A Great (But Flawed) Remake!
I played the original Pac Man World 2 a lot as a kid and I picked this up to relive the nostalgia. I am happy to report that the remake is successful, but not without its problems. In general, the game maintains the spirits and recognizable elements of the original, such as the incredible music, the great art direction (but way prettier now), the responsive controls, recognizable areas, and the story and characters. Where it's better is that many of the flaws from the original are scrubbed out, such as the annoying camera system and repetitive boss fights; not only is the camera so much better, but all of the bosses are unique and very fun! The game also considerably remixes the game's content, with remixed and expanded levels, a more efficient level structure, and an improved collectibles system! I also do not recall seeing any visual or audio issues during game-play, with a consistent frame rate and solid audio, so I can safely say that performance is largely solid
Even better, the game has a lot more content to engage with, from a slew of additional collectibles to acquire, to a fun and very lengthy post-game! I'd say the game is around 4-5 hours for a normal play-through, but expect that to double or maybe triple to see all the game has to offer!
However, there's a few big flaws holding this game back from a perfect score. For one, 100% completion will not be a smooth ride as you will encounter an occasional collectible placed in a very unfair spot that will mess up your level run, and it's often because the collectible is hidden way too well. Along with this, bosses do not have check points, meaning you will have to fight the boss in one go w/ no deaths; this is okay in the first few bosses, but as the bosses get more difficult and longer, it gets demoralizing to have to start the fight over sometimes. Although World 2: Re-Pac is not a hard game, and it does feature an easier difficulty option if you need it, I do suggest that players do not go for 100% completion in your first go and only do so if you wish to
In general, World 2: Re-Pac is an example of a remake done right! Although 100% completion is marred by some unfair design elements, the game is otherwise a complete blast to play. I would highly recommend this game!