Comecocos

Comecocos is a maze arcade game heavily inspired by Namco’s Pac-Man, released in 2002 and 2003 for Windows. Players navigate a maze, collecting items while avoiding enemies, mirroring Pac-Man’s core mechanics. The 2003 version features updated graphics and introduces adjustable game speed, while the 2002 iteration offers new maze designs but lacks gameplay customization options. Both versions retain the classic top-down perspective and direct keyboard/mouse controls, presenting a commercial arcade experience with minimal menu interfaces.

Comecocos: Review

A Ghost of Pac-Man’s Shadow—An In-Depth Autopsy of a Clone

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Introduction

In the pantheon of arcade legends, Pac-Man stands as an unassailable titan—a beacon of maze-chasing obsession that defined a generation. Yet for every luminary, there lurk imitators in the shadows. Enter Comecocos, a 2002-2003 Spanish clone that aspired to modernize Namco’s formula but instead became a cautionary tale of derivative design. This review dissects Comecocos not merely as a game, but as a cultural artifact: a stark reminder of how technical limitations, creative stagnation, and market saturation can birth a hollow tribute. Though it masquerades as an homage with “updated graphics” and speed customization, Comecocos ultimately serves as a mirror to an era of arcade regurgitation—one that critics and players swiftly condemned to obscurity.

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Development History & Context

The Studio and Vision: Ambition Without Innovation

Developed by Ediciones Cátaro, S.L. (2003) and Sherwood Media S.L. (2002), with publishing handled by Zeta Multimedia S.A. and Planeta DeAgostini S.A., Comecocos emerged from a Spanish gaming scene grappling with the rise of affordable PC development tools in the early 2000s. Unlike Pac-Man’s deliberate crafting by Toru Iwatani—who sought to appeal to non-traditional gamers with colorful, non-violent gameplay—Comecocos had no such visionary ethos. Its creators openly admitted the game was “practically the same as Pac-Man” (MobyGames), positioning it as a graphical remix rather than a reinvention.

Technological Constraints and Industry Landscape

By 2002, the gaming world had long moved past the golden age of arcades. Consoles like the PlayStation 2 and Xbox dominated, while PC gaming embraced complex genres like MMORPGs (World of Warcraft) and cinematic adventures (Half-Life 2). Yet Comecocos clung to anachronism: a fixed-screen, top-down maze game distributed on CD-ROM, lacking online functionality or controller support beyond keyboard and mouse. Its minimal specs—meant to appeal to low-end PCs—betrayed a budget-conscious development, yet its refusal to iterate on Pac-Man’s 1980 design felt perversely archaic.

The Clone Epidemic

Comecocos arrived amidst a glut of Pac-Man derivatives (Ms. Pac-Man, Pac-Man Championship Edition), but unlike these, it offered no meaningful twist. Where Ms. Pac-Man introduced gender diversity and randomized mazes, Comecocos merely swapped sprites and added a speed slider—a feature trivialized by emulators. This lack of ambition mirrored a broader trend of cash-in clones flooding bargain bins, amplified by the internet’s nascent distribution networks.

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Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

Plot and Characters: Echoes Without Soul

Comecocos inherits Pac-Man’s skeletal narrative: a yellow avatar consumes pellets while evading ghosts in a labyrinth. No lore expansion, no character depth—even the ghost archetypes (Blinky, Pinky, etc.) are replicated without personality. The 2002 version’s description explicitly states it “retains intact the original concept,” while the 2003 iteration adds nothing beyond superficial visual updates. In an era where games like Legacy of Kain and Silent Hill 2 explored psychological depth, Comecocos’ refusal to innovate narratively feels cynical.

Themes: Survival as Stagnation

Thematically, Comecocos reinforces Pac-Man’s core loop of survival and resource management—but strips away even that game’s subtle commentary on consumption. Power pellets, fruits, and score-chasing remain intact, yet the absence of environmental storytelling or procedural challenges reduces its mazes to sterile arenas. Where Pac-Man’s design evoked claustrophobia and frenetic strategy, Comecocos feels like a lifeless tech demo.

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Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Core Loop: A Xerox of Genius

The gameplay is indistinguishable from Pac-Man: navigate a maze, eat dots, avoid ghosts, and trigger power pellets to temporarily hunt pursuers. The sole addition—a manual speed slider—alters pacing but undermines the original’s finely tuned balance. Faster speeds make ghosts erratic and collisions unfair; slower modes drain tension. Unlike Pac-Man Championship Edition’s dynamic mazes or Pac-Man 256’s endless runner mechanics, Comecocos offers no innovation.

UI and Progression: Barebones Execution

Menus are spartan to a fault. The 2002 version includes only “play” and “exit” options, while the 2003 edition lacks even a high-score save feature (omitted from its description). Controls are stiff—keyboard inputs lack the precision of arcade sticks—and collision detection is inconsistent, with hitboxes often misaligned. Without difficulty scaling or unlockables, progression is nonexistent; players merely chase diminishing returns on repetitive stages.

The Flawed Speed System

Hyped as Comecocos’ flagship feature, speed adjustment is poorly implemented. Unlike modern games that scale enemy AI with player speed (e.g., Hotline Miami), ghosts here retain their base behaviors, creating ludonarrative dissonance. At max speed, their movements become laughably exploitable; at minimum, the game drags like molasses. It’s a hollow gimmick, emblematic of the design’s lack of rigor.

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World-Building, Art & Sound

Visual Direction: Lipstick on a Ghost

Promotional materials tout “updated graphics,” but in practice, Comecocos offers only minor palette swaps and higher-resolution sprites. Maze designs are lifted wholesale from Pac-Man, with no thematic variation (e.g., Pac-Mania’s isometric layouts). The 2003 version’s screenshots reveal a garish, oversaturated color scheme that strains the eyes, while animation is limited to choppy 2-frame cycles. Compared to contemporary titles like Ico or Kingdom Hearts, its art feels actively regressive.

Sound Design: A Silent Scream

No credits list composers or sound designers, and archival footage suggests audio is reduced to rudimentary beeps for pellet collection and ghost deaths. The iconic wakka-wakka effect is absent, replaced by generic tones devoid of rhythm or personality. In an era defined by orchestral scores (Halo) and dynamic audio (Rez), Comecocos’ silence speaks volumes about its budgetary and creative constraints.

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Reception & Legacy

Commercial and Critical Failure

Comecocos was met with apathy and disdain. The 2003 edition holds a 1.8/5 average from a single user rating on MobyGames (“based on 1 ratings with 0 reviews”), while the 2002 version fared marginally better at 2.0/5. No critic reviews exist—a damning indictment—and Metacritic lists no scores. Sales data is absent, but its absence from retrospectives and “worst games” lists suggests negligible impact.

Cultural Impact: A Footnote in Cloning

Unlike Bionicle (2003)—a licensed tie-in panned for camera issues but remembered for its Lego synergy—Comecocos left no imprint. It failed to inspire sequels, mods, or even ironic nostalgia. Its sole legacy is as a case study in intellectual property dilution: a reminder that without innovation, clones perish. Even Namco’s own missteps (Pac-Man: Adventures in Time) commanded more attention.

The Broader Industry Lesson

Comecocos arrived as indie gaming began flourishing (Braid, World of Goo), proving that low budgets need not preclude creativity. Its failure underscores a truth: players forgive technical limitations, but not soulless imitations. Modern maze games like Inky Pen and Before the Echo succeed by subverting expectations, whereas Comecocos clung blindly to the past.

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Conclusion

Comecocos is less a game than a taxidermied relic—a Pac-Man skin stretched over hollow code. Its lone “innovation” (speed adjustment) is implemented with such negligence that it undermines the source material’s elegance. Bereft of narrative ambition, audiovisual identity, or mechanical depth, it embodies the worst excesses of the clone era: a product designed for quick profits, not player joy.

For historians, Comecocos serves as a footnote: proof that even gaming’s most bulletproof formula can falter without care. For players, it is best forgotten—a ghost in the digital attic, outshone by the timeless glow of its muse. In video game history’s grand tapestry, Comecocos is not a thread, but a loose end.