Dig Dug (version found in the Switch port of “Namco Museum Archives Volume One” played for review)

As part of the story of Namco’s rise in the arcade space, “Dig Dug” is Important and a necessary inclusion in any retrospective piece about the company. As a game, however, it is one of many arcade titles built for five minutes of fun, for better or worse. I love how the soundtrack plays only when the avatar is moving and there’s plenty of charm in the visuals, but the loop is simplistic to a fault; no one (fine: few) would regard achieving the “Dig Dug” world record with the same reverence as the “Pac-Man” record. Digestible in small bursts.

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