Mrs. Pac-Man contains the classic Pac-Man formula, and is good for a few hours of dot-chompin' fun.
The gameplay in Mrs. Pac-Man for the SNES is the usual Pac-Man fare, it’s just that the usual Pac-Man fare is quite fun. You go through several mazes, of which there are several, try 100 or more, ranging in style and difficulty, eating dots, Power Pellets which neutralize ghosts, neutralized ghosts, and even assorted fruits, berries, and candies. Most people know (or should know) how Pac-Man works. An interesting addition is Turbo-Mode, which really adds some speed to the gameplay. All in all, Mrs. Pac-Man is another fun element to the game, adding the series’ patented puzzling charm with interesting level design, and a fun multiplayer mode that is the perfect way to waste some time. Don’t expect anything deep or involving, of course, but if you want pure fun, it’s pretty hard to go wrong with Mrs. Pac-Man.
Graphics? Well, these graphics are not very good. Even for the SNES. It’s Pac-Man. You have a rudimentary ball eating dots and being chased through a maze by rudimentary ghosts. I mean, seriously, what did you expect? It’s Pac-Man, and not the PS1 platformer. Some of the mazes look pretty flashy, but come on, they’re mazes.
The sound is more of the same. Some beeps and bloops that were probably more impressive on the Atari, before people knew what the future had in store. Of course, it’s Pac-Man, so I’m not really sure what else would fit, rather than the machine-like rumblings of the best hardware of 1980.
The replay value is one of the cornerstones of the Pac-Man series, and this game in particular. Like I said before, there are several different mazes in several different styles to pick from, and when played at the correct dosage, this game never gets old. You can always hit Turbo Mode, or play simultaneously or consecutively. Compete for points, etc. this is a game that makes up for its primitive production values with an inherently fun system and oodles of playtime.
In the end, it’s Pac-Man. Is it breaking any barriers? No. But is it really trying to? Probably not. Even so, at the end of the day, Mrs. Pac-Man is a good example of the “escape” or “time wasting” activity Steven Covey would put in Quadrant 4 in his importance grid.