Pac-Man Link Slots
Pac-Man’s hunger for Pac-Dots and Power Pellets shows no signs of abating, despite feasting on the pixelated white dots ever since he first appeared as an arcade game back in 1980. We can admit to spending countless hours of our childhood navigating Pac-Man through challenging mazes to unlock progressively more difficult stages at our local arcade.
Such memories will instantly flood back to you too as you come across the eye-catching Pac-Man Link setup at your local land-based casino in North America. Powered using software by Ainsworth, a company founded in 1995 by gaming veteran Len Ainsworth, Pac-Man Link represents a new series of four casino slot machines, each linked to four progressive jackpots: Mini, Minor, Major and Grand.
Standing side by side, each machine is named after one of the multicolored ghosts that chase after the most recognized figure in arcade game history. Blinky lurks around on the red machine. Inky is the host of the blue machine. Clyde welcomes players to the orange machine. And there are no prizes on offer for guessing the machine Pinky can be found on. You guessed it, the pink one!
Arcade Action Across Twin 24-Inch Screens
Each of the four linked slot machines has been housed in one of Ainsworth’s cutting-edge EVO cabinets. This means each slot boasts twin 24-inch high-definition monitors and an LCD touchscreen button deck. The arcade action takes place across five reels on the lower screen, while the four progressive jackpots increase in value beside one of the animated ghosts on the top screen. Try to find a machine showing the ghost covered by gold coins, as this indicates that it is filled with plenty of real cash to pay out big wins.
The 3x5 game matrix of each Pac-Man Link slot has been set against a neon-lit maze. You’ll be aiming to match at least three symbols from the leftmost reel across one of the game’s 30 paylines to secure a win. And there are plenty of betting options to choose from, catering to both low-limit and high-limit players alike. Each machine in the Pac-Man Link series encourages higher bets to increase your chances of triggering bonus features. Just be careful not to play above your means.
Bright and Bold 8-Bit Symbols
Graphics in Pac-Man arcade and video games have evolved at an exponential rate since the slot’s initial release in 1980. Gamblers old enough to remember the original Pac-Man game, which was just 24kb in file size, will be chuffed to learn that Ainsworth has stuck with the famous 8-bit graphics for the symbols on Pac-Man Link. Bright and bold symbols promise to capture your attention, beginning with the low-value 10, J, Q, K and A playing card symbols.
As the pay table of Pac-Man Link highlights, each of the four multicolored ghosts also makes an appearance on the reels. The ghost displayed on the top screen of the machine you play will appear as a stacked wild symbol, often covering a whole reel. Pac-Man’s favorite fruits also make an appearance, and include cherries, oranges, strawberries and apples. Those shiny bells he loved to ring make an appearance, too. And what Pac-Man game would be complete without the star of the show? It’s impossible to miss the legendary dot-muncher.
Spin the Wheel for Awesome Cash Prizes
Look out for the ghost associated with your machine flying across the reels, because this sees you activate a Wheel Feature named after the respective ghost. You will then be transported to a second screen, where you’ll see four wheels. Each time you unlock the feature, another of the wheels is unlocked. On each wheel you’ll see three segments highlighted. The value displayed on each segment that appears within this area will indicate your winnings for that spin. Payouts from this feature are awesome, especially when you have unlocked all four wheels.
Watch Pac-Man Take On the Ghosts
If you’re one of the lucky players who trigger the Mystery Battle feature, you could be about to scoop one of four progressive jackpots. This five-round feature sees you select a ghost for Pac-Man to battle against each time.
Once you’ve made your selection, you’ll be taken to a small maze. Here, both Pac-Man and the ghost will make a dash for a single Pac-Dot in the center. If Pac-Man eats it first, the ghost will turn blue before being gobbled up. On the other hand, the battle is lost whenever the ghost reaches the Pac-Dot first.
Pac-Man might not win every battle, but you’ll be hoping he wins at least four. That will see you crowned a Grand Jackpot winner. Should he win three battles, you’ll bag the Major Jackpot. Two wins will see you collect the Minor Jackpot, while a single victory for Pac-Man means you’ll have won the Mini Jackpot. Zero wins will see you return to the base game empty-handed – and that’s never a nice feeling.
Play Pac-Man Slots at Online Casinos
If you’re not lucky enough to live near one of the land-based casinos offering Pac-Man Link, don’t worry: you can still enjoy Pac-Man online in slot form. Pac-Man Link represents the latest deal between slot manufacturer Ainsworth and Japanese game developer Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. The gaming powerhouses have joined forces in the past to deliver Pac-Man Wild Edition and Pac-Man Dynamic Edition, both of which have proven extremely popular at land-based casinos.
However, only the Pac-Man Wild Edition video slot is playable at online casinos at the time of this review. It’s a fast-paced five-reel slot with striking neon-styled symbols and several bonus features. And the jackpot hunters among you will be pleased to learn that it also boasts a Mini, Minor, Major and Grand Jackpot.
Fond Memories and Fantastic Features
Pac-Man Link is unmissable on the floors of land-based casinos, not least because of how large its four-cabinet setup is. Its bright and bold display promises to draw you in from afar, while the fabulous 8-bit graphics are guaranteed to bring back childhood memories of playing Pac-Man at your local arcade. However, it’s not points you’ll be hoping to accumulate on Pac-Man Link – it’s real cash.
Payouts are decent in the base game, but it’s the Wheel and Mystery Battle features you’ll need to trigger if you want to scoop the biggest prizes on Pack-Man Link. After all those hours spent guiding Pac-Man to safety around ghost-filled mazes, it’s now his turn to guide us players towards mega wins.
