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This page includes some jargon that hasn't been added to the site's glossary yet. I'll be around to fix this later, but sorry for the inconvenience in the meantime.

Review: Dig Dog

At a Glance

ESRB Rating: NR - Not Rated
My Rating: Everyone
Genre: Arcade
License: Commercial
Fun-O-Meter:
Release Year: 2018
Review Published On: August 4th, 2021
Played on: Thaddeus

Available on:

Windows
MacOS

Available from:

Steam

Areas of Concern:
  • Very mild violence


How to Save and Pause:

Your highest score is recorded at the end of a run, and any bones you found are added to your tally. You cannot save during a game, though this isnt much of a problem considering how short each game is.

You can pause the game at any time by pressing ESC.

Time needed per session:

Unless youre very skilled at this game, your average run will only last about five minutes. Since most players will make several attempts in one session, plan on playing this game for about ten minutes or more.

Does this game pose issues for Christian players?

No - this is a great game for Christians
Similar to older arcade games like Pac-Man or Galaga, characters pop when defeated. Other than this, there is nothing to be concerned with in this game.

Screenshots

[view screenshot]
Late night shopping

[view screenshot]
Aw nuts

[view screenshot]
Digging deep



Game Overview

Dig Dog is an cute game that I found on Steam a while ago. Not to be confused with Dig Dug, which is a popular arcade game by Namco, Dig Dog is about a dog who digs around, looking for bones.

In this game, you lead the dog through randomly generated worlds, attempting to help them find their buried treasure while avoiding different types of enemies and hazards. This isnt exactly an easy thing to do, as the dog can only jump so high and a mistimed dash can easily throw the little guy into or onto something dangerous. Once youve reached a bone, the dog will shoot through the world and fly off into the sky with their prize.

...and then the next level begins, pitting your pooch against another wave of enemies and hazards.

While that summarizes the basics, there are a few other things worth mentioning about the gameplay. Some enemies carry coins that can be collected and used to purchase upgrades from merchants. These upgrades can include everything from higher jumps, to health refills, to the ability to weaponize your money by throwing it at enemies. There are also a number of unique enemy types, each with their own movement patterns and, in some cases, attacks.

Should you survive each of the worlds, youll simply continue from the beginning again, much like older arcade games. Ive only managed to do that once, as I typically lose before the end of the fourth region. Still, this is a fun game for a quick break between other projects, and Id suggest giving it a go. Its not very expensive; In fact, Dig Dog goes on sale for a hefty discount regularly, so you might even be able to get it just by selling unwanted Steam trading cards.

Points of Interest

Every game is unique

Although each region has its own selection of monsters and the fourth region always starts with a dangerous underground corridor, the level maps are filled randomly. Youll never know what youll find or where the bone might be hidden.

Warp to regions youve reached

Once youve reached a specific region enough times, a special warp bone will appear in the games introduction area. Collecting these allows you to start your game in whatever region you want, though you wont have any coins or upgrades that you might have discovered from earlier levels.

Free dig mode for players who just want to explore

Not interested in a challenge? Thats fine; the Free Dig mode is just what you want. This mode randomly cycles through easier versions of the games different environments, allowing you to explore and see everything without risk.

Special palettes

Collect enough bones (over consecutive attempts) and youll unlock new palettes to play with. These change the games colors, but otherwise have no effect on gameplay. Some of them are really nice looking, and theres even a couple that invoke some nostalgic systems like the original Gameboy.

Achievements

There are 14 achievements to be earned as you snort around for the bones. Most of these are earned by doing something over and over again, so youll eventually earn them all just by playing the game often. A few require some clever tricks or dogged persistence, though again, playing frequently is the key here.

Concerns and Issues

Mild violence

When any character is defeated (either by an attack, explosion, or coming into contact with a hazard), the character simply pops into a bunch of pixels that disappear quickly, much like youd have seen in old arcade games. Other than this, theres nothing particularly worrisome about this game.