Pac-Pix
First Pac-Man home game with motion controls.
Pac-Pix is a 2005 action game in the Pac-Man series, developed and published by Namco for the Nintendo DS. It marks the first home Pac-Man title to incorporate motion controls, using the DS touchscreen for drawing Pac-Men and directing them to consume ghosts with stylus gestures.
**Gameplay** Players draw Pac-Men with the stylus and steer them across levels. A Pac-Man eats ghosts if drawn facing them; players guide it by sketching walls, which the Pac-Man follows upon collision. Repeatedly striking the Pac-Man backward slows or drags it. Larger drawn Pac-Men move slower, smaller ones faster. Only three Pac-Men can appear on screen at once—creating a fourth removes the oldest. Pac-Men vanish if they exit the screen or bounce off solid objects too quickly. Later chapters unlock additional gestures: arrows hit objects like buttons on either screen and stun ghosts; bombs, created by connecting fuses to lit candles, destroy certain walls, shielded ghosts, and stun ghosts, but temporarily block drawing near the explosion. The game is divided into pages grouped into chapters; all pages in a chapter must be completed in one session. Each page has a time limit and a limited number of Pac-Men. The goal is to eat all ghosts (arriving in two waves) as quickly and efficiently as possible. Ghost types include blue ones that speed up when approached, yellow ones that spill ink blocking drawing, white ones that move rapidly, and orange ones that must be eaten in a marked order. Pages feature gimmicks like popping bubbles, activating buttons to open gates or light candles, mirrors that redirect arrows, and walls that bounce Pac-Men. A safe tunnel at the top of each page (except boss pages) lets Pac-Men travel safely and eat ghosts and bonus items. Running out of Pac-Men or time fails the chapter, forcing a restart. The game has 12 chapters of 5 pages each; even-numbered chapters add a sixth boss page. Completed pages award bonus points based on remaining time and Pac-Men, and each chapter ends with a score rank. Finishing the game unlocks a "second book" with 12 chapters featuring faster ghosts and altered placements. Earning S to B ranks on chapters yields cards describing characters and objects. A practice mode lets players rehearse gestures, including some not available in normal play.
**Plot** A wizard creates Ghost Ink, which produces mischievous ghosts that
- field
- Video game
- publisher
- Namco
- platform
- Nintendo DS
- release_date_Japan
- March 20, 2005
- release_date_North_America
- April 26, 2005
- release_date_Europe
- May 20, 2005
- genre
- Action
Lore & Background
Pac-Pix was originally conceived as an arcade game by director Tetsuya Shinoda four years prior. Inspired by Apple personal digital assistants (PDAs) correcting text with a tiny puff, he found this type of control intuitive and wanted to implement it into a game. Two years later, the creators pitched the idea as a tablet computer and PDA game, but found the game and the target audience for such hardware did not match. When the DS was announced, producer Hideo Yoshizawa stated that 'the time was right'.
The game was debuted at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in 2004 as a technology demonstration for the newly unveiled Nintendo DS hardware. The demo was met with praise from people within the video game industry, many of which requested it be made into a full game. Namco obliged by putting together a development team, which implemented more effective use of the hardware's two screens. According to Yoshizawa, the most difficult aspect of production was allowing the player to determine size, shape, and place of their own sketches within the gameplay environment.
Upon release, the game received mixed to positive reviews. It was first released in Japan on March 20, 2005, and in North America by Namco Hometek on April 26. Nintendo co-published and distributed the game in Europe on behalf of Namco's European branch, releasing it on May 20.
Reader's Guide
Pac-Pix holds significance as the first home Pac-Man game to incorporate motion controls, using the Nintendo DS touchscreen for drawing and guiding Pac-Men. Its development history illustrates the shift from arcade and PDA concepts to a successful handheld implementation when the DS hardware became available. The game's mechanics—such as drawing Pac-Men of varying sizes that affect speed, using gestures to create arrows and bombs, and navigating pages with time limits and limited Pac-Men—demonstrated innovative use of the DS's stylus and dual screens. The inclusion of a second book with faster ghosts and alternative placements after completion added replay value. While not a critical blockbuster, Pac-Pix is remembered as a creative experiment in the Pac-Man series that leveraged new input methods, paving the way for later touch-based games. Its legacy lies in showing how a classic franchise could adapt to novel hardware capabilities.
Did You Know?
- Pac-Pix was originally conceived as an arcade game by director Tetsuya Shinoda four years before its release.
- The game's control concept was inspired by Apple PDAs correcting text with a tiny puff of smoke when crossed out.
- Only up to three Pac-Men can be present on screen at once; the oldest surviving Pac-Man disappears if a fourth is drawn.
- Completing chapters with S to B ranks awards the player with cards displaying descriptions of characters and objects.
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