Pac-Man 256 tips - how to score big on iOS and Android

Don't be fooled into thinking that Pac-Man 256 is just a reskin of Crossy Road. There's much more to it than that.

There are coloured ghosts, each with its own behaviour. There are score combos and multipliers. There are power pellets that let you munch on those pixel art specters.

So, want to know how to survive in Pac-Man 256, and build up a big score? Check out these tips:

Know how to score…



You get one point for every pac-dot you eat. But you'll get an extra 16 points if you eat 16 pac-dots in one combo, 32 points if you manage 32 pac-dots, 64 for 64, and 128 for 128.

If you eat 256 you'll get a bonus 256 points, and kill every ghost on screen for 10 points a piece - but the combo meter will reset.

Eating fruit will give you a few points, and also temporarily multiply any points you collect - which will massively increase your score. Some fruit gives you a bigger bonus than others. Here's the run-down:
 
 2x multiplier  60 points 3x multiplier  90 points  4x multiplier 120 points  5x multiplier150 points   6x multiplier180 points  
If you eat a power pellet and then chew on a ghost you'll get 10 points. You'll then get 20 points for the second ghost, 30 for the third, and so on. This is reset when the power pellet wears off.

And, finally, you sometimes get points for using power-ups. Ones that let you defeat ghosts will give you 10 points for each kill.

Know your ghosts



Each ghost behaves in a unique way. Knowing how they work will let you predict threats and avoid danger.

Blinky (Red) will chase Pac-Man down, but doesn't move as fast as you so you can outrun him easily. He's only really a threat when he blocks you in a corridor with another ghost, making escape impossible,

Pinky (Pink) sits and waits for you. If you cross her path either horizontally or vertically she will dart towards you very quickly. She's quite easy to avoid, just make sure you don't hang around in her path.

Spunky (Grey) is asleep most of the time. Get close to him, though, and he'll wake up and run off somewhere else. He's quite unpredictable.

Clyde (Orange) only cares about going down to the bottom of the screen. Given the choice, he'll always take a turn that sends him lower. With this in mind, you shouldn't go up towards Clyde - always dodge left or right and go around.

Inky (Blue) patrols a certain area on the maze. Maybe one block or a small perimeter. That makes him very predictable and easy to avoid once you've clocked his pattern.

Sue (Purple) and Funky (Green) move in packs of three and four respectively, but only move horizontally. This can make them hard to get past, but not a huge threat.

Glitchy, we're not quite sure about. Let us know how this one works in the comments below.

Get powered up



Eating lots of dots lets you unlock power-ups. When equipped, these are then scattered on the maze and are activated when Pac-Man touches them.

They range from a laser beam that kills any ghost you look at, a bomb that kills nearby ghosts when you touch one, and an ice block that slows down ghosts.

Yeah, they pretty much all let you kill or avoid ghosts. Once you have four in your possession, use coins to upgrade one power-up and user the other three while it is upgrading.

Other tips



Wall hugging is a totally legitimate strategy. This is where you don't change direction when you hit a wall, which causes Pac-Man to stand still. It's useful because it lets you watch ghost patterns and avoid attacks - and it keeps your combo running.

Just watch out for the glitchy avalanche that keeps creeping up from the bottom of the screen.

Another tip: if you die and then realise that you don't have any credits to continue your run, just leave the app for a while. Go read some tweets or something.

When you come back (as long as the app didn't close out of memory) you'll have more credits and can continue your run.

Got any more tips? Drop them in the comments section, below.