Namco and Hipster Whale’s collaboration Pac-Man 256 (Free) has just gotten a major update that brings some changes to the structure of the game. The big one is that credits are now gone. Previously used as a kind of hybrid energy system where you could use them to continue or to play with your powerups, now you always play with powerups enabled. Continues now work by either spending coins or watching ads. If you bought the unlimited credits IAP, then you still get free continues. Plus, you get all the themes unlocked, including the new Arcade and Moon Lander themes, as well as an exclusive Digital World theme.

Powerup unlocks have been changed as well, where new ones will unlock over time. Instead of having to wait for upgrades to finish, you get them right away, and I even got 8 free upgrades after I updated. The game also tries to make it clearer when your powerups are running out as you play. With this update, I’m interested to see how it changes the game for existing players. It seems fine, and the only game-affecting IAP is the coin doubler now. Perhaps future updates, if they’re in the works, will reveal more about how these changes affect the game in the long-term.