Dig Dug

aka: Arcade Archives: Dig Dug, Arcade Game Series: Dig Dug, DIG DUG for 6000, Dig-Dug, DigDug
Moby ID: 139
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Description official descriptions

Dig Dug is a 1-2 player arcade game in which you have to use your shovel to dig your way through the earth. Stopping you from doing this are two monsters, called Pooka and Fygar, who will continually chase you around. The only weapon that you carry is an air pump, which you can use to inflate the monsters to the point where they explode (if you start to inflate them but stop doing so, the monsters will get turned back to their normal selves). Furthermore, rocks are scattered throughout the earth, and you can use these rocks to squash them. If the monsters do not find you for several seconds, they will eventually get turned into ghosts, which can walk through the earth. They are invincible and cannot be killed. From time to time, vegetables will appear in the center, and you can get these for points.

Spellings

  • アーケードアーカイブス ディグダグ - Japanese PS4 / Switch spelling
  • ディグダグ - Japanese spelling

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Credits (Arcade version)

5 People

Planning
Hardware
Programming
Sound

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 73% (based on 40 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.7 out of 5 (based on 278 ratings with 4 reviews)

A true classic, One of my favorites

The Good
I liked it because when I had my Nintendo, I always played this game, and it was a game I really enjoyed, The graphics for that time was really good and I enjoyed the game very much.

The Bad
To me there is nothing wrong with the game, I think that everything was perfect for the game. The graphics were good. The music and sound were perfect, and the gameplay was fun and challenging.

The Bottom Line
You play a character who goes around destroying other enemies that breath fire at you, and you can also crush them with rocks that you dig under. Dig Dug is a true classic, and has been something that I will always remember playing, and it will always be a classic.

NES · by AaronGamer (29) · 2007

Arcade goodness for nostalgic kids who never saw the coin-op version.

The Good
Simplistic. Fun. And what is cooler then a guy wearing a helmet with a vacuum pump and a pick-axe? The anwser in nothing. Nothing can possibly be.

The Bad
In the age of 3d accellerated graphics, millions of Pollygons, Million color depth, and ultra hi res I must moan about the graphics.

The Bottom Line
Get this. Now.

PC Booter · by Yeah No (23) · 2000

Still -almost- gives me "misty eyes"

The Good
Its "simplistic" genius.

The Bad
Oh come on now :-P

The Bottom Line
This action game is the PC version of an Atari’s coin-op under the same name. We, as Dig Dug, are to exterminate all the parasites that infest the soil of our garden and threaten our flowers. Our equipment is a white astronaut-like uniform, a drill and a pump. The vermin includes two species, Pookas and Fygars. Pookas are basically overgrown tomatoes with sunglasses, while the more dangerous Fygars are small, fire exhaling, dragons.

We travel underground, opening tunnels with our drill, in order to meet the heathens and pump them to death. The little rascals do not need the tunnels to move around, they can travel through the soil and chase us. The last one alive will always cowardly try to flee the stage before we reach it. Apart from the creatures, the soil contains some rocks. When we pass under them they start to tremble and eventually fall a moment later, preferably on our enemies heads. This way of dealing with the invaders offers us more points. Other point-offering activities are the mere digging of the soil and the collecting of vegetables that appear when two rocks have fallen down. Points are important because they bring us closer to the extra lives that become available with the reaching of certain scores.

The graphics are designed with four colors, but they are still cute and funny. A jolly tune is playing in the background and several nice sound effects can be heard. But, like in all the great games of the age of innocence, the technical field is of secondary importance here. It is all about entertainment, addictive gameplay and high replay value. “Dig Dug” excels in all the above and it is one of the greatest representatives of its time. A joyful experience recommended for everyone.

(The game does not need slowing down. “Ctrl” is Sound off, “Num Lock” is Pause, “F2” is Exit)

PC Booter · by Iron Lord (40) · 2016

[ View all 4 player reviews ]

Trivia

1001 Video Games

The Arcade version of Dig Dug appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Arcade version

In the coin-operated version the game ends on round 256 (shown as round 0) since this board is unplayable. At the start of the level, a Pooka is placed directly on top of where the player starts, with no way to kill it. This is a famous example of a kill screen (a area of a game that is impossible to play, usually caused by the oversight of developers.)

Release

Dig Dug was one of the "Fabulous Eleven" launch games for the Atari 7800.

Information also contributed by PCGamer77, Nélio and FatherJack

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Trixter.

Casio PV-1000 added by Rola. TI-99/4A added by Corn Popper. Game Boy, Intellivision, NES, Atari 2600, Commodore 64 added by PCGamer77. Wii U added by Michael Cassidy. Nintendo 3DS added by CrankyStorming. Nintendo Switch added by Rik Hideto. Sharp X1, PC-8000, FM-7 added by Infernos. BlackBerry added by firefang9212. Windows added by Evolyzer. Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One added by Sciere. PC-6001 added by Andrew Foldi. J2ME, BREW added by Kabushi. MSX added by Martin Smith. Atari 8-bit added by ZZip. Game Boy Advance added by Freeman. Wii added by gamewarrior. Antstream added by lights out party. PC-88 added by Terok Nor. Arcade added by The cranky hermit. Apple II, VIC-20, Atari 7800, Atari 5200 added by Servo. Sord M5, Windows Mobile, Palm OS added by Игги Друге.

Additional contributors: Satoshi Kunsai, Katakis | カタキス, monkeyislandgirl, Nélio, formercontrib, Cantillon, Patrick Bregger, Starbuck the Third, Rik Hideto, FatherJack, Evolyzer, Andrew Foldi.

Game added May 26, 1999. Last modified March 18, 2024.