A Nintendo gamer makes a rather unusual discovery while cleaning out an apartment, finding a unique part of the Game Boy’s history.
One Nintendo gamer finds a long-out-of-print Game Boy game while cleaning out their apartment: Ms. Pac-Man. Many gamers might be familiar with the retro game and the titular character of Namco's franchise. Unlike most games in the Pac-Man franchise, Ms. Pac-Man wasn't made by Namco, but by a completely different developer.
Ms. Pac-Man's history is complicated. Following the success of the original Pac-Man, a sequel starring Pac-Man's wife was developed by General Computer Corporation, having a lot of the same gameplay with some tweaks. Despite being made without Namco's consent, the project was officially released, with Namco president Masaya Nakamura even providing feedback on the character's design. The game was released on a variety of consoles, including the Game Boy. This eventually led to a variety of legal ownership issues between Namco and General Computer Corporation, kicking off a lawsuit in 2019 between Bandai Namco and AtGames. One gamer recently found a version of the older Ms. Pac-Man game.
Posted on the r/gaming subreddit, user azurianlight posted how they found a Ms. Pac-Man Game Boy cartridge while cleaning an apartment. The apartment's tenants have already moved out, according to the user, and were cleaning up whatever mess they left behind. Ms. Pac-Man was released on both the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color, getting a "Special Color Edition" as well. This cartridge is a bit of a lucky find, as it is a piece of gaming history that has the character's older design.
The game isn't that rare, as listings on eBay show the game being available for sale at a reasonable price. However, considering the tumultuous history of Ms. Pac-Man, it's still a good find while cleaning out an older tenant's apartment. Many users commented on azurianlight's post, commenting on how the Game Boy cartridge brings a wave of nostalgia for older gamers like them. One noted that while the game wasn't always fun, it's still worth trying out nowadays if only for the nostalgia and history behind it.
What Happened to Ms. Pac-Man?
Following the AtGames and Bandai Namco court proceedings, the lawsuit was ultimately dismissed in 2020. However, the original Ms. Pac-Man never showed up again in her original guise, as the character was replaced with a new one known as Pac-Mom. This new character, like Ms. Pac-Man, is Pac-Man's wife, and she has appeared in games like the ones included in the Pac-Man Museum+ re-release collection (e.g. Pac-Land), along with the 2022 Pac-Man World Re-Pac remake.
Brand Nintendo Original Release Date July 31, 1989 Hardware Versions Game Boy Original MSRP (USD) $89.99 Weight 7.76 oz See at Amazon
