NeckPacMan

About NeckPacMan

NeckPacMan is a maze chase built for head control from the ground up. You clear dots for 10 points each, four power pellets are worth 50 and turn the ghosts vulnerable for 7 seconds, and eating ghosts during that window scores 200, 400, 800 and 1600 in sequence. Three lives, and a maze is beaten at 1800 points.

The hardest problem in adapting a maze chaser to head input is the junction. On a keyboard you hold a direction and the character turns the instant a corridor opens; with a head flick there is no holding, so we buffer your input instead — a flick registers as an intent that fires when the next legal turn arrives. That one change is the difference between a maze game that feels broken on a webcam and one that feels deliberate. The four ghosts each have their own targeting behaviour rather than sharing one chase routine, so the maze pressures you differently depending on which one is closest.

Movement runs at 4 units per second with a collision distance of 0.6 cells, which is a slightly more forgiving overlap than an arcade cabinet would give you — again, because head input arrives late.

How to play

• Head flick left, right, up or down — sets your next turn, taken at the next junction that allows it
• Arrow keys or WASD — the same four directions
• Dots score 10; power pellets score 50 and make ghosts edible for 7 seconds
• Eating ghosts in one pellet window scores 200, 400, 800, then 1600
• Three lives; reach 1800 points to clear the maze

Tips & tricks

• Flick before the junction, not at it. Your input is buffered and fires at the next legal turn, so committing early is always correct and never costs you anything.
• Chain all four ghosts on one pellet. The 200-400-800-1600 ladder resets between pellets, so a single clean chase is worth 3000 — more than a third of the 1800 needed to clear the maze, twice over.
• Bank the pellets. Do not eat a power pellet just because you passed it; save it for when two ghosts are converging and you need both an escape and the points.
• Learn one loop and repeat it. Because the ghosts each target differently, a route that reliably shakes one of them will keep working — improvising through the maze is what gets you cornered.
• The 7-second pellet window is shorter than it feels. Count it, and be moving back toward safety by the fifth second rather than chasing a fourth ghost you cannot reach.

Frequently asked questions

How do turns work with head control?

A head flick sets your intended direction and the game takes it at the next junction that allows it, so you can commit to a turn well before you reach the corner.

Is NeckPacMan free to play?

Yes, free in your browser with no download or account.

Can I play with a keyboard instead?

Yes. Arrow keys and WASD work throughout; the camera is optional.

How long do power pellets last?

Seven seconds, during which eating ghosts scores 200, 400, 800 and 1600 in sequence.

Is my camera feed uploaded?

No. Face tracking is done locally in the browser on your own device.