Bandai Namco is jumping on the location-based game bandwagon with Pac-Man Geo. Now available on iOS and Android, the game lets you take to the streets as the lovable yellow puck to gobble up pellets, avoid ghosts, and collect unique landmarks as you travel through the real world.
Unique mazes will be generated based on your selected location, meaning there's a nearly limitless amount of content. If you find a maze you enjoy, you can even share it with the Maze Sharing feature built into Pac-Man Geo. Throughout the world you'll find various power-ups that make it easier to avoid enemies and collect as many pellets as possible.
Unlike most other location-based games, you don't actually have to leave your house to play Pac-Man Geo. Simply load up the in-game world map, zoom in on the place you want to play, and a maze will be automatically generated based on real-world streets. It's less of a location-based game and more of a map-based game, but that's for the best – sprinting through streets in the real world to avoid ghosts probably isn't the greatest idea for a video game.
Once you've found a map you like, it plays just like a regular game of Pac-Man. The swipe controls take a bit of getting used to – and not all the maps are winners – but fans of the series will find a lot to love with this unexpected new installment.
Pac-Man Geo also includes a Tour Mode, letting you compete against others in stages based on famous landmarks around the world. If you do well enough to land on the leaderboards you'll be given exclusive avatars and badges.
Early Google reviews on the title are mixed, with some players loving the unique take on the classic Pac-Man franchise, while others are experiencing optimization issues and random glitches. As more players jump into the game and Bandai Namco works out the kinks, the overall experience should greatly improve. Right now the most frustrating part of Pac-Man Geo is trying to find a fun Maze – but once a few million people start sharing the best locations, that shouldn't be an issue.
Pac-Man Geo is now available for free on iOS and Android.