Corridor, is a simple but ingenious and fun game. Although originally released in the last century, it's now back in a visually sumptuous edition in the guise of the legendary Pac-Man video game. This offers classic gameplay as well as a new mode inspired by the video game. First, let's take a look at the classic Quoridor.
You have a dummy (or in this Pac-Man edition, ghosts or Pac-Man directly - but don't play any role apart from aesthetics), a playing area with square squares and ten "walls". Your goal is to cross to the other side of the game board before your opponent. On your turn, you may either move or place an obstacle (preferably in such a way as to make your opponent's move more difficult), but you may never completely stop the path to your goal.
THAT'S IT! All the rules of the original Corridor are purely in these few sentences. It sounds simple, and at its core it is simple. However, simple mechanisms don't mean it's also simple to play. While it may not seem like it at first, there are plenty of options. How to move, where to put obstacles, thinking about where your opponent is likely to put obstacles, when it's best to move, when not to move...
It's not just a fool's game about shuffling dummies, but a pretty tricky strategy game. But a great game! The game time is around ten minutes and one is actually entertained the whole time. You just can't rate the game except in superlatives. Classic Corridor is just an incredibly fun game.
The problem, however, is the Pac-Man version. In this edition, in addition to the original Corridor, you can play a new mode in which one player plays as Pac-Man and the other (or four other players!) controls the ghosts. Pac-Man has to eat 4 balls on the game board (the obstacles are already fixed on the game board), and the ghosts have to deprive him of his 3 lives first.
Certainly a good idea, the results were not good. Unfortunately, this mode is completely unplayable. Pac-Man realistically has no chance of successfully finishing the game. I was wondering if the fault lies with me, but other players who have expressed their frustration online agree with me. Pac-Man is just a no-go because he never out maneuvers the 4 ghosts, who also know they have to come to the corner for the ball anyway.
So one can't shake the impression that this edition was released purely to milk the combination of the Pac-Man and Quoridor brands. And unfortunately, no one has given much thought to whether it will actually be a fun game.
But if you can get by with a basic Quoridor, which as a bonus is dressed up in the scenery of a famous video game with quality and heavy components and you don't mind paying 40 bucks for one board, 5 miniatures and 20 walls, then Quoridor Pac-Man is a great choice.
Verdict:
Pac-Man's version of Quoridor is unfortunately a terrible disappointment, as the new game mode is virtually unplayable. However, you can still play the original Corridor with the game, which is just a brilliantly simple, fun game. If you want to get the game as "Pac-Man in board form", don't do it, because Pac-Man mode unfortunately doesn't work. But if you just want a nice edition of Korid, take the game with all ten hands.
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