Bandai Namco announces ‘Pac-Man 256’, a new Pac-Man game

In celebration of Pac-Man’s 35th anniversary, Bandai Namco have announced another entry to the franchise; Pac-Man 256.

Based off the ‘Map 256’ glitch in the original Pac-Man, plus Ms. and Jr. Pac-Man, the glitch occurs when the player completes 255 levels. As the game was built around an 8-bit integer, the maximum level count is 255. Therefore, 256 appears like the image below.

Map 256 glitch in the original Pac-Man

Gameplay for the upcoming Pac-Man 256 stays true to the original; navigate the arena while eating Pac-Dots and avoiding the four infamous ghosts (Pinky, Blinky, Inky and Clyde). It’ll also introduce additional power ups to expand upon the original mechanics, although finer details are yet to be announced.

It’s being developed by Hipster Whale of recent Crossy Road fame. It’s expected to release this summer around the same time as the upcoming film Pixels which will feature our lovable yellow protagonist gnawing his way through city skyscrapers.