<s>
is	O
a	O
1983	O
maze	B-Application
chase	I-Application
arcade	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Namco	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
series	O
,	O
is	O
the	O
third	O
to	O
have	O
been	O
produced	O
in-house	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
control	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
as	O
he	O
must	O
eat	O
the	O
items	O
in	O
an	O
enclosed	O
maze	B-Application
while	O
avoiding	O
four	O
colored	O
ghosts	O
that	O
pursue	O
him	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pac-Man	B-Application
is	O
assisted	O
by	O
a	O
green-colored	O
creature	O
named	O
Miru	O
,	O
the	O
titular	O
"	O
Pal	O
"	O
,	O
who	O
brings	O
the	O
items	O
back	O
to	O
the	O
center	O
box	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pac-Man	B-Application
can	O
also	O
collect	O
power-ups	O
that	O
allow	O
him	O
to	O
briefly	O
stun	O
the	O
ghosts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pac	B-Application
&	I-Application
Pal	I-Application
is	O
largely	O
based	O
on	O
Super	B-Application
Pac-Man	I-Application
,	O
Namco	O
's	O
attempt	O
at	O
making	O
a	O
follow-up	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Super	B-Application
Pac-Man	I-Application
proved	O
to	O
be	O
unsuccessful	O
,	O
Pac	B-Application
&	I-Application
Pal	I-Application
was	O
created	O
to	O
refine	O
many	O
of	O
its	O
mechanics	O
and	O
build	O
on	O
its	O
concept	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
by	O
Midway	O
Games	O
under	O
the	O
name	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
&	I-Application
Chomp	I-Application
Chomp	I-Application
,	O
which	O
replaced	O
Miru	O
with	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
'	O
s	O
dog	O
from	O
the	O
Hanna-Barbera	O
cartoon	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pac	B-Application
&	I-Application
Pal	I-Application
was	O
a	O
commercial	O
failure	O
and	O
remained	O
obscure	O
for	O
many	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Retrospectively	O
,	O
it	O
has	O
received	O
attention	O
for	O
its	O
premise	O
and	O
differences	O
compared	O
to	O
its	O
predecessors	O
and	O
has	O
been	O
listed	O
among	O
the	O
strangest	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
guides	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
through	O
an	O
enclosed	O
maze	B-Application
in	O
which	O
several	O
items	O
are	O
locked	O
behind	O
doors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
face-down	O
cards	O
are	O
scattered	O
throughout	O
the	O
maze	B-Application
;	O
when	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
runs	O
over	O
one	O
of	O
these	O
,	O
it	O
flips	O
over	O
to	O
reveal	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
items	O
,	O
which	O
becomes	O
unlocked	O
so	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
can	O
eat	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
items	O
in	O
each	O
maze	B-Application
are	O
power-ups	O
,	O
which	O
correspond	O
to	O
"	O
S	O
"	O
cards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
eating	O
one	O
of	O
these	O
,	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
temporarily	O
turns	O
blue	O
and	O
grows	O
larger	O
;	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
now	O
press	O
the	O
button	O
to	O
fire	O
a	O
beam	O
that	O
briefly	O
stuns	O
the	O
ghosts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Items	O
include	O
a	O
flagship	O
from	O
Galaxian	B-Application
,	O
a	O
red	O
car	O
from	O
Rally-X	B-Application
,	O
a	O
trumpet	O
,	O
a	O
snowman	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
miniature	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Assisting	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
is	O
the	O
titular	O
"	O
Pal	O
"	O
character	O
Miru	O
,	O
a	O
green-colored	O
creature	O
with	O
a	O
pink	O
bow	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Whenever	O
any	O
items	O
are	O
unlocked	O
,	O
Miru	O
will	O
try	O
to	O
pick	O
one	O
up	O
and	O
carry	O
it	O
toward	O
the	O
center	O
box	O
;	O
if	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
does	O
not	O
catch	O
up	O
to	O
her	O
and	O
eat	O
the	O
item	O
before	O
she	O
enters	O
the	O
box	O
,	O
it	O
disappears	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
orange	O
area	O
immediately	O
below	O
the	O
center	O
box	O
causes	O
the	O
ghosts	O
to	O
slow	O
down	O
whenever	O
they	O
are	O
inside	O
and	O
obscures	O
both	O
them	O
and	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
,	O
leaving	O
only	O
the	O
ghosts	O
 '	O
eyes	O
visible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
loses	O
one	O
life	O
whenever	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
touches	O
a	O
non-stunned	O
ghost	O
,	O
but	O
can	O
safely	O
run	O
through	O
Miru	O
at	O
any	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pac	B-Application
&	I-Application
Pal	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Namco	O
in	O
July	O
1983	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
third	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
series	O
that	O
was	O
made	O
by	O
Namco	O
themselves	O
,	O
as	O
Pac-Mans	O
North	O
American	O
distributor	O
Midway	O
Games	O
had	O
produced	O
many	O
of	O
their	O
own	O
sequels	O
that	O
Namco	O
had	O
little	O
involvement	O
with	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pac	B-Application
&	I-Application
Pal	I-Application
is	O
largely	O
based	O
on	O
Super	B-Application
Pac-Man	I-Application
,	O
Namco	O
's	O
own	O
sequel	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
,	O
and	O
retains	O
a	O
similar	O
graphical	O
style	O
and	O
many	O
of	O
its	O
mechanics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
brand	O
increasing	O
in	O
popularity	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
Namco	O
sought	O
to	O
produce	O
a	O
follow-up	O
that	O
matched	O
its	O
success	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Super	B-Application
Pac-Man	I-Application
was	O
largely	O
unsuccessful	O
,	O
so	O
Pac	B-Application
&	I-Application
Pal	I-Application
was	O
made	O
to	O
improve	O
on	O
its	O
flaws	O
and	O
update	O
its	O
core	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yuriko	O
Keino	O
,	O
who	O
is	O
best	O
known	O
for	O
her	O
work	O
on	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Dig	B-Application
Dug	I-Application
and	O
Xevious	B-Application
,	O
composed	O
the	O
soundtrack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Namco	O
and	O
Midway	O
had	O
plans	O
to	O
release	O
Pac	B-Application
&	I-Application
Pal	I-Application
in	O
North	O
America	O
under	O
the	O
new	O
name	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
&	I-Application
Chomp	I-Application
Chomp	I-Application
,	O
which	O
replaced	O
Miru	O
with	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
'	O
s	O
spherical	O
dog	O
from	O
the	O
Hanna-Barbera	O
cartoon	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pac-Man	B-Application
&	I-Application
Chomp	I-Application
Chomp	I-Application
was	O
never	O
released	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
market	O
being	O
over-saturated	O
with	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pac	B-Application
&	I-Application
Pal	I-Application
never	O
saw	O
a	O
home	O
release	O
until	O
1998	O
,	O
where	O
it	O
was	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
Japan-exclusive	O
arcade	O
collection	O
Namco	O
History	O
Vol	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
3	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Toy	O
manufacturer	O
Jakks	O
Pacific	O
included	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
many	O
of	O
their	O
Pac-Man-branded	O
"	O
plug'n	O
play	O
"	O
controllers	O
throughout	O
the	O
mid-2000	O
'	O
s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pac	B-Application
&	I-Application
Pal	I-Application
is	O
also	O
included	O
in	O
a	O
few	O
Namco	O
compilations	O
such	O
as	O
Namco	B-Application
Museum	I-Application
Remix	I-Application
(	O
2007	O
)	O
,	O
Namco	O
Museum	O
Virtual	O
Arcade	O
(	O
2008	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Namco	B-Device
Museum	I-Device
Megamix	I-Device
(	O
2010	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
commemorate	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
the	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
and	I-Application
the	I-Application
Ghostly	I-Application
Adventures	I-Application
television	O
series	O
,	O
Bandai	O
added	O
Pac	B-Application
&	I-Application
Pal	I-Application
to	O
their	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
Connect	O
&	O
Play	O
controller	O
in	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pac	B-Application
&	I-Application
Pal	I-Application
is	O
included	O
in	O
Pac-Man	B-Device
Museum	I-Device
(	O
2014	O
)	O
,	O
alongside	O
several	O
other	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2019	O
,	O
Arcade1UP	O
released	O
a	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
"	O
counter-cade	O
"	O
arcade	O
machine	O
that	O
includes	O
the	O
original	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
and	O
Pac	B-Application
&	I-Application
Pal	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pac	B-Application
&	I-Application
Pal	I-Application
is	O
included	O
in	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
Museum	I-Application
+	I-Application
as	O
a	O
unlockable	O
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Pac	B-Application
&	I-Application
Pal	I-Application
saw	O
success	O
in	O
its	O
first	O
few	O
months	O
on	O
the	O
market	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
relatively	O
a	O
commercial	O
failure	O
and	O
remained	O
obscure	O
for	O
many	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
drastic	O
differences	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
and	O
Super	B-Application
Pac-Man	I-Application
and	O
its	O
limited	O
production	O
run	O
have	O
been	O
attributed	O
to	O
its	O
downfall	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Retrospectively	O
,	O
Pac	B-Application
&	I-Application
Pal	I-Application
has	O
gained	O
attention	O
for	O
its	O
many	O
changes	O
to	O
the	O
gameplay	O
of	O
its	O
predecessors	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
seen	O
among	O
the	O
stranger	O
entries	O
in	O
the	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
described	O
its	O
gameplay	O
as	O
"	O
horrible	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
criticized	O
it	O
for	O
being	O
too	O
distant	O
from	O
the	O
gameplay	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
wrote	O
:	O
"	O
Overall	O
,	O
Pac	B-Application
&	I-Application
Pal	I-Application
is	O
a	O
travesty	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
my	O
mind	O
,	O
it	O
holds	O
the	O
title	O
as	O
worst	O
and	O
weirdest	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
sequel	O
ever	O
unleashed	O
upon	O
the	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
his	O
review	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
Pac-Man	B-Device
Museum	I-Device
,	O
Hardcore	O
Gamers	O
Jahanzeb	O
Khan	O
called	O
it	O
a	O
"	O
far	O
more	O
unusual	O
sequel	O
"	O
to	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
,	O
and	O
criticized	O
Miru	O
for	O
being	O
more	O
of	O
a	O
hindrance	O
than	O
an	O
aid	O
to	O
the	O
player	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Writing	O
for	O
Paste	O
,	O
Preston	O
Burt	O
listed	O
it	O
among	O
the	O
weirdest	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
sequels	O
for	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
a	O
second	O
player	O
character	O
and	O
its	O
premise	O
,	O
saying	O
that	O
:	O
"	O
If	O
you	O
have	O
no	O
idea	O
what	O
's	O
happening	O
in	O
this	O
game	O
,	O
you	O
're	O
not	O
alone.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Jeremy	O
Parish	O
of	O
USgamer	O
retrospectively	O
reviewed	O
Pac	B-Application
&	I-Application
Pal	I-Application
in	O
commemoration	O
of	O
its	O
30th	O
anniversary	O
in	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
claimed	O
that	O
it	O
made	O
for	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
stranger	O
entries	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
for	O
its	O
substantially	O
different	O
gameplay	O
compared	O
to	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
and	O
Ms.	B-Application
Pac-Man	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Parish	O
also	O
said	O
that	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
additions	O
,	O
namely	O
Miru	O
and	O
the	O
power-up	O
items	O
,	O
detracted	O
from	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
more	O
minimalist	O
approach	O
and	O
appeal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
concluded	O
his	O
review	O
with	O
:	O
"	O
While	O
Namco	O
clearly	O
hoped	O
to	O
sustain	O
Pac-Mans	O
tremendous	O
legacy	O
with	O
an	O
inventive	O
follow-up	O
,	O
Pac	B-Application
&	I-Application
Pal	I-Application
hastened	O
the	O
series	O
 '	O
demise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pac	B-Application
&	I-Application
Pal	I-Application
was	O
one	O
in	O
a	O
string	O
of	O
duds	O
and	O
does	O
n't	O
hold	O
up	O
very	O
well	O
in	O
retrospect	O
--	O
it	O
's	O
a	O
real	O
oddball	O
of	O
a	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bobinator	O
of	O
Hardcore	O
Gaming	O
101	O
argued	O
that	O
the	O
difference	O
in	O
gameplay	O
made	O
Pac	B-Application
&	I-Application
Pal	I-Application
standout	O
from	O
other	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
sequels	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
it	O
helped	O
make	O
the	O
game	O
feel	O
fresh	O
and	O
unique	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bobinator	O
wrote	O
:	O
"	O
Sadly	O
,	O
this	O
would	O
be	O
the	O
last	O
time	O
Namco	O
would	O
ever	O
experiment	O
quite	O
this	O
much	O
with	O
their	O
well-used	O
maze	B-Application
game	I-Application
formula	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
would	O
soon	O
move	O
into	O
new	O
genres	O
entirely	O
,	O
later	O
maze	B-Application
games	I-Application
would	O
choose	O
to	O
play	O
it	O
safe	O
.	O
</s>
