Gameplay
The main character, Dig Dug (who also goes by the name of Taizo Hori in other games), is equipped with his usual weapon, the pump. Gameplay progresses as Taizo Hori moves from planet to planet, each with a different number of levels, which each have underground levels. On the planet's surface, the gameplay is 3D, and there are a variety of holes. At first, there are no enemies on the surface, but Taizo Hori can still fire his pump in eight directions, the usual, plus diagonally. These holes are closed, but when first reaching a level, a Pooka will jump out, opening a mound. If Taizo Hori is maneuvered into it, the gameplay will shift to underground mode. This mode is basically the same as the original game, but with a few more features described later. The enemies can "ghost" through walls at certain times too. After all but one of the enemies are destroyed, the remaining one will begin to flee at double-speed to the top of the level, which now has a tunnel to the surface. If the player destroys it, the level ends, and Taizo Hori appears back on the surface. If it escapes, the same occurs, but now the enemy is on the surface. It still must be killed, but is harder, because its movement is no longer limited to just four directions. Gameplay goes on like this for the rest of the game.
Rise of the Triad: Dark War is a first-person shooter video game, developed and published by Apogee Software in 1995. The player can choose one of five different characters to play as, each bearing unique attributes such as height, speed, and endurance. The game's story follows these five characters who have been sent to investigate a deadly cult, and soon become aware of a deadly plot to destroy a nearby city. Its remake was designed by Interceptor Entertainment and released by Apogee Games in 2013. The shareware version of the game is titled Rise of the Triad: The HUNT Begins.
Dig Dug is a maze arcade video game developed by Namco in 1981 and released in 1982, distributed in North America by Atari, Inc. The player controls Dig Dug to defeat all enemies per stage, by either inflating them to bursting or crushing them underneath rocks.
Mr. Driller is a puzzle video game franchise created by Yasuhito Nagaoka and Hideo Yoshizawa for Namco. The eponymous first game was released in 1999 for arcades and several home consoles, such as the PlayStation. Gameplay in the series consists of controlling Susumu Hori, the titular Mr. Driller, or one of his friends and destroying colorful formations of blocks to make it to the bottom of a well. In order to survive, players need to collect air capsules to replenish their depleting oxygen and avoid being crushed by falling blocks.
Mr. Driller Drill Spirits is a 2004 puzzle video game developed and published by Namco for the Nintendo DS. Controlling one of six characters, the player must make it to the bottom of each stage by destroying, colored formations of blocks while preventing their oxygen meter from depleting. Multiple different gamemodes are present, including a single-player campaign, a time-attack mode, and a competitive multiplayer mode. It is the sixth entry in the Mr. Driller series.
Bomberman 64 is a video game developed by Hudson Soft, published by Hudson Soft in Japan, and published by Nintendo in North America and Europe for the Nintendo 64. The game was released in Europe and North America in November and December 1997, respectively. While the game never saw a release on the Wii's Virtual Console service, it was eventually released on the Wii U Virtual Console in both Europe and North America in March 2017 followed by Japan in June 2017.
3D Lemmings is a 1995 puzzle video game developed by Clockwork Games and published by Psygnosis. The gameplay, like the original Lemmings game, requires the player to lead all the lemmings to their exit by giving them the appropriate "skills". It was the first Lemmings game to be rendered in 3D. It was released for DOS, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn.
Dig Dug II is an action arcade video game developed and published in Japan by Namco in 1985. It is a sequel to 1982's Dig Dug. Pookas and fire-breathing Fygars return as the enemies, but the side view tunneling of the original is replaced with an overhead view of an island maze.
Bomberman Jetters is an action game for the Game Boy Advance, GameCube and PlayStation 2, and part of Hudson Soft's Bomberman series. The game builds on the gameplay style established in the previous Bomberman series entry, 2002's Bomberman Generation, and features characters and settings from the 2002 anime series Bomberman Jetters. The GameCube version utilizes cel-shaded graphics similar to those of Bomberman Generation, while the PlayStation 2 version does not.
Dig Dug: Digging Strike is a 2005 maze video game published by Namco for the Nintendo DS. In Europe, the game was published by Atari Europe. It is the fifth entry in the Dig Dug video game series, and the second to be made for a home platform. The game follows series protagonist Taizo Hori, bitter about his son Susumu getting more attention than him—after a chain of tropical islands is threatened by monsters, Taizo sets out to defeat them and reclaim his fame. Gameplay combines mechanics established in the original Dig Dug and its sequel Dig Dug II, centered around sinking a large "boss" character into the ocean by digging under large stakes in the ground.
Baraduke, renamed Alien Sector in some regions, is a run and gun video game released for arcades by Namco in 1985. A home version was published for the X68000.
Namco Classic Collection Vol. 2 is a 1996 compilation arcade game developed and published by Namco. It is a collection of four of Namco's popular games: Pac-Man (1980), Rally-X (1980), New Rally-X (1981) and Dig Dug (1982). Alongside the original games, three new "Arrangement" games based on each game are included.
KKnD2: Krossfire is the sequel to KKnD in the KKnD series developed by Beam Software and published by Melbourne House in 1998 for Microsoft Windows. It was released on PlayStation in Europe in late 1998 to early 1999 as KKnD: Krossfire. It is set in the year 2179, 100 years after the Nuclear World War. After spending another four decades underground,the Survivors rose up to a new enemy: the Series 9. The Series 9 robots are machines that have advanced from their farming origins and taken up arms against the humans, Evolved and Survivor, who destroyed their precious crops, their one and only reason for functioning.
Mr. Driller W is a 2009 puzzle video game developed and published for the WiiWare service by Namco Bandai Games. The eighth entry in the Mr. Driller series, gameplay revolves around clearing each level by destroying, or "drilling", large formations of colorful blocks. Players have an oxygen meter that acts as a time limit, and constantly depletes; air is replenished by collecting air capsules, and is depleted further by destroying brown "X" blocks.
Star Trigon is a 2002 puzzle arcade game published in Japan by Namco. Ports for iPod, iOS devices and Windows were also released. In the game, the player controls one of three characters — Wataru Hoshi, Chuta Bigbang and Susumu Hori — the objective being to rescue creatures known as "Uchijins" by hopping from planet to planet to draw triangles and capture them. The player will automatically circle the planet they are on, requiring timed jumps to avoid falling off the playfield. It ran on the Namco System 10 hardware.
Kirby: Planet Robobot is a 2016 platform game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the eleventh mainline installment in the Kirby series and the spiritual sequel to Triple Deluxe. The story follows Kirby as he defends Planet Popstar from an alien corporation known as the Haltmann Works Company that wishes to mechanize the planet so that they can plunder its natural resources. New to the series in this game is Kirby's ability to utilize a mecha suit known as the Robobot Armor to solve puzzles and fight enemies.
Mr. Driller is a 1999 puzzle arcade game developed and published by Namco. Versions for the PlayStation, Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Color, WonderSwan Color, mobile phones, and iOS were also released. Controlling Susumu Hori, the titular "Mr. Driller", the player must dig their way to the bottom of the screen by destroying colored blocks that litter the playfield. Blocks will be cleared if four or more are touching each other, which can be used to cause chain reactions. Susumu has a constantly-depleting oxygen meter that can be refilled by collecting air capsules found throughout stages.
Mr. Driller G is a 2001 puzzle arcade game developed and released in Japan by Namco for its System 10 hardware. It is the third installment in its Mr. Driller series, and the last released for arcades. Controlling one of seven characters, players must make it to the bottom of the level by destroying colorful formations of blocks. G introduces several new ideas to the series, such as power-ups, a story campaign, and online multiplayer.
Mr. Driller A is a 2002 puzzle video game developed and published in Japan by Namco for the Game Boy Advance. The fourth installment in its Mr. Driller series, players control one of seven characters and must make it to the bottom of the level by destroying colorful formations of blocks. A adds several new mechanics to the gameplay of its predecessors, such as a virtual pet named the "Pacteria" that players can grow and care for.
Shovel Knight Dig is a roguelite platform game developed by Nitrome and Yacht Club Games. It is the third game of the Shovel Knight series and a prequel to the original. The game follows protagonist Shovel Knight as he fights enemies and collects treasure while journeying down a hole to recover his stolen treasure bag from a thief named Drill Knight. When the player dies, they lose all obtained upgrades, returning to the surface with a fraction of the treasure they collected while playing. At the surface, they can spend treasure on a variety of items that make gameplay easier.
Ground Divers! is a 2022 roguelike strategy game developed and published by Arc System Works for Nintendo Switch. Described as a "slapstick discovery game", the game tasks players with guiding the titular "Ground Diver" robot Tsuruhashi as it seeks to uncover "rare matter", an energy source found deep underground. It received average reviews from critics.
