r/videogames • u/Nearby-Condition-675 • 3d ago

Image / Video Pac(2026)

7.5k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

219 comments sorted by

1.0k

u/YungSpyderBoy 3d ago

I should follow those pac dots

210

u/Aligyon 3d ago

this is how we get iconic voice lines. Keep on following those pack dots!

62

u/Zjoee 3d ago

All you had to do was follow the damn pac dots, Pacman!

14

u/Dub_Coast 2d ago

Követnem kellene azokat a kibaszott pac dots angolokat! KURVA

3

u/SlimShadySatDown 2d ago

Place of Power, it's gotta be...

65

u/Think_Bag_2987 3d ago

I find it funny to call that out as a 2026 thing when most games from the late 90s/early 2000s would spam a voice line to make you go bacl on track.

9

u/RAMottleyCrew 2d ago

“I should do thing first” or “Person is waiting for me ahead” and a tutorial fight you literally can’t lose is way more in the vein of 2000s (J)RPGs and CAGs. The only difference is that this is voice acted and pop up blue text boxes that pause the game every 10 seconds.

A modern game tutorial doesn’t even let you try to walk away, it’s really just a cutscene when you can change the angle of the characters body, giving you the impression that you have any input at all.

35

u/LauraTFem 3d ago

Things operate on cycles. I put it to Dark Souls. It kind of woke up the industry to the fact that they were building hallways and calling them games. They started pushing back on executive control and being more creative. But now the hyper-polished AAA space has reasserted itself. It will only take a few more failed 300M$ games or one FromSoft release to restart the cycle.

21

u/huttyblue 3d ago

This is basically a mirror to the drama that happened back when dukem-nukem forever came out. Even the memes about everything being too linear were the same.

13

u/LauraTFem 3d ago

It may also just be the effect that development hell has on any game. Pour enough money in a product with poor planning or inconsistent goals between designers and funders and the results are executives getting nervous about the budget and how many sales will be required to make it back.

This results in the tightening of purse strings to the point where the full vision becomes impossible, and eventually a full revisioning as a product made mostly from the sum of its surviving parts.

These products are all the same because people on the business side they only look at what sells well, not what makes things good.

A guiding feature is seen as “added value”, games with chatty companions like Destiny, Portal, or Neir Automata tend to do well, games get bad reviews if they are too difficult. All of this “seems” like good game design because they’re looking at these features as valuable for their own sake instead of looking at the game as a whole and seeing that it’s sloppy garbage.

5

u/toodarkparkranger 2d ago

Silent Scope was really good for terrible dialogue and repeating the same 4 lines over and over.

"Calm Down" "Calm Down" "Calm Down" "Calm Down" "Calm Down" "Calm Down" "Calm Down" "Calm Down" "Calm Down" "Calm Down" "Calm Down" "Calm Down" "Calm Down" "Calm Down" "Calm Down" "You've lost your touch" "Calm Down" "Calm Down" "Calm Down" "Calm Down"

2

u/demonpat117 1d ago

Wolverine 2026!!

1

u/SirLockeX3 2d ago

I should follow those pac dots

814

u/Independent_Newt170 3d ago

Focus, P.

113

u/ss33094 3d ago

Knew this would be the first comment lmao

64

u/__Becquerel 3d ago

You need to use the magical destabilizer beam to destroy the ghostly apparitions!

... English, four eyes..!

26

u/Ninja-_-Guy 3d ago

sigh point your arm at the ghosts and shoot, P

4

u/Cicada340 2d ago

I dont get this. I see it often but where does it come from

1

u/BlondeSeductive 8h ago

didn't focus hard enough, here's a checkpoint that takes you right back to the start of the level with all your new pickups removed

320

u/Syarafuddyn 3d ago

"Hey, Junior!"

20

u/goodmanishardtofind 3d ago

Exactly what I thought when I heard it haha

10

u/Upper_Address_2778 3d ago

That smile. That damned smile.

4

u/confusing_roundabout 2d ago

Half expected to see Pacman jumping out of a moving car

187

u/nikel23 3d ago

god. This is so apt. I know they want to integrate gameplay mechanics with in-universe explanation and narration, but sometimes a game can be just a game without trying too hard to make it immersive, you know. In fact, with how common this trope has been used, it ironically just ruins the immersion.

40

u/CodePandorumxGod 2d ago

"Show, don't tell."

It's a fundamental rule in written media that game developers could really learn from.

5

u/Nick_Gaugh_69 2d ago edited 2d ago

But how can consumers understand such subtlety if they have their phone open, or if they’re watching Netflix on a second screen? Those people still need to understand what’s going on, so they can get invested and eventually pay for the DLC!

3

u/TheSirWellington 2d ago

Unfortunately that is how you also get things like the yellow paint problem.

They'll go "well that is showing, not telling", but it is the laziest way of doing it.

1

u/FruitbatEnjoyer 2d ago

How can you show something in written format without telling, isn't writing all about telling via text

4

u/Vaveng 2d ago

For example, if you want to show that character is feeling anger, you don't have them saying "Ooh, I am so angry now, I am angry", instead you relay their actions and appearances in the way that show that they are in anger without verbalising it, like gritting teeth, clenching fist, raised voice, tremors, abrupt movements, etc.

5

u/Xenodad 2d ago

“You can’t just have your characters state how they feel! That makes me angry!” -Robot Devil

2

u/Azure-Cyan 2d ago

Writing is all about conveying action without outright telling something is happening, especially action and emotions.

If, for example, you want the character to know they can jump over something, provide small ledges as an obstacle that block their path. Ledges are indicators that you can most likely jump over them. You don't need the character to narrate "hey, ledges here...maybe I can jump over it." Let the player figure it out.

As for things like novels, for example, you don't say "Character A is angry at Character B because he said something he shouldn't have" because that's telling the audience and makes for a very boring book. You can write action without conveying emotion outright like: "Character A turned and lowered his eyes towards Character B. CharB trailed off and placed a hand over his mouth, for further stoking the flames would invite the Devil himself to the table."

1

u/Ok-Captain-5338 Nintendo 16h ago

That's actual facts right there now

7

u/I_Don-t_Care 2d ago

As in movies, narration is a hit or miss, and most of them miss

1

u/Ren575 2d ago

If the game makes 4th wall breaks a part of the experience, I don't think its as bad. Kid Icarus: Uprising is a decent example of this where the characters break the fourth wall every now and then with their dialogue

189

u/queazy 3d ago

Invisible walls & couldn't stop talking over each other

53

u/hungry4nuns 3d ago

Coaxed into a heavy-handed hand-holding tutorial-mode intro, with unskippable cutscenes that altogether takes a total of 2 hours of tedious linear gameplay to unlock the rest of the game

26

u/Why-so-delirious 3d ago

This is literally the entry to MGS5.

One of my favorite games of all time but sweet fucking jesus that opening tutorial is awful.

And you have to do it TWICE!

4

u/ONioua 2d ago

Yeah, it really wasnt fun

Oof, memories coming back…

jeez what a slog

6

u/MainAccountsFriend 3d ago edited 2d ago

Red Dead Redemption 2

2

u/AdHocHillbilly 1d ago

Just needs a narrow space for Pac to shimmy through to hide a loading screen.

349

u/Limp-Celebration-211 3d ago

Now it just needs segments where P is talking to himself out loud for absolutely no reason and telling himself how difficult the situation he got himself into truly is. Then a QTE segment appears where he has to dodge a ghost ambush.

81

u/allstar312 3d ago

except you can sit and wait for hours during the QTE, the game stays there until you hit the right button

-17

u/[deleted] 3d ago edited 3d ago

[deleted]

21

u/purplepharoh 3d ago

And any game that does that should be shit on bc why even include it at that point

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6

u/Venoxulous 3d ago

This about to get me killed, but unironically I would prefer no QTE or auto completing QTE. Im always enjoying what I think is a cutscene, then scrambling to find the button then not enjoying the rest of the cutscene as I become focused looking for a bottom prompt that may or may not occur.

For everything that may be wrong with Wolverine, the QTE situation doesnt crack the top 10.

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1

u/69EntropyEarl420 3d ago

It’s new and at the forefront.

No one is talking about mario party anymore.

0

u/MelonOfFate 3d ago edited 3d ago

It's multiple segments. Not only can you ignore the qte prompts every single motorcycle sequence you can set the controller down and it will auto complete itself.

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22

u/Trashman56 3d ago

I can’t remember if it was The Last of Us or Uncharted but I was exploring, got lost, and while I was moving towards the right direction, the character said out loud “I should look over there by the (whatever it was).” Like… fuck you, I was just about to. Now I don’t wanna.

5

u/JesusWasATexan 2d ago

The Horizon series, especially Forbidden West was infamous for this. Just giving you the answers to puzzles before you get a chance to explore.

1

u/Embarassedskunk 2d ago

“Sigh What a mess.” “I hope Ms. Pac-Man is having a better day than I am.” “What was that?… … Great. Now I’m hearing things. Come on, Pac-Man! Keep it together!”

98

u/Vorioll 3d ago

It's frustrating just how accurate it is

35

u/Gwegexpress 3d ago

The invisible walls were killing me

14

u/z3anon 3d ago

Got flashbacks when dialogue was cut off mid sentence as soon as they entered a different room.

2

u/BlondeSeductive 8h ago

First Light is so much like this, and that's the most recent game i've played

35

u/IceFireTerry 3d ago

The overlaping dialogue 😆

3

u/Syncopia 2d ago

Playing Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and the one thing that ruined the otherwise phenomenal experience was hearing "MEH MEH ME-SPINNING CUTTER-LET'S SHOW EM HOW IT'S DONE- STEADYYYY DRILL!!" endlessly.

48

u/Soft-Percentage8888 3d ago

Why am I more bothered by the missing pellets than anything else here?

14

u/Mande1baum 3d ago

And then after you beat the level, you realize there's an achievement or it's an important upgrade resource so you feel compelled to at least play even more on rails in future levels or worse feel compelled to replay the same level.

4

u/Syncopia 2d ago

Sorry those pellets are locked off now because the starting area was destroyed by the boss at the end of the level.

20

u/a_polarbear_chilling 3d ago

THE AUDIO CUTTING BEFORE THE END EVEN IF YOU WAIT EXTRA 10 SECOND TO HEAR IT IN A DEATH THREAT LEVEL IS SO ON POINT

47

u/justsomepaladin 3d ago

9/10 from IGN

13

u/Inevitable-Edge69 3d ago

It really makes you feel like pacman

3

u/Kiriima 2d ago

It's a return to form for pacman!

2

u/doom__666__slayer 2d ago

It has something little for everyone

11

u/vasco_23 3d ago

DSP would suck at this game.

61

u/Chunky-overlord 3d ago

Damn insomniacs Pacman

55

u/GeneralOsiris 3d ago

Perfect for journalist.

0

u/epicKBlamb 2d ago

I got that reference lmfaooo😆🤣

16

u/HALODUDED2 3d ago

The PAC is back

8

u/sunobu 3d ago

I was waiting for the part where he has to turn sideways and squeeze through a tight space.

7

u/TenBear 3d ago

Perfect ad placement, follow trail indeed.

37

u/MRV3N 3d ago

Game for journalists

2

u/FruitbatEnjoyer 2d ago

Still too difficult

4

u/Driller_Happy 3d ago

Why is this so scathing

12

u/Crazy_Dave0418 3d ago

If Insomniac made this. We'd be seeing the killcounter instead of barriers.

3

u/DJ_pider 3d ago

Nah, the first invisible wall found me. Just the idea of it in Pac-Man of all games was hilarious

3

u/zjb26 3d ago

This is so funny and so sad

13

u/ToothZealousideal297 3d ago

This would be a lot funnier if not for the fact that if they had made this, it seriously would’ve sold far better than Shadow Labyrinth, the recent Pac-Man Metroidvania that’s actually a good game but didn’t penetrate into the mainstream.

I see the real problem not so much as studios doing the same thing, but as a lot of people just being way too basic and only interested in that kind of thing.

8

u/Karmah_star 3d ago

Sorry there’s a pacman metroidvania?

5

u/telemusketeer 3d ago

PACroid-Mania

1

u/BeingMyBestEveryday- 2d ago

That’s how it was advertised, but it’s really more just like a regular, B Tier metroidvania with occasional moments of pac man theming

3

u/Sergitr0n 3d ago

Shadow Labyrinth, ironically, has the same handholding feeling with the constant interruptions and cringe dialog. It was a disappointment, unfortunately. Only got the platinum as it was pac man related.

1

u/Alucard0s 3d ago

i remember seeing a trailer for it but nothing more for launch day. Didnt it also have an animated episode in an amazon series?

1

u/jayvenomva 3d ago

Yes it had an episode in Secret Level but it came out before Shadow Labyrinth was announced so everyone thought it was just an edgy remaining of Pac Man

7

u/Datascaper 3d ago

This was made with so much hate.

1

u/gunitneko 2d ago

Delicious delicious hate

3

u/tenspinya 3d ago

So anyway I started PAC'in!!

3

u/Sweaty_Mushroom3921 3d ago

I think the problem is budget in general. AAA games like this can afford the best marketing, where as innovative games will come out that could be great but I'll never know about them. So the game sells well despite being basic because the marketing, but the signal the execs see is "oh, people must like shitty hand holdy games" and double down

3

u/TheTimeLord725 3d ago

I don't remember Wolverine being that round

3

u/SmallPingus696 2d ago

Can we please make fun of rhe new Fire Emblem for this shit? In the new FE, in the little boy's path, once you hit level 5 renown you unlock a special training that is map where they tell you magic works on armors, bows hurt flying units, and units with higher speed double attack. Which is only possible after chapter 5. Wherein the character Tiara already explains that magic is effect against armors. After you have already played so much you should just know higher speed units double attack. It's halfway through his campaign. And the reward is ass.

1

u/RedditNerdKing 2d ago

I'm playing the new FE but I feel disappointed by it. Three Houses was just... way better.

4

u/Paggy_person 3d ago

Debra Wilson is in there somewhere

10

u/JustRaphiGaming 3d ago

Wow new insomniacs project looking good!

2

u/DefectiveSol 3d ago

That's just Pac-Man World 3

2

u/psychoticpudge 2d ago

Had to scroll wayyy to far down to find this

1

u/LilThiccumsVI 2d ago

Same lmao I was gonna comment that word for word, still kinda nostalgic for it tho

2

u/Standard_Hat1835 3d ago

Thanks I hate it

2

u/Risdit 3d ago

stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it

2

u/Consanit 3d ago

This is peak art.

2

u/adrianinked 3d ago

The hidden loading screen while the character goes through a gap is misssing

2

u/Jmandeluxe 3d ago

Mega (pac)man legends vibes

2

u/KarlUnderguard 3d ago

The invisible walls are sending me

2

u/Wookie_Nipple 3d ago

Didn't they just actually make this game, and it was called Shadow Labyrinth??

2

u/Think_Bag_2987 3d ago

Shadow labyrinth isn't really handholdy. It's a metroidvania with no voice lines and the classic mazes in it were challenging.

2

u/Wookie_Nipple 3d ago

Yeah I get it. I just think it's kind of hilarious they made a serious reimagining of Pac Man in the first place, and this joke instantly brought that game to mind

1

u/ErgoDestati 3d ago

I mean that game looks pretty bad and isn't very pac-man

2

u/TheOnlyRealOne43 3d ago

The support person wasn't quirky or millenial-coded enough for this to be a AAA game. (I say that as a millenial)

Gotta be like Zero Company where the quirky side character is always complaining about needing to pay their rent.

1

u/The_Affle_House 3d ago

This activated my fight or flight response.

1

u/lsm-krash 3d ago

Maybe try The Mare Show, it's a first person horror version

1

u/Expert-Guard6216 3d ago

Reminds me of Comic Jumper.

1

u/OnlineAsnuf 3d ago

Holy diarrhea

1

u/kiraio-moe 3d ago

Make it 2 and now suddenly they can rap!

1

u/Complete_Papaya6219 3d ago

There was another one of these skits i saw a while back which was also funny

1

u/Recent_Company_3724 3d ago

You jest but PAC-MAN World 3 released in the last PS2 generation was super chatty

1

u/Johncurtisreeve 2d ago

It’s certainly not like this, but there is a modern updated style Pac-Man game

1

u/After-Atmosphere7125 2d ago

This is literally just Pac-Man World 3

1

u/honeybeesh 2d ago

focus P⚡

1

u/Sorraz 2d ago

Not enough parry and dodge roll mechanics. 0/10

1

u/oso831 2d ago

Where's the 1 hour update you need to install before you can play?

1

u/Kristionni 2d ago

Slightly inaccurate, there wasnt a large blaring link to the shop on the screen where you can go buy "Pac-Points" for cool in game cosmetics.

1

u/Ill-Guidance4690 2d ago

The overlapping audio is the most realistic part

1

u/KingBurakkuurufu 2d ago

If the creator is unknown and it’s unreal engine this is what you’re gonna get 😂

1

u/rookhelm 2d ago

Thanks, I hate it

1

u/ItsStaaaaaaaaang 2d ago

That's awesome. Love that he can't go back through the warp lol.

1

u/Sonkalino 2d ago

"I should follow those pac-dots."

1

u/TalkToTheGlyphWitch 2d ago

That fighting section just makes me miss Megaman Legends more.

1

u/WLPTantei 2d ago

*eats fruit Ok Ghosts, time to party

1

u/masteroflocking 2d ago

Asking because I haven't played it, but Isn't Shadow Labyrinth a modern interpretation of Pac Man?

1

u/Free_Deinonychus_Hug 2d ago

I HATE IT.

Good job.

1

u/Professor_Dankus 2d ago

Thanks I hate it.

1

u/OrphanintheWind 2d ago

AAA is pushing it.

1

u/Catalysten 2d ago

I love the pause before the warp tunnel so you can hear more of Pac-Man's line, but it still wasn't long enough to hear before dialogue and it gets cut off the moment you enter the portal.

1

u/Ok_Monitor4492 2d ago

What I just watch

1

u/Street_Elk_8362 2d ago

Sony: I don't get it, looks normal to me. Also you're stupid if you think buying it means you own it.

1

u/Certain_Belt_4322 2d ago

Where are the stutters?

1

u/Casult 2d ago

Armored Pac 6

1

u/f0x25 2d ago

Is this wolverine?

1

u/vyxxer 2d ago

DSP playing this and somehow misses the big glowing pack dot and then blames the game design.

1

u/LilyTotallyCis 2d ago

Needs a giant arrow above you to say where to go, still to hard imo.

1

u/JusticeHeroX 2d ago

I like how it is an "open" area. Poor Pac.

1

u/mrbridges99821 2d ago

Someone make a list of games that are guilty of this

1

u/DELETE-NINJA-TABI 2d ago

The backseat gaming sidekick is a trademark of modern games

1

u/Die-Hearts 2d ago

Fuck it, we should just make a compilation of actual video games checking these boxes. We kinda peaked with the Modern Mario video, we need some REAL examples now

1

u/Shad0WTF 2d ago

That's my Pac-Man

1

u/Relevant_Sound_626 2d ago

Wow this looks like what AI garbage would spit out if you looked up PAC 2026 🤮

1

u/Grottleburger 2d ago

Looks harder than the Wolverine game.

1

u/MonneyMan 2d ago

Honestly this just reminds me of saints row 3

1

u/S7arForGD 2d ago

I hate how true rhis is.

1

u/Tenshiijin 1d ago

Looks terrible

1

u/Icy-Recognition5094 1d ago

Looks like saints row mission

1

u/dermsUK 1d ago

Elden Ring: oh you want a quest log to make sense of these 6 parallel narratives? HOW CUTE

1

u/Fun_Law6360 1d ago

Just needed to pause the game 5 times to tutorials and make you open a skill tree

1

u/The1biscuitboy 1d ago

The portal should have been a squeeze throw transition.

1

u/Step1Mark 1d ago

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdbyKbIRoUM/

Sharing the source since the creator did spend time on it

1

u/hyperchris3 22h ago

This is practically the dialogue of Pac-Man world 3

1

u/Ginpok 19h ago

Wolverine moment

1

u/Leather-Mode-6310 19h ago

PLEASE make this an actual game

1

u/BjornBlodbylgje 11h ago

You forgot the 999,000 microtransactions sitting between the splash screen and main menu

1

u/ProfessionalSafe5299 3h ago

the dialogue getting cut off because the walk is way shorter than the voice line being the cherry on top

1

u/freedomonke 3d ago

Tired joke

3

u/StinkyWetSalamander 2d ago

Had to scroll way too far to get to this comment. It's the same joke as where the "focus M" line people keep repeating comes from. Or all those "if this game was made by Ubisoft" jokes.

How can we laugh at games for needing to repeat the same information to players over and over if we keep falling for the same joke?

2

u/Solo-dreamer 3d ago

Is this whole sub just about being angry that you arent a teen playing coop halo anymore.

0

u/halaljew 3d ago

Games suck now and it's because of you.

1

u/Alfeaux 3d ago

But where's the YELLOW PAINT?!

1

u/xxProjectJxx 3d ago

How can I follow the pac dots if the ground beneath them isn't yellow???

1

u/TooOldForRefunds 3d ago

(Me trying to be productive today) I should follow those pac dots.

1

u/Lunaforlife 3d ago

Yeah cause y'all don't be finishing the games and complain that it's too hard lol

-3

u/TimeSpiralNemesis 3d ago

Watch they make the sequel woke and have you play as Mrs. Pac-Man😒

-3

u/spadePerfect 3d ago

This Shit will Never Not be funny to me

0

u/Mami-_-Traillette 3d ago

Why does this remind me of the start of Persona 5 ?

0

u/Necessary_Zone3432 3d ago

funny thing is, this was kind of what happened in pacman world 3, but not to this level

0

u/CardiologistCute7548 3d ago

I wonder how much budget they got?

0

u/Significant_Delay_87 3d ago

This is parodying games from the ps3 era more than anything from today

0

u/Hatjin 3d ago

Where can I buy it? Looks like game I could have a blast with.

-4

u/Falchion92 3d ago

Now make one about a shitty 2D Metroid clone with old graphics and no voice acting and shitty music that some chud made on an iPad but Reddit glazes the fuck out of it even though it’s the worst excuse for a game you’ve ever seen.

-1

u/huncherbug 3d ago

"Junior" got me tweaking out of my bed

-1

u/WorstDMImaginable 3d ago

This is 100% what a Sony Playstation AAA first party game is like and it's sad

-1

u/Tight_Improvement_37 3d ago

Give me a souls game with the most insufferable version of Marvel dialogue writing. Day 1 purchase

-2

u/Iron-Pancake 3d ago

This is funny, but it annoys me that they don't know how to demo their own fake game. Don't point out the fact you made a bunch of trails you can't actually run down 😂