Pac-Man 99 is Nintendo Switch's latest retro battle royale game
The multiplayer Pac-Man game is free to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers starting Thursday.
Nintendo surprised gamers in 2019 by turning Tetris into a Fortnite-style battle royale game. A little over a year later, it did it again, turning Super Mario Bros. into an intense 35 player retro platforming face-off. Now, the company has announced Nintendo Switch Online's latest throwback battle royale game: Pac-Man 99.
Like the Nintendo Switch Online service's other retro battle royale games, Pac-Man 99 asks players to outlast dozens of other players in the arcade classic -- but there's more to it than simply getting the highest score. Every time a player eats a ghost, it gets sent to another player's screen as a "jammer Pac-Man," which can lower a player's speed and make them a target for ghosts. Managing power-ups and carefully targeting opponents is key to outlasting other players.
The game launches for free to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers on Thursday at 6 p.m. PT, along with paid add-on packs, single-player modes and themes. Super Mario 35 may be gone, but it's clear that Nintendo isn't done with this unique game format just yet.