Dig Dug

Famicom Disk System

Famicom Disk System

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...

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Developer
Namco

Released on
1990

Size
1–2 Players

Version
Famicom Disk System

Requirements
Nintendo Famicom Disk System

Downloads
Action

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

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 are able to 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.

Dig Dug

Overview & History

Released for the Famicom Disk System (FDS) in 1990 by Namco, this version of Dig Dug adapts the classic 1982 arcade hit onto Nintendo’s rewritable floppy disk format. While the core objective remains underground extermination, the FDS release benefited from the system's enhanced audio capabilities and quick-loading architecture. The storyline follows Taizo Hori (Dig Dug), a subterranean explorer tasked with ridding the earth of two menacing underground species: the fire-breathing Pookas and the green, goggle-wearing Fygars. Unlike standard cartridge ports, this iteration utilized the disk medium to potentially store high scores and smoother transitional states, capturing the whimsical, grid-based hazard of Namco's golden age while serving a nostalgic audience on proprietary Japanese hardware.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Gameplay revolves around strategic tunneling through strata-colored dirt. As Taizo Hori, players navigate vertical and horizontal tunnels, utilizing a specialized harpoon pump to eliminate enemies. Pumping an enemy causes them to inflate until they burst, but players must rapidly tap the attack button; if the player stops pumping, the enemy deflates and resumes pursuit. Alternatively, players can strategically undermine large rocks, causing them to plummet and crush multiple pursuers at once for bonus "Fygar crushing" points. As levels progress, enemies transform into ghosts that can phase through solid dirt, forcing players to constantly adapt their digging patterns. Surviving a round requires eliminating all creatures or driving the final surviving enemy to flee off the screen.

Keyboard Controls

Arrow Keys / D-Pad: Move Taizo Hori through tunnels and control digging direction
Action Keys: Inflate enemies with the harpoon pump
Enter: Start / Pause