Maze Game developed by Nintendo EAD and Namco, with the latter also being the game's publisher for the Nintendo Gamecube in 2003. The game is a multiplayer-focused take on the classic Pac-Man arcade game. Additional versions would be released in 2007 as part of Namco Museum DS, and 2017 as part of Namco Museum for the Nintendo Switch.
In its original incarnation, the game was designed around connectivity with the Game Boy Advance link cable, and one such handheld is required to be plugged into the Gamecube's player 4 slot in order to play. One player looks down at the GBA and plays as Pac-Man in a straightforward adaptation of the arcade game, collecting points by eating all the Pac-Dots littered around the maze. While this is going on, however, up to three other players look at the TV screen and take control of different-colored ghosts roaming the maze trying to catch Pac-Man. If any of the ghost players sucessfully catch Pac-Man, the Pac-Man player will pass the GBA to that player, while taking their controller in the process, then the next round will begin. This gameplay loop continues until one player manages to earn enough points to win the game, with the goal being set to either 7,000, 10,000, or 15,000 before the game starts.
Pac-Man Vs. is notable for being the only game on the Gamecube that outright requires a connection with the Game Boy Advance in order to play, as the game cannot progress past the title screen without it. The version found in Namco Museum DS uses DS Download Play to allow for a more straightforward multiplayer experience. The Switch version requires a second Nintendo Switch system in order to play a full-four player game, but it does add a single-system version where up to three players can chase after Pac-Man to score points. Additionally, there is a free downloadable version on the Switch eShop called the Pac-Man Vs. Multiplayer Demo that can connect to another system that has purchased Namco Museum to allow for a four-player game at no additional cost.
The game's lead designer was Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto, famed creator of Donkey Kong and the Super Mario Bros. franchise. Miyamoto had dreamed of creating a Pac-Man game, as he has gone on record saying that Pac-Man is one of his favorite video game series. Further emphasizing the game's nature as a joint project with Nintendo, the game features Charles Martinet as the announcer, doing an impression of his iconic Mario voice.
Pac-Man Vs. provides examples of:
- Announcer Chatter: Charles Martinet appears as the game's announcer, and does so using his voice for Mario. He comments on various happenings throughout the game, such as when a round begins, when Pac-Man eats a Power Pellet, when Bonus Fruit appears, and when a ghost catches Pac-Man.
- Asymmetric Multiplayer: One player uses the Game Boy Advance to play as Pac-Man to score points by eating dots, and the other three roam the maze as ghosts on the TV screen trying to get him.
- Big Boo's Haunt: Certain mazes take place in spooky locations befitting of the ghosts that Pac-Man is running from. R.I.P. Park is located in a cemetery, Manic Manor takes place in the halls of a haunted house, and Haunted Hall takes the players to a dark, rocky crypt with stone walls.
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience: As long as Pac-Man doesn't have a Power Pellet, the different sections of each maze have different colored highlights in their walls. The ghosts can use this fact, combined with the locations of their opponents, to try and determine each player's general location.
- Color-Coded Multiplayer: Each player controls a different-colored ghost over the course of the game. Red for Player 1, blue for Player 2, pink for Player 3, and green for Player 4. The same colors are used for the color of the trail Pac-Man leaves behind, depending on which player is currently controlling him.
- Compressed Adaptation: The version featured in Namco Museum DS has one fewer stage than the other versions, and none of the stages have the layout of Panic Pier from the console version.
- Creepy Cemetery: The R.I.P. Park map is a cemetery decorated with tombstones, dying trees, and coffins.
- The Hunter Becomes the Hunted: The classic mechanic of Pac-Man having to run from the ghosts until he eats a Power Pellet returns, but now that the ghosts are being controlled by players, they get to experience both the "hunter" and "hunted" sides of the dynamic, being forced to retreat any time Pac-Man powers up.
- The Lost Woods: Frantic Forest is a maze built in a green forest. Tree stumps act as walls, while others are decorated with dense bushes.
- Nostalgia Level: Original Pac-Man (called "Original" in the DS version) is a maze with the same layout and aesthetics as the maze from the arcade classic.
- Power-Up Food: Fruit pickups periodically appear in the center of the maze, just like in the original arcade game. While Pac-Man can eat them to instantly gain extra points, the ghosts can collect the fruit as well, and not only earn the points, but also have the size of their screen greatly improved for a short while.
- Recycled Soundtrack: Four of the mazes reuse the stage themes from Pac-Mania, while Haunted Hall reuses music from Pac-Man Arrangement (1996). The score screen uses Pac-Mania's ending theme.
- Retraux: The graphics shown on the Game Boy Advance screen are heavily inspired by those from the original 8-bit arcade game. Averted with the graphics on the TV screen, which use more modern 3D visuals.
- Scoring Points: In typical fashion, Pac-Man earns points by eating Pac-Dots all around the maze. He can earn points faster by using Power Pellets to eat the Ghost players, and when a ghost catches Pac-Man, he loses 1600 points to the ghost that caught him. The ultimate goal of the game is to reach a designated target score, either 7,000, 10,000, or 15,000, and once a player reaches or surpasses that score, they win the game.
- Screen Crunch: A deliberate part of the game's challenge. Each ghost player only has a small circle of visibility surrounding them that gives a very limited view of their surroundings. They need to hunt down Pac-Man before they can chase him. If they can collect the Bonus Fruit, they can temporarily avert this, as the camera will zoom far away from them. Pac-Man does not have to deal with this, as the GBA screen shows the majority of the maze at all times.
- Version-Exclusive Content:
- The DS version is missing the Panic Pier stage that appears in the other versions, while all the other stages (barring Original Pac-Man) have different themes from the other versions.
- The Switch version of the game introduces a mode that can be played with only one system, though this mode does not allow any players to take control of Pac-Man.
