That's not to say there aren't reasons for that lack of affection and attention. After all, the 1990 TurboGrafx-16 port of this Namco-made Pac-Man platformer, originally released in the arcades five years earlier, was roundly ignored on this side of the pond.
The TG-16's dearth of sales had a lot to do with that, of course, as did the game's age by that time. Also, Pac-Land in any form could be described as antiquated, difficult and repetitive.
Still, I think it has just enough positive attributes to be worth checking out if you're a fan of the genre. The main ones: its graphics, which look like something pulled from a Saturday morning cartoon, and its infectious soundtrack.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPvjriCt74PKKp5mCfGRbZMnuVvqLYukNJqTbyGHdvUtwzdj8yRJtx8PkrE1VHDojD24bS4c4wCfrMID_kzgBSRxuKQQ8YNMUkL57YLcaYmdtDvDrcFb14osZRocFidzP7uwODIg/s400/PacLand-manual-cover.jpg)
It also has a pretty great instruction manual, as you'll see if you continue scrolling through this write-up. Granted, that's not going to help you enjoy playing the PC Engine version of Pac-Land, but it should help you feel better about owning a copy (if you happen to buy one, that is).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudeYysrATG36XQII9evH461v3lhv5N5dFq7KVgk8h67YzuseU2HCVHO5mpNPXrO4xabMXUkhlIXqUHfB-LAlTMhaScO0d9VyxxkaamVx1HfKxw1tGStb633YhCsPkQXnGBaZigg/s400/PacLand-manual-pg1.jpg)
The highlight of Pac-Land's booklet, in my humble opinion: its abundance of color. Although I've liked a lot of black-and-white PC Engine manuals over the years--the ones made for Don Doko Don, Mizubaku Daibouken and The New Zealand Story are good examples--I usually prefer a bit of color.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwnUn7jaJ-qSoCojX0bnxjSFb5A45-iKgRV_ZfQXaP_FdiWDkhyRideZcWX6hR9aB2W8fPD0q3_qn_Zp1NP1EAAVrbAZXMWN37d333UUmz-S7bQdqQ9syM35o4J7MoWyT6MaTf0g/s400/PacLand-manual-pg23.jpg)
Well, there isn't a single black-and-white spread in this particular manual. Hell, there's only a couple of black-and-white illustrations--both of which can be found in the scan below.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoqFKkeo7kAV2qFGsqsusHtsa73fyNtLgGHjNbFCbOvjjFDsLu9HS3z5iaoBo5oWh9SFDtdX1JMTmrC2Iz-sSX0YICzOtwEzEMAYyi6XNHwHkOdWMFe40fomWu6LurQFuRwpaPmA/s400/PacLand-manual-pg45.jpg)
Every other page of the Pac-Land instruction booklet features illustrations awash in color. Some of them aren't of the highest quality, mind you, but as my mom's always told me, nothing's perfect.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmxIwdYRuWBVp57yaROfFqbaoT-xXq5QJiJQeHMYmb02t1Qf2uMfpvZ_FJKiZAyE03_HGy_IWw4yGjSrWSAsMMGXza5o9FToz5Yj7tG6QDHtmQt9AieeEub48cwzYrV1QHYwa0Ig/s400/PacLand-manual-pg67.jpg)
Thankfully, most of the art that's on offer here is nice enough that no one should regret spending $10 to $20 to obtain it (along with the game's HuCard and outer case, naturally).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5sKnk9J5voc56adlfB_sBfX08unRQ3ul73BL62zV8FfihLo2Q54fVRA7FlA6CxfD6ZracM1kLSoTl29FAyoZRXBI45UVsjzT9XlrbNtCux0LFZLtawZEC1ajms_l5_-pRzG1Thg/s400/PacLand-manual-pg89.jpg)
Now that I've wasted a number of sentences discussing and dissecting the quality of the art that appears in the Pac-Land manual, let's change course a bit and chat about the theme that surrounds that art. Specifically, I'm talking about the game's odd "alpine aesthetic," for lack of a better phrase.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmDLEA7WznrtzNiR6WXlFUfiEECDpzXRWz78CERdV9DB2P1hZLDNIHbMU2eUPe4tUTprR_jkPqQX696mlux9gtQtFK2E2Fbqkoayipz_mZSUfGXv3PIgViSEobfqHEzQfgGrhtw/s400/PacLand-manual-pg1011.jpg)
Don't see it? Look at every single depiction of Pac-Man in the scans shared in this post. The old pellet-chomper sports some sort of mountaineering hat in all of them. He also spends a surprising amount of time leaping from log to log and traipsing through forests and fields in this side-scrolling adventure.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhRxEvjqvbhI1umvhoQS4b1k7VAXDniuaVp0F89MaCZXx77qSdA8ijbAZ8UASGOfWcWMFYotOv_P_aYcx8SSOY7C3ON4JN_up85YMY8z42jSrGuFyQ2GvfKz88exjbkLq2IIyrw/s400/PacLand-manual-pg1213.jpg)
That's just a side note to the rainbow-swathed drawings and screenshots scattered throughout this booklet, though.
And although I can't say I like them more than the ones included in another Namco PC Engine instruction manual, for Valkyrie no Densetsu, they're better than what you'll find in less thrilling manuals--Parasol Star's is an unfortunate example--so you won't hear me complaining anytime soon.
See also: previous 'Manual Stimulation' posts
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