Arcade Game Series: Dig Dug (PC) review "Oh yeah, dig it!"

I'll break this down easily for you:

Do you enjoy old school arcade games? If you don't, then skip this one.

Are you fond of the classic Dig Dug? If you aren't, then skip this one.

Are you a Dig Dug fan who's hoping to get more content than just the arcade build, such as special features, unlockables, or alternate versions? If that's what you're after, then skip this one.

Here's the thing with Arcade Game Series: Dig Dug: it's just the retro version of the game ported to the PC with some small additions. It doesn't offer anything new or special except for an online leaderboard, savable high scores, a suspend option of sorts, and a snazzy border. If that's all you wanted (which is where I fall), then you'll be delighted by this wonderful piece of nostalgia. Otherwise, you're better off moving on...

For those who aren't familiar with this title, it's an arcade actioner from way back that is nowadays referred to as a "score-attack" piece. In other words, there is no campaign or story progression, and you aren't expected to ultimately emerge victorious. You play until you die, your only goal consisting of scoring as many points as possible so you can brag about your aptitude for killing pixel monsters. Your score may not net you many dates, but it'll probably impress a fair number of middle aged men and old bar flies.

Here, you take the role of the titular hero, who finds himself underground with a collection of cute, round creatures called "pookas." They've teamed up with fire-breathing beasts called "fygars," that resemble little, chubby dragons. Both of these pests are quite deadly, as so much as touching one results in cardiac arrest. Thankfully, our hero has taken it upon himself to dig below ground to root out these critters. And how does he choose to do accomplish this horrific task? By firing a harpoon attached to an air compressor into their bellies and inflating them until they explode.

...

Yes, Dig Dug is a bit of a sociopath. Even though your enemies' deaths result in cartoony little pops, you can only imagine the early Peter Jackson-level of grue and gore that paints those tunnels in reality...



Each level offers a tremendous chunk of earth with a few pre-dug locations. You can move freely about the area by digging tunnels in the ground. In doing this, you essentially trap your foes in chambers and corridors that they might find difficult to escape. In this way, you can plan and manipulate your opponents into sections that would leave them vulnerable, allowing you to off them safely and with ease. For instance, you might wait for a target around a corner, assuming you cut yourself a few turns.

If you're an expert planner, you can even dig such that you lure your foes to particular points on the map where falling rocks crush them for bonus points. However, these creatures don't just wait around for you to murder them. They eventually phase through the solid matter and either come after you or retreat. That's when you need to plan escape routes by examining your surroundings and figuring out ways to give them the slip while still eliminating them and hoping the joystick doesn't screw you over.

And therein lies one of Dig Dug's issues: play control. As this iteration is a straight port of the arcade cut, the control response remains the same. In other words, the somewhat stilted movement from the original found its way into this version. Even though the game handles decently, there are moments where you will have a hard time guiding Dig Dug. For instance, you might need to alter your direction at some point, which requires you to awkward swing around and leave yourself susceptible to a collision death. Or sometimes you might, say, attempt to move upward, only to see the dude continue moseying left and become pooka chow.

Despite all of my swearing and wanting to tear off the joystick and set it on fire, I've always found this game oddly satisfying. It's not as face-breaking in regards to difficulty as some of its siblings, but it's challenging enough that it's engaging. After a few levels, you find yourself scrambling to get away from your adversaries, planning on the fly, and somehow eking out victories if you're lucky or highly skilled. For my part, pumping up animated monsters with air and watching them burst feels cathartic despite its implied sadism, and watching a well-laid plan come together is a bonus. Hell, surviving a hairy situation by the skin of my teeth after running around without a scheme while screaming in terror also brings me joy, and this game expertly facilitates scenarios like that.



Like any other coin-op offering, this one isn't the type that you'll likely spend hours playing. It's really the kind of gem you play in short spurts when you have a few minutes to kill, as a palate cleanser between deeper titles, or for a quick nostalgic trip. Obviously, most people who would be interested in this product already realize that, and are really just checking to see how faithful it is to its initial release. Having played the original many times as a youngster (and pretty much any time I stumble upon the cabinet at a gas station, bar, or hole-in-the-wall arcade these days), I can say its mechanics and features are as faithful as they get. Basically, you're buying the arcade game without having to spend thousands of bucks on the machinery.

If all you want is traditional Dig Dug without bells and whistles, then have at it. However, if you didn't dig this game back in the day (pun obviously intended), you aren't into score-attack titles or older arcade games, or you were hoping for a heap of extras or special features, then move on and find something else to play. All you're going to find here is something to please fogies like myself at a reasonable price, and that's all some of us really want.

Staff review by Joseph Shaffer (November 26, 2021) Rumor has it that Joe is not actually a man, but a machine that likes video games, horror movies, and long walks on the beach. His/Its first contribution to HonestGamers was a review of Breath of Fire III.