Released a few decades ago, Pac-man became one of the most iconic video games ever created. Most people you know already have an idea about what Pac-man is and how to play it. The game is already famous in popular culture when it launched and has gained a massive following throughout the years.
The original game and its main character have been remade countless times and have been subject to many other media forms have such as a cartoon show. While the games have changed throughout the years, the original Pac-man game remains one of the best in the franchise.
Its simple mechanics are elementary to understand and pick-up, but there are still several fans who want to fully engage in the game. The game continues to be popular these days but if you truly want to dive deeper into how the game is played and its strategies for winning, find out below.
What Is Pac-man?
Pac-man is a video game where players control Pac-man as he consumes dots throughout an entire maze. Along the way, he must avoid crossing or consuming ghosts that randomly move through the maze.
The goal of the game is simple - consume all the dots to win the game. The game is rather simple in nature, but people do not know that the Pacman ghosts each have their unique personalities.
The ghosts have been one of the most enduring villains in any video game since they are very unpredictable with their movement. Beating them becomes a task and makes the game enjoyable at the same time.
How to Beat the Pacman Ghosts?
Most players who play Pac-man might think that the ghosts in the game move randomly. However, these ghosts have their personalities that dictate the way they move.
You might think of the ghosts as the antagonists of the game who are always after Pacman; however, only one ghost is truly after our hero, and that is the red one named Blinky.
Apart from Blinky, the other ghosts are named Pinky, the pink ghost. The blue one is called Inky, and the yellow ghost is Clyde.
To know how to beat these ghosts, one must fully examine each ghost's behavior, so you will know how they move within the maze and be able to strategize your way to victory.
Blinky
Blinky is known to be the ghost that is after Pacman. While that is certainly the case, Blinky is also the only ghost who does not start the round inside the small box in the middle of the maze. Blinky is known as the shadow ghost, and it is for a reason.
Blinky is programmed to follow the tile where Pac-man is currently situated. This runs the illusion that Blinky is always chasing or following Pac-man throughout the maze. Blinky is named Shadow in the original game for that same reason.
The ghost is also known to become faster than Pac-Man at a certain point in the game. Notice that when there are only around 60 dots left in the maze, Blinky begins to float faster, which means that he can get to you faster.
Upon knowing that Blinky shadows around Pacman within the maze, it is always best to keep an eye on him more than any other ghosts in the game. This should allow you to avoid him at all costs and get to a point where you can disable them and consume the ghosts.
Pinky
Pinky can be described as the opposite of Blinky. Pinky is programmed to be always two tiles in front of Pac-man at all times. This means that if Blinky constantly tries to follow you, Pinky is the ghost that tries to avoid you by largely putting space between you and the ghost.
With that information, you already know that Pinky is the least threatening ghost in the game. However, if you still need to find a way to beat Pinky, all you need to do is to head straight for her so she will stop chasing you around the maze.
Inky
Inky is probably the most difficult ghost to avoid as his movements are calculated based on Pac-man's position as well as Blinky's. This causes a fluctuation in his movement, causing him to become very erratic and seemingly random.
Seasoned players have always thought of Inky as a challenging ghost to follow or predict.
Clyde
Clyde is a very peculiar ghost in that he mimics Blinky's movement if he is at a certain distance away from Pacman. However, when he is near or within a certain distance from Pacman, the ghost will slowly go to the bottom left corner and stay there until he is at a certain distance away from Pacman again.
Conclusion
With all of this information combined, you will certainly have a plan to beat the ghosts right from the start. All of this information might be difficult to follow for a new player; however, information is key to victory.
Once you are familiar with each ghost's movement pattern, you can certainly find new and innovative ways to avoid them at all costs and finish the level at fast as possible.
