Ms. Pac Man (Speedup Hack)
1981
1–2 Players
Arcade
Arcade
Action
Not Rated
Images



Description
The gameplay of Ms. Pac-Man is very similar to that of the original Pac-Man. The player earns points by eating pellets and avoiding ghosts (contact with one causes Ms. Pac-Man to lose a life). Eating an energizer (or “power pellet”) causes the ghosts to turn blue, allowing them to be eaten for extra points. Bonus fruits can be eaten for increasing point values, twice per round. As the rounds increase, the speed increases, and energizers generally lessen the extent of the ghosts’ vulnerability, eventually stopping altogether.
There are also some differences from the original Pac-Man:
The game has four different mazes that appear in different color schemes, and alternate after each of the game’s intermissions are seen.
Three of the four mazes (the first, second, and fourth ones) have two sets of warp tunnels, as opposed to only one in the original maze.
The walls have a solid color rather than an outline, which makes it easier for a novice player to see where the paths around the mazes are.
The ghosts’ behavioral patterns are different, and include semi-random movement, which prevents the use of patterns to clear each round.
Instead of appearing in the center of the maze, the fruits bounce randomly around the maze, entering and (if not eaten) leaving through the warp tunnels. Also, each fruit appears one at time unlike the original Pacman in which each of the fruits after level 2 appears twice until the player reaches the Key. Once all fruits have been encountered, they appear in random sequence for the rest of the game, starting on the eighth round; this means that a 5000-point banana can be followed by a 100-point pair of cherries, and vice versa.
The orange ghost is called Sue, rather than Clyde; her color was later changed to purple in Pac-Land to differentiate her.
When Ms. Pac-Man makes contact with a ghost and dies, she spins around rather than folding in on herself like the original Pac-Man did.
The three intermissions have changed to follow the developing relationship between the original Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man (from when they first meet to having a stork drop off their baby); the latter later served as the attract opening sequence for Jr. Pac-Man.
The sound effects and music are very different from those of the original game, including a new opening theme and death sound effect.
As with Pac-Man, this game has a bug in the subroutine that draws the fruit, which renders the 256th round unplayable. However, the game also has other bugs that cause it to crash or become unplayable much sooner, making it impossible to reach Round 256 without the use of emulation
Ms. Pac Man (Speedup Hack)
Overview & History
Released originally by Midway in 1982 as an unauthorized-turned-official sequel to Namco’s monumental arcade hit, *Ms. Pac-Man* revolutionized early video gaming by giving the iconic yellow mouth a pink bow, boots, and a personality all her own. While the base arcade cabinet improved upon the original formula with new maze layouts, wandering fruit, and randomized ghost AI, high-level competitive players eventually craved a faster, more intense challenge. Enter the *Speedup Hack*, a popular ROM modification engineered by arcade enthusiasts and speedrunners. This custom variant injects pure adrenaline into the classic formula by significantly boosting the movement velocity of both Ms. Pac-Man and the four colored ghosts—Binky, Pinky, Inky, and Sue. The storyline remains delightfully minimalist: traverse labyrinthine screens, chomp down every yellow pellet, avoid lethal encounters with the relentless ghosts, and chase wandering pretzels, oranges, and bananas across four distinct maze designs before advancing to increasingly frantic stages.
Gameplay Features & Mechanics
The core mechanics are fundamentally altered by the sheer velocity of the *Speedup Hack*. Because Ms. Pac-Man moves noticeably faster than her standard 1982 iteration, split-second decision-making becomes mandatory at every intersection. Tight cornering, known as "corner-queuing," requires absolute precision; a single mistimed keystroke sends you crashing directly into a ghost. Power pellets remain your primary defense, temporarily turning the ghosts dark blue and vulnerable to being eaten for compounding points. However, due to the increased speed, the duration of the power pellet state feels drastically shorter, forcing aggressive hunting strategies. The dynamic ghost artificial intelligence—where each spirit possesses a unique behavioral quirk—is amplified by their heightened speed, eliminating safe hiding spots in the side tunnels and demanding constant, fluid motion.
Keyboard Controls
- Arrow Keys / D-Pad: Move
- Action Keys: Attack / Jump
- Enter: Start / Pause
What's new
★ 4.2 / 5 · 34 votes
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