Play Pac & Pal Online Free for Arcade.
Pac & Pal hits different when it boots instantly in your browser. Released in 1983 on the Arcade, this maze classic from Namco is ready the second you press start — no downloads, no setup.
Pac-Man can also collect power-ups that allow him to briefly stun the ghosts. Pac & Pal is a 1983 maze video game developed and published by Namco for arcades.
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Your controller lights up here as you press buttons. Premium members can remap every action to any pad button.
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| Action | Keyboard | Controller |
|---|---|---|
| D-Pad Up | ↑ | D-Pad up |
| D-Pad Down | ↓ | D-Pad down |
| D-Pad Left | ← | D-Pad left |
| D-Pad Right | → | D-Pad right |
| B (bottom) | X | Bottom face |
| A (right) | Z | Right face |
| Y (left) | S | Left face |
| X (top) | A | Top face |
| L | Q | Left shoulder |
| R | E | Right shoulder |
| Start | Enter | Start |
| Insert Coin | V | Select |
⭐ Premium members can click any key below to remap this game's controls. Go Premium
| Action | Keyboard | Arcade input |
|---|---|---|
| Move | · · · · | Joystick (4-way) |
| Button 1 | · | Button 1 |
| Start | · | Start |
| Insert Coin | · | Select |
Finding you a match…
Opening your room…
Local play now: plug in a 2nd USB/Bluetooth controller (it becomes Player 2 automatically), or share the keyboard — Player 2 uses IJKL to move and , . M U to act.
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Other Places You Can Get This Game
Love Pac & Pal? Own the real thing — these are legitimate places to buy official versions.
How to Play Pac & Pal
The player picks up your keyboard immediately, and any connected gamepad too. Here is the full layout for Pac & Pal.
The Story Behind Pac & Pal
Namco and Midway had plans to release Pac & Pal in North America under the new name Pac-Man & Chomp Chomp, which replaced Miru with Pac-Man's spherical dog from the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series. Yuriko Keino, who is best known for her work on games such as Dig Dug and Xevious, composed the soundtrack. In 2019, Arcade1UP released a Pac-Man "counter-cade" arcade machine that includes the original Pac-Man and Pac & Pal.
Toy manufacturer Jakks Pacific included the game in many of their Pac-Man-branded "plug'n play" controllers throughout the mid-2000s. It is the third game in the Pac-Man series that was made by Namco themselves, as Pac-Mans North American distributor Midway Games had produced many of their own sequels that Namco had little involvement with. Pac & Pal is also included in a few Namco compilations such as Namco Museum Remix (2007), Namco Museum Virtual Arcade (2008), and Namco Museum Megamix (2010).
How Pac & Pal Plays
Points are awarded for each card flipped, and Miru's card doubles the total. Several face-down cards are scattered throughout the maze; when Pac-Man runs over one of these, it flips over to reveal one of the items, which becomes unlocked so Pac-Man can eat it. The player loses one life whenever Pac-Man touches a non-stunned ghost, but can safely run through Miru at any time.
The items are simply different cosmetically, and all of them have the same effect. Items include a flagship from Galaxian, a red car from Rally-X, a trumpet, a snowman, and a miniature Pac-Man. Two items in each maze are power-ups, which correspond to "S" cards.
Why Players Still Load It Up
He claimed that it made for one of the stranger entries in the series for its substantially different gameplay compared to Pac-Man and Ms. He also believed that it represents Namco's willingness to experiment with the mechanics and concepts established in the original. The game's drastic differences compared to the original Pac-Man and Super Pac-Man and its limited production run have been attributed to its downfall.
Retrospectively, Pac & Pal has gained attention for its many changes to the gameplay of its predecessors, and is seen among the stranger entries in the Pac-Man franchise. He wrote: "Overall, Pac & Pal is a travesty. Bobinator wrote: "Sadly, this would be the last time Namco would ever experiment quite this much with their well-used maze game formula.
Pac & Pal — Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I buy the original Pac & Pal?
Scroll to "Other Places You Can Get This Game" beneath the write-up — it lists trusted stores selling official copies.
What console was Pac & Pal released on?
Pac & Pal was released for the Arcade in 1983.
Can I save my progress in Pac & Pal?
It does — with a free account you can snapshot the game at any point using save states, then pick it up later from exactly that spot.
How many players does Pac & Pal support?
Pac & Pal supports 2 player(s) in this browser version.