Pacman Quarter Arcade Review - A 1:4 Scale Replica

A PAC-MAN Quarter Arcade close up showing a lit Marquee and game playing.

No introduction needed

PAC-MAN needs little introduction, born in the golden age of arcade games, PAC-MAN was the superstar, an icon in the gaming world.

It’s no surprise then that 44 years on from its first release in 1980 by Namco in Japan, the franchise is still in demand.

A PAC-MAN Quarter Arcade side view showing a the orginal cabinet art.

Numbskull designs

A PAC-MAN Quarter Arcade angled view showing the orginal cabinet art and lit marquee.

Numbskull Design has created a fully playable 1/4 scale replica of the original PAC-MAN arcade, in short, it’s great.

Getting the replica out of the box straight away, you are struck by the quality and attention to detail of the cabinet.

This is what the original PAC-MAN arcade looked like to the tee: the cabinet shape, artwork, controls, and even the coin slots all scaled down to a 1/4 of the original size.

The cabinets have been built from solid wood, it feels premium, it's been well made, you can see Numbskull are passionate about arcades and understand the details matter, this is a proper replica.

The dimensions are 16.92 inches tall by 8.27 inches deep by 6.3 inches wide.

A PAC-MAN Quarter Arcade back view showing the orginal cabinet structure.

You also get a certificate of authenticity, only 10,000 copies have been built, so you’re personal unit number will be included on the certificate, which is a nice touch.

Also included is a lovely PAC-MAN metal collectable coin, which comes in its display box.

Turning it on

A PAC-MAN Quarter Arcade front view showing the orginal PAC-MAN ROM playing.

The cabinet is powered by a rechargeable lithium battery (4 hours per charge), and the on/off switch is located at the back of the machine.

Turning it on lights up the marquee and the PAC-MAN iconography at the top of the cabinet and kicks off the original ROM of the PAC-MAN arcade game.

If you press the coin return button under the coin slots, it inserts a credit for you accompanied by the same sound bite you would get inserting a real coin in the full-sized cabinet.

Then press the one or 2-player buttons to kick off a game, as soon as you do, the iconic sound of PAC-MAN starts up, the speakers blare it out, and the sound is spot on.

You have a 5-inch screen to play the game; it’s bright and colourful, and it represents the port faithfully.

The joypad is obviously small, but it plays nicely and functions as expected, it replicates a game of PAC-MAN well.

Its about the experience

A PAC-MAN Quarter Arcade front bottom view.

As a designer myself, I’m passionate about a user's experience, and this is where the PAC-MAN quarter arcade comes into its own.

With all the minute details that go into replicating the experience you would have got playing the original arcade, it is insane; you won’t get this experience playing on an emulation on a different device!

A PAC-MAN Quarter Arcade front view showing the orginal PAC-MAN ROM playing from a distance.

Summary

I couldn’t be more complimentary about the PAC-MAN quarter arcade; it gives a feel of the magic arcades like PAC-MAN provided back in the 80s, I can’t ask for more than that.