Together at last come two of history's most loved gaming icons: Pac-Man and Mario.
If you ever clicked on Super Mario Pac in the Acid-Play search and you were annoyed that it had nothing to do with Mario and Pac-man being together at last, then worry no longer, your dreams have been realised.
Finally, someone out there has had the idea that two of the world’s biggest gaming figures should be put in the same game. It’s not the first time, either. But now, finally, out of all the game combos available, comes PacMario, a Pac-man game where, instead of playing as Pac-man, you play as everybody’s favourite fat plumber Mario.
This game is different to the usual Pac-man games which usually feature any character in the lead role and the enemies of that game being substituted as ghosts, but this game differs in that respect, because it actually borrows a story line slightly similar to Mario.
As with all Pac-man games the object is to collect the coins, which is present here. The turtles don’t chase you though; they walk back and forth, like normal. An interesting thing present in this game is boss levels. The object of these is to collect the items on the level and thereby defeat Bowzer.
The sounds and graphics are borrowed from Mario games, as usual when the plumber is present, but the style is more of a mish mash of the two games. It’s certainly an interesting take on two game giants and is worth a look, if for the novelty factor alone. While the game play is not entirely compelling, it is fun to play as Mario in a game distanced from the usual jump on things and move right strategy. This game is sure to find its supporters and its enemies out there, but one thing can’t be denied: This was inevitable.
In this game we see Mario in a new light. He replaces our beloved yellow circle as he rushes through the various 'Pac-man' like lands in search for... you guessed it... Peach!
Graphics: Made in Games Factory the developer had made good use of their supplied sprites as well as using some Super Mario ones. The worlds are bright and colourful and although the sprites can be blurred a little this takes nothing away from the great feel of this game. 6/10
Sound: Hard to tell just whats going on here. Although the music seems to fit the levels well, at times it doesn't seem like the developer has fully used the potential of the Mario music. 5/10
Gameplay: It's all here: enemies, coins and cool items. I'd go as far as saying the Mario slash Pac-man style is mastered here. The only problem is... it ended. 8/10
This game is great with a few graphical tweaks and maybe a bit of cheerful music this game would reach the level of excellence that the freeware gamers deserve. 7/10