The internet is an odd place on April 1st, and it seems that that has extended to March 31st this year with many companies and websites revealing their April Fools’ Day jokes and games. Google always does something big and crazy, and this year is no different with Google Maps turning into a giant Ms. Pac-Man game either on your PC or mobile.
All you need to do to play is head to Google Maps or open the Google Maps app on your smartphone. You’ll see a button on there that either looks like Ms. Pac-Man or says “Insert Coin”. Click/tap that and the game will begin, zooming in on your current location or jumping to a random one, and then transforming the roads into a Pac-Man map. You can then use the arrow buttons on PC or swipe on the screen on your smartphone in order to control Ms. Pac-Man.
This isn’t Google’s first Pac-Man game, with a previous “doodle” allowing visitors to play the game inside of the Google logo. The last one wasn’t for April Fools’ Day, instead it was to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the iconic series. This became hugely popular and was later put back online just so people could keep playing it.
Ms. Pac-Man is a true arcade classic, taking the original hit and making it somewhat more complex and engaging for players. It was a huge hit for Midway and Namco when it was released in 1991. The franchise has had some down years as of late, but releases like Pac-Man Championship Edition have definitely helped bring it back to the front of many gamers’ minds.
What other April Fools’ Day pranks have you seen online? Do you enjoy the jokes that invade the internet? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Published: Mar 31, 2017 12:47 pm