Pac-in-Time Download (1994 Arcade action Game)

Everybody knows what/who Pac-Man is from his heyday in the '80s, but this time, we're getting a whole new adventure of our little eater. Guess his stomach is full, 'cause there's nothing much to eat here, only collecting points. This is much like some Indiana Jones adventure, only your little hero's Pac-Man instead of Harrison Ford.

Pac-in-time is the US release of Fury of the Furries. It's exactly the same game. Only the characters were changed: the not-so-known European Tinies (from the Skweek/Super Skweek/Tiny Skweeks/Brainies/Tinies games) were replaced by the widely known Pac-Man.

When I first played this game back in 1995 it seemed familiar to me. I just couldn't quite put my finger on it where I had seen this game before. Then it struck me when I first got Pacman to use the grappling hook. Fury of the Furries! Yes, Pac In Time is nearly identical to the Amiga classic Fury of the Furries also hosted on our site.

So where are the differences? Well ... in Fury of the Furries, you could control several furries, each with their own speciality - fireball, bubbles, grappling hook, etc. In Pac In Time, all of these are turned into one character: pacman. Next to this, the only difference seems to be the intro screens. Even the backdrops in the game still show furries.

So about the game itself: this was one of the best platform games the PC had back in the early 90s. Unlike other platform games, Pac In Time has an important strategic element by letting you control several of your powers to overcome obstacles. You can swing over enemies using the grappling hook, blast them using your fire ball, munch through the floor, etc. In a lot of cases you can complete a level in several ways which is refreshing when most other platform games offer a very limited way of approaching problems.

The game can be a too fast paced for some people though - Pacman slides, jumps and swings all over the map at fast speeds if you're not careful and getting used to controlling him may take some time. But don't be tempted to give up even if you end up dying a lot at first. Once you get the hang of it, the game really becomes rewarding. You'll be swinging like a genuine Tarzan through the maps, blasting enemies to cinders and dodging traps like a regular Indiana Jones!

The later levels can be a real test of your skill and wit, and beating it left me hugely satisfied knowing I completed a game that required more than bashing a fire button at lightning fast speeds. Trust me, this game is addictive!

Probably the most unique official Pac-Man game in existence, Pac-In-Time casts Pac-Man as an Indiana Jones wannabe, sporting not only legs but leather gloves, whip, and that self-confident sneer that Indy fans know all too well. There's actually a plot this time around: we learn that Pac-Man is actually a fun-loving guy who's living happily with his family, Pac-Man and their two cute Pac-Kids. The Pac's fiendish arch enemy, the Ghost Witch, vowed to disrupt his tranquil life. So she cast a spell on Pac-Man, ripping him from his family and hurling him through time to his dangerous past. The journey back in time transformed Pac-Man into a young Pac-Boy. The Ghost Witch sent Pac to 1975, a world which has never heard of the hero Pac-Man. Through the witch's foul magic, the inhabitants of a once beautiful land have turned against him. Commanding this horde are the Ghost Witch's loyal ghosts. To escape this distorted past and return to his beloved family, Pac-Man must traverse this hazardous land and penetrate the castle. Within it stands the portal of time--Pac's only hope to return to the present.

Despite the novel premise and star power of Pac-Man himself, Pac-In-Time simply isn't as fun to play as the arcade original. Basically, you have to move Pac around, collecting pellets which will open the door to the next level. You get 4 weapons to help him in each level, which may or may not be hidden in various places in the level. Controlling Pac is an exercise in frustration: he tends to slip far too easy for a hero. If he stands on a slope that's only slightly inclined, he'll start rolling down it. Also, he seems to have become a lot more buoyant, since when he lands, he'll bounce around 1 or 2 times, which makes jumping to small (sometimes moving) platforms about as much fun as insulting a rock. And to add insult to injury, much of the movement in the game is done with a retractable rope which he uses to swing around from ceilings-- a rope that defies all laws of physics.

Overall, Pac-Man fans who have superhuman reflexes and infinite patience will probably enjoy Pac-In-Time. The very bad controls and high frustration level will keep others hooked on the simple, mindless fun of the original instead.

Basically this one is EXACTLY the same game like Fury of the Furries I am not 100% sure which one was first, but I think Mindscape bought the license later on and changed the intro and background story. The story is quickly told - Pac-Man is sent back in time into the year 1975 by his archenemy the evil witch... now he has to find a way back. The intro is really nice, the game is nice as well - but it is just... not different from Fury of the Furries - if you have one game you don't REALLY need the other, it might be interesting for collectors though.

How to run this game on modern Windows PC?

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