Not every Smash Ultimate character started with Nintendo. A couple of the game’s characters predate the NES by a fair chunk of time. One such icon is Pac-Man. And while his more human-looking style may look cute, he’s a yellow ball of all-consuming hunger that’s hard to stop once he gets going. It’s up to the massive Smash Ultimate roster to pull out its own bag of tricks to beat him.
Smash Ultimate sports 74 different playable characters at launch — including every single previous character from the super-franchise and a bunch of fresh faces. That’s not even including the glut of DLC fighters, assist trophies, and more. There’s so much that no one person could possibly keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a guide to every single character.
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Pac-Man in Smash Ultimate alternates between three forms. There’s his more modern take, with arms and legs, and the spherical shape he takes when launching rush attacks. Then there’s the incredibly classic 2D look that he assumes when initiating a Final Smash. The super attack looks great and even takes into account the little details — like scores popping out of devoured foes and that satisfying second of lag when you snack on someone.
According to the official Nintendo description of Pac-Man…
This fighter appears in both his classic form and his form with hands and legs. He has many unique special moves, such as using a trampoline or a fire hydrant. For his Final Smash, he grows into a giant Super PAC-MAN, chomping and launching his opponents!
Pac-Man Moves
Bonus Fruit (B) – Summons a variety of fruit to throw at his foes. Some of it seems a little less edible, though…
Power Pellet (Side + B) – Summons a row of Pac-Dots ending in a Power Pellet, and sends himself on a retro dash.
Pac-Jump (Up + B) – Bounces high into the air with a trampoline that sticks around for a little while.
Fire Hydrant (Down + B) – Summons a fire hydrant that shoots powerful jets of water, pushing nearby fighters.
Super PAC-MAN (Final Smash) – PAC-MAN grows giant and moves across the screen at high speed. You can adjust the direction a bit with each crossing. The landscape doesn’t affect this giant PAC-MAN, and any foes he comps are launched.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
One of the grandfathers of gaming himself, Pac-Man, got some nice upgrades to his Bonus Fruit and other abilities. Most of his moves are either references to his own game or other classics, but they all give him interesting setplay options. He can trap opponents with tricky surprises and the clever placement of objects. Pac-Man likes to control the whole arena, using his unpredictability and large toolkit to keep opponents second-guessing.
Weaknesses
In actual combat, Pac-Man suffers a little more. He has low range and mobility, mostly relying on his specials for each. Also, if you’re fighting a character who has tools for dealing with projectiles (Fox, Villager, Isabelle, etc.), you’ll find yourself at a distinct disadvantage. They can turn your setplay and object game against you. Be aware that you’ll have to change up your tactics against those foes.
Pac-Man Outfits
There’s not a lot that Nintendo could do with Pac-Man. He’s got some boot accents and even sleeves on some skins. His last look changes out the gloves for oven mitts. That’s kind of cute, to be honest. Otherwise, he’s the big ball you definitely know and possibly love.
And that’s all she wrote about Pac-Man! Make sure you check back on Fanbyte for more guides to the single-player and every other character in Smash Ultimate. In the meantime, have fun out there you crazy kids.
All of our Smash Ultimate guides created with the help of Eric Van Allen.
