Last year's Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures video game from Bandai Namco was one of those video games that was "good enough" to appease its youthful target audience.
However, this year's sequel, Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 is a disappointing follow-up.
Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 is based on the Disney XD show with the same name and, as such, the game is geared towards children. For those unfamiliar with the source material, the game's bright colors, whimsical soundtrack and simplistic controls should be enough to tip you off.
A modern platformer just like the 2013 title, Ghostly Adventures 2 brings back Pac-Man's special berry powers that transform the yellow protagonist into alternative versions of himself to allow him to throw fire, attack with ice and so on. For the most part, the berry powers seem to have been refined since the first game and are much easier and effective to use. Conversely, a couple of Pac's other berry abilities (bouncy ball and magnetic) are a complete pain in the butt to control.
Basic platforming isn't quite on-par as one would like. There are many times when the player will believe that he's got everything lined up perfectly only to miss the jump by just a hair. Part of this problem isn't with any collision detection issues; however, the game's fixed-view camera is largely to blame. Often times these missed leaps lead Pac to his demise -- not that Pac dying has many consequences thanks to the overabundance of extra life giving Pacberry Pies laying around.
Gameplay is varied yet repetitious as the story progresses. The difficulty level is all over the map with a frustratingly difficult level surrounded by two cakewalk ones. Heck, some of the easiest parts of the game are near the end when things should instead be the most challenging.
There are highlights worth noting. The on-rail segments of the game break up the platforming elements for a nice change of pace here and there over the course of the 6-hour game. The boss levels in the form of Paczilla and Pac Kong are admittedly entertaining. These perks are few and far between, however, and don't do enough to save an otherwise pedestrian video gaming experience.
In terms of its audiovisual presentation, Ghostly Adventures 2 looks pretty much the same as the first game with a couple key exceptions, Unfortunately, these exceptions aren't good things. There are parts of levels that simply come off as both visually and mechanically unfinished with ugly textures and invisible walls here and there. Instances like these are not very common, thankfully, but they really shouldn't be there at all to begin with. There are also times of animation slowdown when there is too much action on the screen at any one time.
Imperfections aside, Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 is in a weird place for a kids' video game. Younger and more novice gamers might find the the game too difficult to play at times, and it may turn them off from it. Those at the older end of the kids' game scene might instead find the game too simple at times and justifiably frustrating to control. Kids who really enjoy the television program will no doubt want (and probably enjoy) this game based on its subject matter alone. Those who aren't in love with modern Pac-Man might want to let this game give up the ghost.
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: Vicious Cycle
Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii U
Rating:E10+
Score: 1.5 out of 4
