The classic arcade game Pac-Man has just turned 43, and in celebration of this milestone, LEGO and Bandai Namco unveiled a brick-form version of the game machine called LEGO Icons Pac-Man Arcade Set.
What is the LEGO Pac-Man Arcade Set?
The LEGO Pac-Man Arcade Set is a brick-form recreation of the classic arcade game originally released by Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. (previously Namco) on May 22, 1980, in Japan.
Designed for adults, the nostalgic building set is made with 2,650 LEGO pieces and allows fans to recreate some of the legendary ghost-munching moves of the game.
In addition to the iconic maze-chase cabinet arcade game that features a 4-way joystick and an illuminating coin slot, builders can also create large brick versions of Pac-Man himself as well as Blinky and Clyde (the red and the orange ghosts in the game). This standalone piece rotates on a base and can be displayed on top of the arcade cabinet or separately.
For extra fun detail, the set includes a small vignette of a female minifigure playing Pac-Man in an arcade, hidden inside of the cabinet.
Once the set is completely built, fans can light up the coin slot and turn the handle on one side of the arcade cabinet to activate a mechanical maze that simulates the classic chase between Pac-Man and the Ghost Gang.
Although this is the first-ever LEGO Pac-Man building set, this collaboration between LEGO and Bandai Namco revealed that there’s actually a connection between LEGO and Pac-Man that dates several years back.
“Bandai Namco and the LEGO group share a lot of common values, notably aiming at providing fun for all people through quality products,” Aadil Tayouga, Director of Licensing and Business Strategy at Bandai Namco Europe, said in a statement. “In addition to these values, since Pac-Man yellow was actually inspired by the LEGO Group yellow, it made the connection even more natural It has been a tremendous collaboration with the passionate teams at the LEGO Group and we hope that fans will enjoy this kit.”
LEGO Pac-Man Arcade Set release date
LEGO VIP members will have early access to purchase the LEGO Pac-Man Arcade Set starting June 1st, 2023 on LEGO.com/PAC-MAN and at LEGO Stores. The set will then be available to all from June 4th, 2023 at the suggested retail price of $269.99.
What is Pac-Man?
Pac-Man is an action maze chase video game developed and released by Namco for arcades in 1980. The player controls the eponymous character, who must eat all the dots inside an enclosed maze while avoiding four colored ghosts. Eating large flashing dots called “Power Pellets” causes the ghosts to temporarily turn blue, allowing Pac-Man to eat them for bonus points.
Pac-Man was a huge success when it was first released, and it quickly became one of the most popular video games of all time. It has been ported to many different platforms, and it has spawned a number of sequels, spin-offs, and merchandise. Pac-Man is considered to be one of the most important and influential video games ever made, and it helped to popularize the video game industry in the early 1980s.
Who created Pac-Man?
The game was created by Toru Iwatani, a Japanese video game designer. Iwatani wanted to create a game that was different from the violent shoot-em-up games that were popular at the time. He wanted to create a game that was fun and challenging, and that would appeal to a wide audience.
A critical and commercial success, Pac-Man was praised for its simple yet addictive gameplay, its colorful graphics, and its catchy music. In recognition of Pac-Man’s 1980 release, where it installed 293,822 arcade units within seven years, the Guinness World Records acknowledged the game as the “Most Successful Coin-Operated Game” in the world.
Who was the first person to get the highest score in Pac-Man?
In 1993, Billy Mitchell of Florida became the first person to ever achieve the game’s perfect score of 3,333,360 points. Mitchell’s perfect score was achieved after years of practice and dedication. He was playing on an original arcade machine, which is considered to be the most difficult version of the game.
In order to achieve a perfect score, the player would have to clear all 256 stages without a single miss and consume all PAC-DOTs, fruits, and ghosts.