Pac-Man World 2 is a 3D platforming game, where the player controls Pac-Man and must navigate him to the end of each level. The player can use multiple abilities; these include the Rev Roll, a move where the player charges forward, which can be used to attack enemies and cross gaps; the Butt-Bounce, which can press switches and attack enemies from above; and a jumping Flip Kick to strike airborne enemies. Each level features Pac-Dots and fruit to collect, which will increase the player's score for the level. Collecting special Power Pellets will also give Pac-Man temporary power-ups. These power-ups can turn Pac-Man into metal, sinking him into water and making him immune to hazards; shrink him, allowing access to certain parts of a level; or temporarily allow him to eat ghost enemies. Pac-Man possesses a health bar with only three segments; if he takes damage after all three segments are depleted, the player will lose a life and be sent back to the previous checkpoint. After completing any non-boss level, the player can choose to replay it in Time Trial mode, challenging the player to reach the end as quickly as possible. During the time trial, fruits and other collectibles in the level are replaced by clocks, which will temporarily stop the timer if collected. If Pac-Man loses a life during the time trial, he must restart the level from the beginning.
The game features twenty-five levels. These include a tutorial level set in Pac-Man's home of Pac-Village, followed by six different themed areas with four levels each. The last level of each of these areas feature a boss battle with one or more of the primary ghost enemies, who must be defeated to advance. Certain levels feature unique gameplay mechanics. Some equip Pac-Man with ice skates or roller blades, impacting speed and movement. Others feature automatically-scrolling levels set underwater, in which Pac-Man can swim to avoid obstacles or pilot a submarine equipped with torpedoes. Most levels feature one of 16 collectible Galaxian flagships, which will allow Pac-Man to play a bonus maze level, similar in gameplay to Pac-Man (1980). Non-boss levels also feature collectible arcade tokens; eight are hidden in each level, while bonus tokens can be earned by collecting all the fruit and Pac-Dots in a level and completing time trials. By collecting certain numbers of tokens, players can unlock emulated versions of older Pac-Man titles in the Pac-Village arcade, including Pac-Man, Pac-Attack (1993), Pac-Mania (1987), and Ms. Pac-Man (1982).[2] Collecting tokens will also unlock a jukebox, which enables the player to listen to the game's soundtrack, and a concept art gallery.
The Game Boy Advance version of the game is considerably different from the other versions of the game. It plays from an isometric view, and uses 2D sprites for graphics and a password-based save system. The underwater stages were omitted from this version, while an additional boss was added. In addition, the emulated games are not included.
Subsequent re-releases of the game rebalanced the gameplay to tone down the game's difficulty. For the game's Japanese PlayStation 2 release, further changes were made to reduce difficulty, including shortening certain levels and reducing bosses' health.
