Who knew campaigning could be this much fun? It probably won’t boost Luis Guillermo Solís’ into Casa Presidencial, but this new interpretation of Pac-Man makes for an excellent time-waster.
The Citizen Action Party, or PAC, got a publicity boost when supporter and designer Jorge Guntanis created a video game emulator based on the arcade classic Pac-Man. (Get it?)
Players control the gluttonous yellow character as he chomps down on dots and after ghosts who wear the faces of his political rivals. The video game icon is outlined in red so “PACMAN’s” pie-shaped body represents the party’s colors of red and yellow.
The game’s recognizable “waka waka” sound effect can be enjoyed in the emulator. However many of the other bells and whistles associated with the Pac-Man arcade games are missing in this version (though the emulator seems to be receiving frequent updates). Each stage is the same, although the ghost candidates do move progressively faster. And why can’t I earn bonus points by eating random cherries and pretzels? Major oversight.
If you get tired of trying to beat the high score, the emulator also links players to the candidate’s platform and campaign website.
The image of Solís chasing after his opponents, however, might end up hitting a little too close to home for some PAC voters.
