It’s already April Fools’ Day in some parts of the world, so Google is having some fun. The company sent this cryptic tweet out earlier:
The easiest way it to just visit Maps on the Web, click on the little Pac-Man icon on the bottom-left of the screen and prepare for nostalgia.
Google will analyze your map and use the roads to render a level. If the location isn’t suitable for gameplay, Google will let you select a new area, or you can just click “I’m feeling lucky” to be transported to a preselected area.
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You can then control your yellow hero/villain with the keyboard and relive your Pac-Man frustration as ghosts chase you around your local streets, or the joyous feeling of reaching a blinking Power Pellet and turning the tables on those dastardly ghosts.
On mobile, things are a bit trickier – you’ll need to solve one of many riddles from a Google support page to find hidden Pac-Man pins at specific locations. Only then will you see a Pac-Man button that will allow you to play by swiping in different directions.
Some of these pre-selected locations look like they wouldn’t be out of place in an actual game; who knew city streets would make such good Pac-Man levels? You can also try looking for them on the desktop; a Pac-Man pin will show up when you find one.
This isn’t the first time Google has added a Pac-Man Easter egg, by the way; the company featured Pac-Man in a Doodle back in 2010. Last year, Google had another video-game nod for April Fools by letting you catch a Pokemon right on your maps.
Have fun not getting any work done.
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