Dig Dug: Digging Strike got average reviews when released, but as a fan of the original Dig Dug, the concept of combining both the original underground game and the surface based sequel on the dual screens intrigued me.
The game is more of an action puzzler compared to the arcade originals, and skews towards easy side. Still, the concept is sound and the familiar enemies of green dragons and red blobs with snorkel masks are joined by a slew of new underground adversaries. There are also some nice nods to other classic Namco games like Xevious and Rally X.
There are a few too many cut scenes with Dig Dug's son (from Mr. Driller), and the game ends just as the levels start to get interesting. Fortunately, you can play through again at a higher difficulty where the enemies pose more of a challenge. There are also a few extra levels if you collect all the scattered fossils throughout the game, but I doubt you'll be motivated to find them all.
If you're a fan of Dig Dug and it's not just the nostalgia talking, I think you might get a kick of out of
this reimagining, even if it is kind of a guilty pleasure. It's a shame though, that the original game isn't included.
2008 ben langberg, all rights reserved.