Pac-Man Bounce: Progressively challenging enough to feel like more than just a cash-in

Pac-Man, the conqueror of 1980s ghosts, is back, and he has been playing Candy Crush. He is far from home. Standing in his way is a series of 10-stage sections.

Instead of chasing dots around the screen, the Bounce version of Pac-Man is launched from a standing start at various arrows, collecting stars, consuming ghosts and eating the keys he needs to access his house.

As an amalgam of an arcade icon with the gameplay of a simple puzzler and the superstructure of Candy Crush, Pac-Man Bounce is, by definition, derivative. But it’s progressively challenging enough to feel like more than just a cash-in.