Pac-Man Live has officially arrived in Manchester. After hearing this news I knew I needed to give it a try. I wasn't an avid Pac-Man fan as a child, but I enjoyed playing games from time to time, so the idea of being myself for an hour was certainly intriguing.
For those who don't know, Pac-Man is a 1980 arcade game, just a mouth where you play as a yellow creature and roam around a maze where mostly pick up energy pellets and other bonus items. While doing this, you must avoid being eaten by four ghosts: blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde.
Now, the popular video game has been live-action and landed in an arcade arcade arna in Manchester. This is home to Chaos Karts and Crystal Maze Experience. When you arrive at the venue, which is easy to walk from the city centre, you will first enter the cafe/shop area where you can buy drinks and Pac-Man items.
Once you arrive, you will check in at the front desk, sign some waiver letters, then put your personal items in the cloakroom. Then it's time to head across from your pack investment to meet “Packmaster” who runs your game.
Two groups can enter the arena and play on the other side at once – you will not compete with other groups, instead facing your own group, whether it be your friends, family, or colleagues.
First, play practice rounds to get familiar with the rules and make sure your best and tracking techniques are working properly. After this round I began to think that I had made a mistake by not doing more cardio in the days and weeks that I came to Pac-Man Live.
Luckily, running almost constantly for an hour is extremely exhausting, but one or two members of each group are given a break for each round. Unfortunately for me, my break took place right after the practice round. That means I ran around like crazy for much of the rest of the game time.
There are also two bonus rounds that aren't quite like regular Pac-Man games. Both are great when, like me, you're not the best in a normal round and need to add a little more points.
In the end, the game was a lot of fun – even if I was exhausted, I came to the bottom of the leaderboard and ranked fifth out of a group of seven. I also had a rather unfortunate title of being the most eaten player by the ghost (obviously, I make a particularly delicious Pac-Man).
I will definitely book a trip to Pac-Man Live again (I'll probably hit a bit of gym first). Recommended for anyone visiting Manchester and looking for an hour's fun.
To learn more and book a visit, visit the Pac-Man Live website.
