Pac-Tune (パック・チューン Pakku Chūn) is a Japan-exclusive iOS game, released in 2016 as part of the Namco Catalog IP program. The game was delisted from the App Store in 2017. An Android port was planned but canceled.
Gameplay
Pac-Tune is a mixture between a music creation program and a maze creation game. The player can create maze layouts filled with adjustable musical notes; when Pac-Man eats a music note, a note of the song will be played. By quickly eating music notes in succession, the composition will begin playing in full - until or unless Pac-Man stops moving. Regular dots and static fruits can be placed to create breaks in the music; alongside Ghosts to serve as obstacles, and Power Pellets to defeat the Ghosts.
The music creation tools use PSG sound samples, similar to arcade games of the early 1980s. The use of PSG sound was supervised by composer Kiyohiro Sada, who worked on a number of 80s game soundtracks (including the NES version of Contra).
A few sample levels appear to be included in Pac-Tune by default, including a rendition of Radetzky March.[1] Players could also upload their levels online for others to play. The game featured connectivity with Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for sharing levels and uploading gameplay videos.
Trivia
- According to the Entacl Graphicxxx website, the company was also assigned marketing for the title; creating train station posters and leaflets to advertise the game. A promotional t-shirt was seemingly also produced.
- Several sources state that the Android port was planned to be released in late August of 2016; as to why it missed this release window is unknown.
- The game's 2017 delisting notably predates the bulk shutdown of other Pac-Man Catalog IP releases, the majority of which remained available until April of 2020. It is possible that the game's heavy reliance on internet servers resulted in its shorter run.
Gallery
References
External links
- Official website (archive.org, Japanese; plain text only)
- Original press release (4gamer.net, Japanese)
- Section on ENTACL GRAPHICXXX website (Japanese)
- Mention on Pure Sound website (Japanese)