Dig Dug - NES

ESRB Rating:
Release Date: 6-4-1985
Moby Score (1-10): 7.1
Genre(s): Action, Arcade, Side view, Fixed / flip-screen
Media Type(s): Physical

**DIG DUG DIGS FRUITS, VEGETABLES... AND TUNNELS

THE THRILL OF THE ARCADE GAME**

Dodging and blasting Pookas, and dropping rocks on fire-breathing Fygars; Dig Dug burrows his way through a maze of subterranean paths. Ripe fruits and veggies, loaded with points, are his passion. But the evil denizens of the underground pack a potentially lethal wallop, and can hide behind fruits. Even when Dig Dug kills them, they may come back as ghosts. Ghosts don't need tunnels and are harder to kill. Luckily, when the chips are down, they turn out to be cowards... and worth points.

Dig Dug is a single-player or alternating two-player action game. The player controls a character tasked with eliminating underground monsters across a series of stages. Each level is a cross-section of dirt with tunnels dug in real time as the player moves. The two types of enemies encountered are Pookas, round red creatures wearing goggles, and Fygars, green fire-breathing dragons. Both pursue the player through tunnels, and after a few seconds of losing sight of the player, they can transform into ghostly forms to move through solid earth until they reach another tunnel.

To defeat enemies, the player carries an air pump that can be attached by pressing the action button. Pumping inflates the monster until it bursts, awarding points. Pumping can be interrupted, but partially inflated enemies will revert to normal and continue attacking. An alternative method of attack is luring enemies under large rocks scattered throughout each stage. Digging beneath these rocks can cause them to fall, crushing anything below, including the player. Rocks falling also open tunnels, and dropping multiple rocks in a stage grants bonus points.

Scoring incentives are built into the system. Vegetables occasionally appear in the middle of the screen once two rocks have been dropped in a round. Collecting these vegetables grants bonus points, and the type and value of the vegetable increase in later rounds. Bonus points are also awarded for consecutive ghost kills or for crushing multiple enemies with a single rock. Each round ends when all enemies have been eliminated. Enemies increase in speed as stages progress, and Fygars add the additional threat of breathing fire horizontally across tunnels, which can instantly defeat the player.

Later versions and home releases varied in presentation and features. The arcade original allowed two players to take turns, while console and computer ports often adjusted graphics and sound to suit hardware limitations. Some versions altered maze size, enemy behavior, or bonus item placement. Modern re-releases, such as Arcade Archives: Dig Dug and Arcade Game Series: Dig Dug, emulate the arcade rules while adding conveniences like high-score saving, display options, and online leaderboards.

*** Data by MobyGames.com ***

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