New Google Doodle’s Spooky Tribute to Pac-Man’s 45 Years Has Playable Easter Egg

Pac-Man turns 45 this year, and Google is celebrating with a macabre twist on the iconic game to get you in the Halloween spirit. This little yellow circle has been nibbling its way into people’s hearts – and high scores – for generations, having first appeared in arcades in 1980. Now, the search engine giant offers a completely new Halloween-themed Google Doodle to your doorstep. When you nudge the doodle, you’re immediately whisked into a browser-based chase that combines the original’s simple thrills with all of the terrifying shivers.

Blinky, Inky, Pinky, and Clyde are back again as the usual gang of pesky pursuers – their bright colours still sticking out like sore thumbs on the screen. But this time round they’re all dressed up for the occasion. Pac-Man is rocking a pixelated purple witch’s hat from the word go, but as levels progress, other outfits pop up too – and the whole shebang is decked out in a spooky purple haze that makes the classic yellows and blues seem dull in comparison. The power pellets have been given a bit of a makeover too – in this version, they’re eyes, and when Pac gets a mouthful of ’em, the screen turns a deep, foreboding purple and all hell breaks loose – or rather, all the ghosts scatter.

Four of the eight levels transport you into haunted houses – each one lovingly crafted with Bandai Namco (the people who’ve been looking after Pac-Man for years) – and they’re not just spooky backdrops, either. They actually reflect the personalities of the ghosts who call them home. Blinky’s place might be a real battleground, full of sharp corners and hairpin turns that demand your full concentration to keep up with his relentless drive. Inky’s place is all twists and turns – like him, it’s unpredictable and gives you a hard time. Pinky’s, meanwhile, is all about laying traps for an unsuspecting Pac, while Clyde’s feels like it’s all over the shop, half-hearted in its attacks. Working out the quirks of the house mid-chase adds a whole new level of excitement, turning survival into a puzzle where you have to figure out the layout and the ghosts’ movements.


Control-wise, it’s all pretty straightforward – just like the arcades of old. The arrow keys on your keyboard get Pac moving left or right (or up and down) with nice and precise movements. A mouse or trackpad works just as well – just drag him along the path at your own pace. The sound is taken straight from the source – those satisfying crunches on the pellets, the wails as the ghosts meet their temporary demise, and a jaunty tune that just seems to keep going on for ever. No fancy frills or 21st-century bells and whistles to get in the way of a good time – just pure, unadulterated nostalgia, amped up to 11 for a quick escape from your screen. Though, if you’re one of the unfortunate souls with a laptop keyboard that’s a bit cramped, you might find it a bit of a struggle – but, on the other hand, if you’re lucky enough to have a full keyboard or a steady hand with a mouse, you’re golden.

Google have paid homage to Pac-Man before, of course – most memorably back in 2010 when he turned 30. That doodle was a real game-changer, as it was the first one that not only packed a punch with the audio but actually let you play the game right in your browser. And now, 15 years on, this Halloween version takes what was good about that first effort and builds on it without overdoing it. So, grab the doodle from the homepage today or tomorrow, and it’ll stick around in Google’s doodle archive for you to play whenever you want – long after the halloween decorations come down.