Like many others in the video game industry, Bandai Namco has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. So far it seems that the company has been responsible about the pandemic, having its employees work from home and updating players about the state of things going forward.
Bandai Namco has also decided to give players a free retro-style game in the form of Pac-Man Championship Edition 2. From April 24 through to May 10, Bandai Namco is giving away free digital copies of Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 for the PlayStation 4, the Xbox One, and the PC via Steam. For some players this may seem like deja-vu, as Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 was accidentally released for free on the PS4 recently, although only some players got their hands on it. Whether someone got the dates for the free giveaway wrong or something else entirely led to the early free giveaway may never be known, but it is properly underway now.
The game itself is the second fast-paced spin on the original Pac-Man formula after the original Pac-Man Championship Edition. In addition to the familiar mazes and ghosts, Pac-Man now has a limited number of jumps that let him instantly warp back to his starting position, causing him to hip-hop more than the official Pac-Man theme song. Championship Edition 2 also sees mini-ghosts barring Pac-Man's way and added as a train to the regular-ghosts chasing him, only to all be eaten at once when they go blue for a huge point combo.
This is not the first time Pac-Man has been re-invented, and there is a good chance it will not be the last. While most players will always think of the form of Pac-Man that made it into the Video Game Hall of Fame, there are still new versions being made for new generations to play and fall in love with.
Some take the love of Pac-Man a little too far though, even going so far as to steal the original designs for the first Pac-Man from their creator. Rather than trying to steal it, it's probably best to just pick up Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 now, while it's free.
Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 is available now for PS4, PC, and Xbox One.
Source: Bandai Namco Entertainment