Beginners guide to playing Pac-man.IO
From the makers of Agario comes Pac-man.IO. As the name suggests, this is a multiplayer casual game based on the classic 80s arcade game Pac-man. Imagine a cross between a Dario and Pac-man, and you may be well on your way to visualising this new game.
Currently in beta testing, the game allows you to control a character which, at various times throughout the game, can be either Pac-man or a ghost. As a multiplayer game and you picked yourself against other players to become the biggest, most powerful Pac-man on the playing field.
There are currently no options to configure, except for putting in a nickname if you want one, so clicking the play button from the front page launches you straight into a game.
Here you will be surrounded by large glowing walls, dots to munch, various power pills, fruit, and a number of other Pac-Man and ghost characters or controlled by other people playing the game.
In the top right corner is a leaderboard. In the bottom left corner is a commentary listing player kills.
I think currently the game is only available for desktop, or otherwise playable in a modern web browser. This article will be updated as and when mobile apps become available.
The basics are as follows:
Playing as Pac-man
- Move your character around by pointing your mouse pointer where you want it to travel.
- Press the Space bar or left mouse button to dash (accelerate) forwards a small amount in the direction you are already travelling. You lose some mass for doing this.
- Eat dots to increase your mass.
- Eat other Pac-man characters which are significantly smaller than you by facing them and colliding with them. If another part of your Pac-Man touches another Pac-man, you will bounce off each other.
- Eat power pills to perform different functions.
- Eat fruit to increase mass by larger amounts.
Playing as ghost
- If your ghost is orange, it means you can safely collide with any Pac-Man character. If you are much bigger than the Pac-man, you will instantly destroy it. Otherwise, you will gradually drain its mass.
- If your ghost is touched by a power up pill being activated, you will turn blue. You are then at risk of being eaten.
- When you turn into a ghost, you have a limited amount of time before turning back into Pac-man. Your ghost will flash just before you turn back.
- You cannot eat dots, ghosts, or power pills while you are a ghost. You also cannot dash. If you press the Space bar or left mouse button, you automatically change back into Pac-man.
Power pills
Various power pills will affect game play when you eat them.
White pill: this sends out a circular blast which turns ghosts blue, allowing them to be eaten, and also appears to slow down other Pac-men.
Green Lightning Bolt pill: this gives your Pac-man extra speed for a short time.
Orange ghost pill: this turns you into a ghost for a short time.
Tips
- Use narrow corridors and spaces to your advantage. When you are small, you can escape from larger enemies. You can also track smaller enemies in a dead-end.
- Turning into a ghost is a great way to turn the tables on a pursuing enemy.
- Use power pills not only to attack ghosts, but to stun smaller enemies so you can eat them.
- Use your ability to turn back from a ghost whenever you press the Space bar to your advantage. Attack enemies or swoop in on power pills.
Glitches
At the moment, there are some strange invisible areas on some parts of the playing field. This does not seem to affect movement but can affect visibility.
Development
At present, not many people appear to be playing the game. If it becomes popular, it may be necessary to have additional servers and options as is the case with Agario.
Update: 29th November 2018
The game has been updated with some revised features. We don't know if this is a permanent change, or an experimental phase.
What's changed?
Power Pills
When you eat a power pill, your Pacman gets a slightly puffed up cheek, with a red tinge. The pill does not take effect immediately, but only when you press SPACE/left mouse button.
While you have a pill in your mouth, you can't consume most elements, including dots, other power pills, and fruit. You can still kill smaller players by touching them.
When you activate the pill, it will take effect at the position you're in.
- White pills will send out an increasing circle from where you are, turning nearby ghosts blue and temporarily freezing other Pac-men.
- Orange pills will turn you into a ghost. The time you remain as a ghost is now much reduced.
- Green pills will cause you to have a speed boost.
Ghosts
There are now few, if any, auto-generated ghosts in play (although this seems to vary over time).
Fruit
Quite a bit more fruit seems to be available.
New Tips
It's not possible to tell what pill a particular Pacman is holding.
Therefore, approach with caution. Whatever they have, it could harm you.
They could turn into a ghost and zap you, get a speed boost to attack you, or freeze you with a white pill.