The names of the ghosts in the Pac-Man arcade game are Blinky, Inky, Pinky, and Clyde. You are familiar with them and you adore them, but are you aware of what sets them apart? Because there’s always more to discover about the origins of Pac-Man, continue reading to find out.
Of course, every ghost has a unique colour. The colours of Blinky, Clyde, Inky, and Pinky are red, orange-yellow, light blue-green, and, well, you’ll have to figure that one out for yourself. However, there are other significant differences between them.
Let’s begin by going over the fundamentals of Pac-Man movement. There are three primary modes for the ghostly group, according to software architect André Maré: Chase, Scatter, and Frightened. Basically, Scatter is when the ghosts scatter to their respective corners, and Frightened is a complete free-for-all where Pac-Man can eat his foes. Chase is regular gameplay for a round of Pac-Man (after gobbling up a snack, that is).
Even though this setup is rather simple, learning that Chase and Scatter can offer you a moment to regroup could be the difference between success and failure for you. It’s also at this point that knowing how various ghosts work differently is most useful.
Cute and Challenging
The setup of the ghost algorithm, according to Pac-designer Man’s Toru Iwatani, was the most challenging aspect of Pac-Man design: “The complexity of the monster movements made it challenging. I wanted each phantom foe to have a distinct personality and unique movement patterns so that they weren’t just chasing Pac-Man around in a boring single file.” Each ghost has a target tile that determines how they move and where they go. All Pac-Man decisions were chosen with careful study, just like the game’s name implies.
Blinky is the only ghost who begins outside the Ghost House in the centre of the screen, therefore it is only fitting that he should be the first. Blinky follows Pac-Man closely at all times. Throughout the course of the game, he receives sporadic 5% speed boosts, and even in Scatter mode, Pac-location Man’s serves as his target tile. Watch out for this little speed demon, even when he’s hanging out in the upper right corner when in Scatter mode, because that implies he’s essentially laser-focused.
To Each Their Own
Although Blinky will keep you occupied, you need be cautious of the other ghosts’ habits because one of them imitates him. Since Inky’s location is determined by dividing the difference between Blinky and Pac-positions, Man’s Inky looks to Blinky for motivation. When it’s time to scatter, you can usually locate this little guy in the lower right corner.
Since Pinky aims four tiles ahead of Pac-Man, if she had a vocation, it would be forecasting the future. Once you realise this, though, it becomes rather simple to stay one step ahead of him. To the upper left, he disperses.
Clyde is unconventional, as seen by his unusual non-rhyming name. He matches with Blinky once Pac-Man is more than eight tiles distant. When he gets closer than that, he moves to the bottom left corner of the screen, where he is in Scatter Mode.
