Everyone knows the first game. You’re Taizo Hori, you’ve got a pump, and you’re popping Pookas underground. It’s a legend. But when Namco decided to bring Dig Dug II to the NES in 1989, they did something kind of insane. They took away the digging. Well, they took away the underground digging.
Most people popped the cartridge in, realized they were on an island, and immediately felt a sense of "wait, what?" It was a massive departure. Instead of scrolling through dirt, you’re top-down on a tropical island. You still have the pump, but the main mechanic is literally sinking pieces of the map into the ocean. It’s weird. It’s bold. Honestly, it’s one of the most underrated sequels on the Nintendo Entertainment System.
The Island Mechanic: It’s Not Just About the Pump
In the original, you were safe as long as you weren't in a tunnel with a monster. In Dig Dug II, the ground is your weapon, but it's also your biggest liability. You find these little stakes—pegs, basically—stuck in the ground. If you use your drill on them, a crack forms. Connect the cracks from one side of the island to the other, and splash. The smaller piece of land sinks into the sea, taking every enemy on it down to a watery grave.
It feels amazing when you pull off a huge collapse. You get more points based on how many enemies you drown at once. But there’s a catch. If you aren't careful about which side of the crack you’re standing on, you go down with them. Game over.
Risk vs. Reward
This isn't just a reflex game anymore. It’s a strategy game. You have to bait the Pookas and Fygars onto a specific peninsula. You’re watching their movement patterns, trying to time your drilling so you don't get trapped. Fygars still breathe fire, and they can do it across the cracks you've made. That's a nasty surprise the first time it happens.
The NES version specifically handles this with a certain "Nintendo charm." The colors are bright, the music is a catchy (if repetitive) loop, and the controls are tight. If you die, it’s usually because you got greedy or misjudged how long it takes to drill that final peg.
Why the NES Version Matters
Arcade-to-home ports in the late 80s were hit or miss. Sometimes you got a watered-down mess. But Dig Dug II on the NES feels like its own beast. It includes 72 stages. That is a lot of island-sinking. By the time you get to the later levels, the islands are shaped like weird abstract art, and the enemies move with a terrifying level of aggression.
There’s a common misconception that the NES version is just a "lesser" arcade port. It’s actually more accessible. The arcade version (running on Namco System 1 hardware) was a bit more chaotic. The NES layout feels more intentional. It’s built for a d-pad.
- Stage Design: The maps are designed to trick you. Some islands have "bottlenecks" that look like great traps but actually leave you cornered.
- Difficulty Curve: It starts easy. By Level 15, you’re sweating. By Level 30, you’re calculating every move like a chess player.
- The "Pooka Factor": These guys are faster than you think. In the original, you could outrun them in the dirt. Here, on open ground, they close the gap fast.
The Learning Curve Most Players Missed
Most kids in 1989 played this for ten minutes, died on Level 3, and went back to Super Mario Bros. 3. They missed the depth. For example, did you know that the points for sinking enemies follow a geometric progression? Sinking one enemy is fine, but sinking four or five at once is how you get those extra lives you desperately need later on.
There is also the "partial sink" tactic. You can crack the ground but not finish it. This funnels enemies into a specific path. It’s essentially primitive tower defense. You are terraforming the map to suit your survival.
Common Frustrations (And How to Fix Them)
Let’s be real: the "pump" mechanic feels secondary here, and that bothers people. If you try to play this like the first game—just walking up to enemies and pumping them full of air—you’re going to have a bad time. You are outclassed. Taizo Hori is slow. The enemies are fast. The pump should be your "panic button," not your primary weapon.
The real "pro" way to play Dig Dug II is to barely use the pump at all. You should be a master of the drill.
Another gripe is the "Game Over" screen. In many versions, you’re sent way back. It’s punishing. But that’s the era. That’s the NES for you. It demands mastery. If you’re playing on modern hardware via the Nintendo Switch Online service or a classic collection, use those save states. No shame in it. The later levels are brutal.
Technical Nuances and "Flicker"
Like many NES games, when there are too many enemies and too many cracks on the screen, the sprites start to flicker. This was a limitation of the NES hardware, specifically how many sprites it could render on a single horizontal scanline. In a game where positioning is everything, a flickering Pooka can be a death sentence.
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You have to learn to "read" the flicker. If an enemy disappears for a split second, they’re still there. Don't walk into them. It’s a quirk of 8-bit gaming that adds a layer of unintentional difficulty, but for some of us, it’s part of the nostalgia.
Pro Tips for Sinking the Competition
If you're dusting off the old toaster console or firing up an emulator, keep these things in mind to actually progress.
- Always drill the perimeter first. Look for the pegs that cut off the largest chunks of land with the fewest cracks. Efficiency is everything.
- Respect the Fygar’s reach. Their fire breath goes through the cracks you make. Just because there’s a gap in the ground doesn't mean you're safe.
- The "Sacrificial" Strategy. Sometimes it is worth losing a tiny piece of the island you are standing on if it means taking out three Pookas. Just make sure you’re on the "mainland" side when the split happens.
- Listen to the music. The tempo doesn't change like in Mario, but the enemy speed definitely does. When the last enemy is left, they’ll try to "flee" to the edge of the screen. Trap them before they disappear, or you lose the points.
How to Play It Today
You don't need to hunt down an expensive gray cart (though they aren't actually that pricey compared to some "hidden gems").
- Nintendo Switch Online: It’s often tucked away in the NES library.
- Namco Museum Collections: It appears on various "Museum" releases for PlayStation, Xbox, and GameCube.
- Original Hardware: If you have an NES, it’s a relatively affordable pickup. It hasn't hit the "insane collector price" tier yet.
Ultimately, Dig Dug II is a game about destruction. It’s about the satisfaction of watching the map disappear. It’s a sequel that actually tried something new instead of just giving us "more levels in the dirt." It’s smarter than it looks, and it deserves a second chance on your screen.
Actionable Next Steps:
If you want to master the game, start by loading up Level 1 and practice "lapping" the island. Try to sink the entire outer ring while keeping the enemies in the center. Once you can control the "sink" without thinking about it, you’re ready for the chaos of the 20s and 30s. Check out the high-score runs on Twin Galaxies if you want to see just how fast the island-clearing can get; the world records involve some terrifyingly precise movement.