I've just started rewatching Stranger Things again and got to the first episode of Season 2 the night before writing this article. I watched as freaked out at his high score being toppled on Dig Dug, with the search for MadMax ensuing soon after. It got me thinking about Dig Dug and how I've just not heard about it much recently. While a classic and one that I refer back to regularly in my line of work, I was wondering if other kids would still be getting excited about high scores in such an iconic game in 2025 as they might have been back in the 80s.
With that in mind (and I promise that's all true), you can imagine my surprise when I woke up to an email telling me that Bandai Namco were teaming up with Spunge Games of Liquid Animation to bring Dig Dug back to a whole new generation with Gamisodes. They've just launched 'Dig Dug: New Frontier', a playable animated episode that's available for a limited time on the platform.
For those of you unaware of what Gamisodes is, it's described as 'the Netflix of interactive TV shows', a library of 100% playable animated episodes. You can watch the Dig Dug: New Frontier episode on your smartphone or tablet and play through the action as it occurs.
I don't want to give too much of the storyline away, which is why I've only included two screenshots from my iPhone. But what I will say is that the mixture of retro and modern graphics is perfect, with a modern feel for younger audiences in the episode when the characters are overground, and that 8-bit nostalgic gameplay whenever you dig down into the earth. Still, if you want to get a little bit more of a sneak peek before trying, then watch the trailer below!
The controls are super smooth, and I've been battling Pookas and Fygars just like kids would have done when playing the 1982 arcade classic for the first time. It's great that over four decades later, new gamers will be getting into the world of Dig Dug, and even though I'm 35, I'm loving this little game!
New Frontier is available through Gamisodes on iOS and Android until June 30th, so take a look now and get playing. I'm glad Dig Dug is back, and I want to see more of it in the immediate future!
