Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac is set to feature the return of the voice actor Martin Sherman as Pac-Man after almost 20 years away from the role.
Sherman didn't originally voice the Pac-Man in Namco Hometek's 2002 version of Pac-Man World 2, with the character largely remaining mute in that game.
Instead, his first & only appearance as the character came in 2005, in the Blitz Games-developed sequel Pac-Man World 3, where he portrayed the iconic video game figure, alongside the ghost Clyde (who was referred to in the game as Blinky).
Following the announcement video of Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac last month, however, fans quickly noticed Pac-Man a familiar voice in the trailer, suggesting that Bandai Namco had brought Sherman onboard to reprise his role and record some brand new dialogue for the second game in the series. This is something that voice actor later ended up confirming himself in a message on Instagram, stating "Big thank you to Bandai Namco and all the fans for welcoming me back so warmly".
We at Time Extension reached out to Sherman to ask what it means to him to return to the role. While he couldn't share any details about the recording process itself, he was happy to provide the following.
"When I was kid there was nothing bigger than Pac-Man," says Sherman. "So, for me, it was like stepping in to a huge cultural icon (my first). [However], I felt that the watchword for Pac-Man was agile so all of that stuff had to be kept out of my mind and simply focus on making his personality match the game play. Fun, cheeky, a little teasing.
He continues, "It’s been wonderful to hear from so many appreciative fans. I just hope people have a blast playing the revamped game… and have fun with the story."
Pac-Man World 2 is set to release across Switch, Switch 2, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, and PC on next month, on September 26th.
Here is a graphics comparison video going over some of the changes you can expect from the new release: