MOUSELING.net

Dig Dug

I'm not a gamer. I don't play video games in the way that might come to mind when one thinks of the word gamer; I don't play platformers, shooters, fighting games, or even anything multiplayer. I rarely play Minecraft. The only reason I play Roblox, which I hate on principle, is to burn time with my girlfriend or younger sister when there is nothing else to do.

Yet, I still play video games—and often at that. I like simulation games (The Sims, SPORE, Crusader Kings 3) and mindless card games (Balatro, Riichi Mahjong). There's one broad type of game that requires reactive skills that I'm willing to play, though: arcade-style games. This comes down to two genres: puzzle games (Tetris, Puyo Puyo, Puzzle Fighter Turbo II) and arcade classics (Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Centipede). Lately, out of all arcade games, I've been hooked on the 1982 classic Dig Dug.

The premise is simple—you, a little space-suited man on the planet Mars, have a drill. Your employer has given you simple instructions: tunnel under the surface, find alien life forms, and kill them so you can colonise the place.

Our protagonist Dig Dug, for whatever reason, has chosen to inflate them with one of those little pumps cartoon characters use for dynamite up until they burst. For extra points, though, one should try to kill multiple via a carefully planned tunnel layout and a well-timed avalanche then grab the resulting fruit.

It wasn't hard to get into, but most games this age are easy to pick up. My favourite arcade game is actually a Dig Dug spinoff, though—Mr. Driller! I played the PlayStation version for hours on end as a mouseling, working with my younger sister to get higher and higher scores. The soundtrack was beautiful.

Dig Dug's soundtrack, however, only has one meaningful tune: the walking theme, composed by Yuriko Keino. It's the most hypnotising thing about the entire game, and it's extremely short but almost as catchy as Nobuyuki Ohnogi's work for Galaga! If the gameplay were missing this theme, instead being entirely sound effects, I would not be able to play for so long.

After becoming obsessed enough with online versions of the game, I wanted a standalone offline version. Preferably not the NES port, although I was not opposed. So I bought it on Steam for a little over two dollars, I was appalled when I saw the download size... over 700 megabytes. Yes, 700 megabytes, for a supposed exact port of a game that was released in 1982. In 1982 one could not have even dreamed of 700 megabytes.

I still play this version because I feel like I'll have wasted money otherwise. It's very very fun.