| Pac-Land | |
|---|---|
 Japanese promotional flyer | |
| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) |
|
| Designer(s) | Tsukasa Negoro |
| Programmer(s) | Yoshihiro Kishimoto |
| Artist(s) | Hiroshi Ono |
| Composer(s) | Yuriko Keino |
| Series | Pac-Man |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Platform |
| Mode(s) | 1-2 players alternating turns |
Pac-Land[b] is a 1984 side-scrolling arcade platform game developed and released by Namco. It was distributed in North America by Bally Midway, and in Europe by Atari Games. Controlling Pac-Man, the player must make it to the end of each stage to return a lost fairy back to its home in Fairyland. Pac-Man will need to avoid obstacles, such as falling logs and water-spewing fire hydrants, alongside his enemies, the Ghost Gang. Eating large flashing Power Pellets will cause the ghosts to turn blue, allowing Pac-Man to eat them for points.
Pac-Land was created by Namco Research and Development 1 programmer Yoshihiro Kishimoto, who was tasked with creating an arcade game based on the American Pac-Man cartoon television series by Hanna-Barbera. The backgrounds were made to be vibrant and colorful, and the characters to be detailed and move smoothly to match the show's animation style. The control scheme was inspired by Konami's Track & Field (1983), using buttons instead of a traditional joystick to make it stand out among other games at the time. A new Namco Pac-Land arcade system was created to make it easier to develop the game and was used for several later Namco games, including Baraduke (1985) and Metro-Cross (1985).
Pac-Land was a commercial success in arcades, becoming one of the top five highest-grossing arcade games of 1985 in the United States. It was well-received by critics for its colorful graphics, stage designs, and soundtrack, although was often criticized for its difficulty. It is cited as an important and influential game in the platform genre, paving the way for many games to follow such as Super Mario Bros., Ghosts 'n Goblins, Alex Kidd, and Wonder Boy. It was ported to several home consoles and computers, including the Family Computer, PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16, Commodore 64 and Atari Lynx. It is the first platform game in the Pac-Man series, and was followed by Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures (1994).
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