• Guide

How to use Power-Ups - PAC-MAN 99

Discover how the Power-Ups and Styles work in PAC-MAN 99 so you can properly strategize how and when to munch those pellets!

Sam Chandler

April 11, 2021 11:40 PM

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There’s a lot going on in PAC-MAN 99 and one new mechanic that adds to the chaos is the Styles. These Styles (sometimes called Power-Ups), alter the effect of the Power Pellets in the corners of the maze. Understanding how these work and when to use each one is going to significantly help your chances of claiming victory!

How Power-Ups (Styles) work

There are four different Styles to choose from as you play PAC-MAN 99. These Styles are commonly referred to as Power-Ups in the community as they power-up the pellets in unique ways. Here’s what each one does:

• Standard: No advantages or disadvantages. Normal Power Pellet time and effects.
• Stronger: Decreases how long the Power Pellet lasts but doubles how many Jammer PAC-MAN you send. Also permanently decreases your speed by 1 point.
• Speed: Increases PAC-MAN’s speed but reduces the number of Jammer PAC-MAN you send.
• Train: Increases number of sleeping ghosts added to Ghost train but Jammers will appear in your maze when you send Jammers.

While you can likely recognize how the Power-Ups work, formulating strategies on when to use Power-Ups is going to be critical if you want to win. All of this will likely change depending on your playstyle, but there are some general things you want to consider.

Firstly, the Standard Style is your safest bet. This is the ideal option if you don’t want to reduce your speed, the number of Jammers you send, or have extra Jammers appear in your maze.

Stronger is a great Power-Up, but one that will kneecap you if you’re not planning out your attack. It will permanently reduce your speed, and while you can increase your speed manually, it does take some work. The advantage is that you’ll be sending extra Jammers to your opponents, which can be a good idea if you’re targeting players that are about to get knocked out – this could seal the deal. Keep in mind, the duration of the Power Pellet is significantly reduced when using Stronger, so you might not be able to make it through a maxed out train of ghosts.

Speaking of trains of ghosts, the Train Style will allow you to max out your sleeping ghosts. This is obviously offset by having more Jammers in your maze. Early on this isn’t much of a problem as you can likely balance it out with smart play, but later in the match it might become a problem, especially as Red Jammers arrive.

The Speed Power-Up is the last one, and one that you might consider using early in the match and then in the late-game. This will significantly increase PAC-MAN’s speed, which is useful if you’ve destroyed your own speed stat with the Stronger Style. Keep in mind, you will send significantly less Jammers across while Speed is active.

One strategy might be to use the Speed Style to move around the maze early on, eating dots and then shift to Train to collect the Sleeping Ghosts. Once those are collected, use Stronger on the final pellet and send the Jammers off. Reset the board using the fruit and then go back to Speed.

How to use Power-Ups (Styles)

A Power-Up is activated as soon as you eat a pellet. Just changing it around as you move about the maze is not enough. If you’re using the Stronger Power-Up and want to shift to Speed, you must select the Speed Style and then go eat a pellet.

For this reason, it’s important to remember what Power-Up you have selected as you approach and consume a Power Pellet. Using the wrong one can significantly hinder your strategy, especially later on in a match.

Power-Ups (actually called Styles in-game) are an extremely powerful tool that can make or break a game of PAC-MAN 99. By understanding how they work and coming up with a strategy for how to use Power-Ups, you will be able to start the match strong and know how to react when different situations arise. Stop by the Shacknews PAC-MAN 99 page for more information and guides on this latest hit in the 99 series of games.

Sam Chandler

Guides Editor

Hailing from the land down under, Sam Chandler brings a bit of the southern hemisphere flair to his work. After bouncing round a few universities, securing a bachelor degree, and entering the video game industry, he's found his new family here at Shacknews as a Guides Editor. There's nothing he loves more than crafting a guide that will help someone. If you need help with a guide, or notice something not quite right, you can message him on X: @SamuelChandler