Google Makes Use Of Mixed-Reality And Google Maps With Pac In Town And Pac-Man Geo

Aside from Stadia, Google’s GDC booth had a bit more to offer, with two interesting Pac-Man series short games that showed off Gooogle’s MR technology and Google Maps as a game base. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]

The first one, Pac In Town, was originally a Microsoft HoloLens attraction at Namco Namja Town, which we previously covered here. Instead of the wearable HoloLens, this version of Pac In Town only requires a smartphone, although players were invited to hold  Pac-Man toy in order to immerse themselves more at the event.

Instead of players walking around a large area that would simulate a maze, this new Pac In Town arranges the dots in shapes that you’ll need to move your phone towards to “eat” the dots. But what if you get eaten by ghosts? It turns out that in this version, you’ll need to give a high five in order to get revived on the spot.

Next, there was Pac-Man Geo, which you could technically say is Pac-Man at its core. Using Google Maps, Pac-Man is drawn a maze using streets. Only tap controls are required for this game.

While this isn’t the first time Google’s done something similar, this seems to be a more refined take, with the screen turning red when you’ve eaten a power pellet, and the ghosts’ positions shown on the top right.

Check out some gameplay below:

It seems that Pac In Town is being developed by Bandai Namco, while Pac-Man Geo is Google’s product using the license. That said, whether Pac-Man Geo will see a proper release in the future has yet to be announced.