Pac 'N Roll for Nintendo DS Reviews by Gamers

Earlier this year Namco introduced Pac-Pix, an original take on the Pac-Man theme featuring touch-screen mechanics for all of the gameplay. It was a unique idea and a fun game design that just couldn't have been done on any system that wasn't touch screen capable. The follow-up Pac-Man design for the Nintendo DS, Pac 'n Roll, might not be as original or integrates the touch-screen as uniquely as the first Pac-Man spinoff on the dual-screen handheld, but the game itself is pretty well designed with a lot of challenge that fits the portable market extremely well.

Pac 'n Roll is similar in design to Super Monkey Ball or Marble Madness in that the challenge is to roll around a series of maze-like environments. In the case of Pac 'n Roll, players maneuver Pac-Man, transformed for no apparent reason into a limbless sphere, by using the touch screen as a trackball. Players simply push the stylus in any given direction and Pac-Man will follow suit, rolling up inclines and down hills, around obstacles and through tunnel. Designers had a lot of fun creating different environments for players to roll Pac-Man around, which involve elements from moving platforms to rising and falling elevators to see-saws that tilt in response to Pac-Man's weight. As neat as some levels are, there's really nothing going on in Pac 'n Roll that hasn't been done in Sega's Super Monkey Ball, but even still they're well created that put the unique control mechanics to good use.

The task in each level of Pac 'n Roll is pretty straightforward: eat dots. Throughout the level will be roadblocks that require a set amount of dots eaten in order to get through. Players can finish a level eating a bare minimum of these pellets, but in order to complete the game perfectly -- which in turn will unlock secret challenges and even the original Pac-Man arcade game -- the task is to find every dot as well as the one or two hidden gems in the level. These acquired gems are the key to opening up the harder missions in Pac 'n Roll, and while the standard missions aren't exactly pushovers, it's the time trials and special tasks that will really make things tough.

Pac 'n Roll is very simple in concept, but it does take a bit of practice to get down the "feel" of rolling a ball around the 3D environments. The game does have a bit of physics involved, so if players just let Pac-Man go on a slope he'll automatically roll in that direction. But there's a little more friction involved, which in turn makes Pac-Man roll a bit more "sticky" than a regular ball would, so Pac 'n Roll control doesn't feel as natural as it could have. Players have an added ability to send Pac-Man off in a "boost" by dragging the stylus from one edge of the screen to the other; because the area sensitivity for this boost ability is only a couple of pixels wide, it makes this game absolutely impossible to play with anything but the stylus. So don't expect to use your finger or even the thumb strap for Pac 'n Roll -- this is a Stylus-exclusive game, but it works very well with it so it's not a problem.

The added challenge comes from several added hazards, including wandering ghosts making life hell for Pac-Man. But like any good Pac-Man game, there are power pellets that will turn the tables on them and make them edible. And since the ghosts don't rematerialize once they're eaten, that's incentive enough to track down the sometimes hard-to-reach power pellet. They're occasionally out in the open, but sometimes hidden in crates that must be shattered with a rolling boost. Boss battles come into play, but they're simple "magic three" designs where players have to eat three power pellets in a row to take him out…three times.

Level designs also have a bit of puzzle play embedded into them which require a little thought in the action. Players have two special helmets to collect: one that makes Pac-Man heavy, strong, and slow, the other light, weak, and fast. These two elements must be used together in places to obtain all the hidden pellets. Some dots, for example, are underwater, which can only be scored if Pac-Man wears the heavy helmet and sinks to the bottom. But players will have to find the power-up that gives them that ability. Early levels are pretty straightforward, but when you start getting into the Challenge Mode options, things really start getting hairy.

Pac 'n Roll utilizes 3D on both screens of the Nintendo DS, a currently rare technique that's getting more common as programmers become more familiar with the system and its capabilities. The game looks bright and colorful in its 3D capabilities, cheating a bit by keeping the camera at a perfect distance away from the action in order to prevent an unfiltered, blocky appearance. This also means that environments lack a bit of detail, but the trade-off is worth it because the game moves very smoothly. Audio on the other hand isn't quite as nice -- each world only has one tune during the action, and the choice of Banjo-Kazooie style gibberish for the voice of Pac-Man and Co. isn't exactly a pleasant experience. Okay, let's face it, the "Guh guh guh guh!" audio is just as irritating as it reads in this review.

The game seems like its light on features and variety and, in some cases it is. Since the gameplay never really changes outside of rolling Pac-Man around, it's a good thing that the game saves to cartridge after each level, because it might get a little tiring on the players' hands and their patience after a few times around the environments. Even though the game is much more enjoyable in short spurts than in extensive play sessions, the important thing is that is is fun. And even though there's only about three dozen levels, those levels are doubled and tripled up in the unlockable Time Trials and Challenge Modes that switch up existing levels into brand new challenges. It'll be a good while before you finish this one a hundred percent.

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