#0038 Dig Dug

Man I am on a roll here. Three games in one week? A new record. Well, today we're looking at Dig Dug. An extremely popular... Maze game? (Honestly, that's the closest I could come, the game defies genre) Developed by Namco in 1982.

In Dig Dug, you play as the most adorable little guy ever, who's actual name is actually somewhat of a controversy. See, officially, Namco has given him the name Dig Dug, but in other Namco games such as the Mr. Driller series, we find out that Taizo Hori, the father of Susumu Hori, the main character of Mr. Driller, was the main character in Dig Dug. Taizo/Dig Dug was also the ex-husband of Toby Masuyo, the main heroine of Baraduke, another game by Namco.

So Taizo Dug's job in Dig Dug is to dig in the dirt of what appears to be a garden, and kill the monsters that dwell there by inflating them with an air pump until they explode. A rather gruesome death if you ask me. Or by dropping a rock on their heads. There are two different kinds of creatures, Pookas, who are little tomato looking things with goggles, and Fygars, who are little green dragons that can breathe fire. When the last creature is left on the playing field it will try to escape off the screen, unless you can kill it before it escapes. You advance to the next level by clearing the screen of enemies.

The controls are beyond simple. Standard joystick moves you around, and a single button deploys the hose. Digging through the dirt so effortlessly is a very creative gameplay choice and is very addicting as it allows you to build your own maze and set up traps unlike other maze games like Pac-Man where your maze is predetermined. Being able to move practically anywhere on the screen is a lot of fun, and is honestly one of the best parts of the game.

The graphics in this game are nothing if not adorable. I love all the bright colors, the quirky music that only plays while you're moving for some reason, the animation on the characters, all of it contributes to this happy, carefree atmosphere. It's very obvious that Namco is trying to catch lightning in a bottle again after the popularity of Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man by appealing to the female/younger child demographic with it's cute imagery and lack of gun violence. And while it wasn't QUITE the hit that Pac-Man was, it was still a popular game for people of all ages and genders.

If I HAD to nitpick the game I might say that I could have used more variety in enemies. The two they have are fun and memorable characters, but there's only so much you can do with them before you just want something else, another twist thrown at you to mix things up a tad. But like I said, that's just a nitpick.

Overall, this game rocks. (Lol, get it? Rocks?) It's adorable, the playstyle is unique and refreshing, the character are memorable. Just overall a solid title that deserves it's reputation as one of the greatest games from the Golden Age. If you haven't played it, give it a shot, and see for yourself why everyone loves our charming little Dig Hori.