LEGO Icons 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade review

LEGO Icons is delving into video games again with 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade, and it’s sure to be a hit with its authentically retro, distinctly LEGO build.

Through Super Mario, LEGO Icons, Sonic the Hedgehog, LEGO Ideas, 76989 Horizon Forbidden West: Tallneck and more, LEGO designers are no strangers to video games. Despite the big shoes that 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade has to fill, this model is undoubtedly a roaring success from the LEGO Icons design team, delivering an experience not quite like any other model.

PAC-MAN enthusiasts, arcade fiends and everyone in between will quickly be enamoured with this colossal LEGO arcade cabinet, thanks in no small part to its amazing functionality.

— LEGO Icons 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade set details —

Theme: LEGO Icons Set name: 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade Release: June 1, 2023

Price: £229.99 / $269.99 / €269.99 Pieces: 2,651 Minifigures: 1

LEGO: Available now

— Where to buy LEGO Icons 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade —

10323 PAC-MAN Arcade is available now at LEGO.com and in LEGO Stores. You’re not likely to find it anywhere else for a while, so those waiting for a discount might be left biding their time, looking at past LEGO Icons releases.

[bdproduct search=’PAC-MAN+Arcade’ sort=’discount’ numberOfRecord=’1′ brand=” sliderMinValues=’0′ sliderMaxValues=’750′]

— LEGO Icons 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade build —

It’s hard to overstate this, but 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade is massive. Don’t get it twisted: this is by no means a life-sized LEGO Arcade machine, but it’s a great effort from the design team without being outrageously expensive.

The shaping of the brick-built arcade cabinet is fantastic and truly evokes the feeling of classic arcade machines. It’s a match made in heaven for the LEGO Group and we can only hope that this isn’t the last huge LEGO arcade cabinet. The PAC-MAN and ghost caricatures can be removed from the top for a more familiar appearance, but they look great as a centrepiece.

This set has numerous stickers and they are just as large in size, so take your time when applying them as getting them placed right is crucial to the overall appearance. You could complain that the build is plain from the back, but real arcade cabinets aren’t designed to be interesting from the back. It was a genuine surprise to see it be covered, and have that cover be removable too.

The functionality of 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade is easily its highlight and it’s hard to pick a favourite between the flipping ghosts on the top diorama or the working maze, which uses an intuitive but hidden technique. The board is made up of two larger Technic plates covered in pin holes, most of which will be used, much to the dismay of your fingers.

This section of the assembly is unfortunately repetitive, but the result is well worth it as a track winds throughout the model to have PAC-MAN be chased around the maze by Blinky and Pinky. Meanwhile, Clyde is trapped in the centre and Inky is running on a separate track. With some creative rebuilding, you could potentially combine these two tracks into a new course for PAC-MAN.

There’s no functionality for collecting the pellets or Power Pellets, but we’re not sure how this would have been integrated considering the available space. Similar to 71374 Nintendo Entertainment System, a crank at the side operates this as the board sits snugly in the cabinet. Once fully assembled, the cabinet is sturdy enough to move with ease, but don’t drop it.

The excitement continues inside the cabinet where the mechanisms can be more clearly viewed. They may seem simple, but they’re anything but to put together. A small portion of this space is used as storage for a diorama of a mini arcade, complete with a tiny PAC-MAN machine.

However, the presence of the diorama only emphasises just how much of the space is unused and there’s easily room for three more miniature arcade machines here. It would have been great to see more references to Bandai Namco’s catalogue.

The diorama is simple and comes at the end of the building process, acting as a final bit of relief from the repetitive model. It doesn’t use too many pieces, not adding much to the price and it has enough going on – from the patterned carpet to the exclusive minifigure – to prove its worth.

More easily proving its worth is the other diorama, recreating a scene from the game as PAC-MAN goes from being chased by the same ghosts as in the brick-built cabinet to getting some much-needed revenge. The mechanism to activate this is entirely hidden and simple to activate, and the section looks so good it could have been a set in itself.

— LEGO Icons 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade characters —

There’s only one minifigure in 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade, and it’s not one for any of the game’s characters. Instead, a minifigure in a jacket decorated with PAC-MAN insignia is included.

It’s not an overly exciting minifigure but considering that the diorama is already a bonus, we’ll gladly take the exclusive torso piece for the price and we can see it being used on numerous custom minifigures in the future.

— LEGO Icons 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade price —

Much like 71374 Nintendo Entertainment System and 10306 Atari 2600, it’s cheaper to get a working PAC-MAN arcade cabinet of this size or bigger for the same price or cheaper. That’s a universal truth of these LEGO retro game sets and one that you have to accept.

LEGO sets have become more expensive, yes, but the functionality of 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade, the size of the model, the volume of bricks and the additional builds all contribute to the £229.99 / $269.99 / €269.99 price tag. Considering everything included, there’s decent value in 10312 PAC-MAN Arcade – though by no means exceptional. PAC-MAN enthusiasts will find a lot to love in this set and should be able to justify the price tag when it launches.

— LEGO Icons 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade pictures —

— LEGO Icons 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade pros and cons —

10323 PAC-MAN Arcade is fantastically functional, authentically retro and distinctly LEGO all at the same time. It’s one set to keep an eye out for even if you can’t justify the price immediately, as based on 71374 Nintendo Entertainment System and 10306 Atari 2600, discounts are likely coming sooner or later.

It’s mesmerising to see the gameplay of PAC-MAN recreated in any form in a LEGO set and the size of the machine only serves to benefit the overall value of the model. While there are improvements that could have been made, they likely would have driven up the price further, to a point where it might be hard to recommend this set at its RRP.

Thankfully, the LEGO Group has kept things to a particular budget – which, while still not resulting in the cheapest set around, does make 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade that bit more inviting. Waka waka.

10323 PAC-MAN Arcade pros	10323 PAC-MAN Arcade cons
Satisfyingly huge for the price	Interior space could be used more wisely given the diorama
Authentically retro, but made of LEGO	Inevitably repetitive build
Features are amazing, lifelike and unique to PAC-MAN

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

Support the work that Brick Fanatics does by purchasing your LEGO sets through one of our affiliate links.

— Alternatives to LEGO Icons 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade —

Though LEGO Friends has an arcade in the form of 41708 Roller Disco Arcade, the best alternatives to 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade are undoubtedly 71374 Nintendo Entertainment System and 10306 Atari 2600 – and the trio look great together, despite size differences.

— LEGO Icons 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade FAQs —