A New Classic: Paku Paku - A Public Domain MS-DOS Game from 2011

In an era where it seems like classic games are becoming increasingly scarce, Jason M. Knight's Paku Paku is a refreshing surprise that proves even the most unlikely of developers can create something truly remarkable. Released in 2011, this game may seem out of place in today's gaming landscape, but its nostalgic value and impressive technical achievements make it a standout title that deserves attention.

At first glance, Paku Paku appears to be just another Pac-Man clone, with gameplay that is virtually indistinguishable from the classic arcade title. However, upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that this game is more than just a tribute - it's a bold experiment in pushing the boundaries of what is possible on an old-school MS-DOS system. Knight has cleverly leveraged the capabilities of the original IBM 5150 PC, utilizing its limited resources to create a game that not only looks stunning but also sounds incredible.

One of the most impressive aspects of Paku Paku is its use of the CGA (Color Graphics Adapter) mode, which was notoriously restrictive in terms of resolution and color palette. Most games of this era were content with the standard 320x200 resolution at four colors, but Knight has found a way to work around these limitations to create a game that looks and feels like it's running on modern hardware. The result is a game that is both visually stunning and smooth, with the graphics rendering at an astonishing pace.

The graphical tweaks used in Paku Paku are nothing short of remarkable, particularly when considered in light of the technical constraints that must have been applied to create them. Knight has clearly put a great deal of thought into optimizing the game's performance, ensuring that even the most demanding sections of gameplay run without hitch. The result is a game that looks and feels like it's been crafted with precision and care.

But what truly sets Paku Paku apart is its clever use of the 80-column mode text display, which was typically reserved for displaying text in early games. Knight has somehow managed to coax an incredible amount of visual information from this limited resource, using partial characters and symbols to create a unique and endearing aesthetic that is both chunky and charming. The result is a game that looks like it's been plucked straight from the 8-bit era, but with a modern twist that makes it feel fresh and exciting.

In addition to its impressive graphics, Paku Paku also boasts some truly convincing sound capabilities. Knight has cleverly leveraged the capabilities of various sound chips and hardware to create a game that sounds remarkably authentic, with convincing renditions of classic arcade sound effects. The use of PC speaker, PCjr three-voice sound, Tandy, AdLib FM sound, and OPL sound all contribute to an audio experience that is both immersive and enjoyable.

For those who have the means, Paku Paku also supports the Creative Music System (CMS) or Game Blaster, which Knight recommends for added depth and complexity. However, even without these additional features, the game remains a joy to play, with addictive gameplay and musical ditties that will stick in your head long after you've finished playing.

Overall, Paku Paku is a remarkable achievement that proves even the most unlikely of developers can create something truly special. Knight's dedication to creating a game that honors the spirit of classic arcade titles while also pushing the boundaries of what is possible on an old-school MS-DOS system is a testament to his skill and craftsmanship as a game developer.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enWell, today we've got something a littlebit different here on Lazy Game Reviewsand that is an MS-DOS game made this year.Yes, this is the year 2011,just in case you were not aware,and who would've thunk, thought, believed,that games for MS-DOS were still being created.Apparently Jason M. Knight did not get the memothat people don't make DOS games anymore,and he was awesome enough to develop this game.Of course, the game we'retalking about here is Paku Paku,and initially it looks like just another Pac-Man clone.And... well, that's really exactly what it is.As far as gameplay goes, it is just Pac-Man.No weird gameplay tweaks, nothing like that.It is a yellow thing eating dots and pillsand ghosts and fruit involved in, you know...It's Pac-Man, baby!But what sets this apart is a couple things.For one, it's a public domain gameand its source code has also been released,it was developed this yearand it uses some very, very interesting graphical tweaksto accomplish what you're seeing here.See, what you may not realize isthat you are looking at a CGA gamecapable of running on an original IBM 5150 PC.Yes, that same old ugly, four-color CGA thatresulted in games normally looking like this,or this,is resulting in a game that looks like this,and that is nothing short of amazing.Especially for the speed it's running at, how smooth it is.And of course, the sound that's going along with it.I mean, this is impressiveif you know even a little bit aboutwhat is going on behind the scenes.Now I'm no graphical expert,but I do have eyes and a brainthat can see colors rather well,and normally when I see CGA,it looks debatably pretty ugly.Most often, you're going to be seeing320x200 resolution at four colors,with some variation of the colorpalette that looks like warm colorsor cool colors, as I like to call them.This was the normal graphics mode that mostgames used when they used CGA graphics.However, CGA also had acouple of text modes available.Now this was normally used to display text.You know, stuff like any kind of earlytext editors or boring crap like that.The one that's being used here is the 80-column mode,so that is an 80x25 resolution text mode.However, instead of giving each line eight pixels,it gives each line two pixels,which quadruples the number of lines available to 100.And it then uses a couple of charactersfrom the extended ASCII character setand uses symbols that fill in theleft or right half of a character,so really you're only playing with partial characters.And then you can actually turn eachcharacter effectively into two pixels,which results in a 160x100 resolution display.And since it's using this text display in a tweaked mode,it can also access the textdisplay's 16 colors all at once,instead of the usual four.Now this results in a really impressive look to the game,and it's kind of chunky and kind of endearing.I don't know why, but I really likethis tweaked CGA graphics mode,and there are very, very few games that do this.In fact, the only other one thatI can think of off the top of my headis Round 42.Paku Paku also boasts someimpressive sound capabilities,which are quite convincing and prettyaccurate to the arcade sound effectsin all their really, really annoying glory.It makes use of, of course, the PC speaker,but also the PCjr three-voice soundas well as the Tandy, which is really the same thing,and AdLib FM sound, as well as OPLsound if you have a Sound Blaster.It also has some support for theCreative Music System or Game Blaster,which the author seems to recommend,but the thing is, it only seems to work in DOSBox for me.I have a CMS or Game Blaster–well, really those chips installed on a Sound Blaster 1.5,and I have not been able to get that sound to work at all.Even when applying the specific hex valuesto the game through command line switches,it still doesn't work at all.So I don't know if it only workson real Game Blasters or what.I, I don't know.So I normally just end up using AdLib.And, yeah, that's really about it for Paku Paku.The gameplay is exactly whatyou would expect from Pac-Man.You go around, you eat the dots, you collect a fruit,you got through the little portalson the side and everything.It's all there.The musical ditties, the annoying \"wehr-wehr-wehr-wehr\" sound in the background,and, uh, all the fruit, all the level changes,the speeding up, the flashing at the end of the game.It's there, it's Pac-Man, and it's really, really well done.It's easily the best version ofPac-Man I've seen on MS-DOS.Normal four-color CGA lookslike garbage in comparison.I'm sorry, Atarisoft, but your versionhas just been ousted, in my opinion.And you can download it from a variety of locations.I'll put 'em in the video description belowand also on my blog and whateverelse I happen to post this on.The most simple place to find it is classicdosgames.com.Of course, you also might wantto visit Jason Knight's blogwhich he has information about the game posted.I'll put a link to that down below, too.And that is Paku Paku.where you don't just play any man,you play a man of the Pac variety.A Pac-Man.Although, of course, due to legal issues,he cannot be called that,so forget I said anything.Paku Paku by Jason Knight.It's awesome.\n"