the cutting room mirror

Pac-in-Time (SNES)

To do:

  • Document the prototype (it can be easily found on the internet). It has different instrumentation for many of the game's music tracks.
  • Document the change to Pac-Man's family in the version presented in Pac-Man Museum+.

Starring Pac-Man and... some old hag?

The SNES Pac-in-Time, unlike the other games with that title, only uses the same basic gameplay mechanics. Otherwise, it's an entirely new game using a different game engine and aesthetic.

Level Select#

Pac_in_Time_Level_Select.png

Enter LVDYK as a password. Return to the title screen and highlight 1UP Game or 2UP Game, then hold L + R + Left and press Start.

On the level select screen, A increases the level number by one, X decreases the level number by one, R increases the level number by ten, and L decreases the level number by ten. When selecting a level in 2P mode, both players will start on the level that player 1 chooses at the start.

Unseen Graphic#

PacInTimeSNES-CutInHalf.png
While this sprite is actually used in-game when Pac-Man takes damage from touching a sawblade, the sprite is actually made up of two distinct halves that are normally always pieced together. The individual halves of the sprite reveal some pretty nasty hidden details, possibly meaning that the developers initially intended for the sawblade obstacles to cut Pac-Man in half rather than just damaging him.

Regional Differences#

Europe

North America

Japan

  • Each region got its own splash screen representing the game's publisher there.

Cutscenes#

International

Japan

  • The Japanese version has a plainer looking font.
  • Text appears in groups in the Japanese version, while the International version opts for a one letter at a time approach. This change has the side effect of making the Japanese intro much faster than its western counterpart.

International

Japan

PIT_USABOY1.png
PIT_USABOY2.png

  • The Japanese version merged the text explaining Pac-Man's transformation and the transformation itself into one scene. This change greatly sped up the intro.

Europe

North America

Japan

  • Each region got its own copyright info.

International

Japan

  • The Japanese translators didn't even bother to translate the world intro text.

Build Date#

The beginning of the ROM contains one of the following dates:

Version

String

Europe

version 14/10/1994 1h36m26s 
(c) ATREID CONCEPT 1993-94 by GUYET Alain

US

version 14/10/1994 2h7m19s 
(c) ATREID CONCEPT 1993-94 by GUYET Alain

Japan

version 14/10/1994 2h10m49s 
(c) ATREID CONCEPT 1993-94 by GUYET Alain