Drills and Thrills- Digger HD Review

Every retro-gamer has a nightmare that one of their beloved games of yesteryear will once again see the light of day, only to be put down by young whipper-snappers who were too young to “get it” when the game was considered top-of-the-line.  Perhaps today, they see me snapping that whipper, since I was merely a sparkle in my parents’ eyes when the original Digger hit personal computer screens in over 25 years ago.  Nevertheless, I have a great deal of respect for the way Creat Studios managed to clean and showcase this ancient artifact on the PlayStation 3.

In 1983, Rob Sleath and his the-wife, JoAnne Kempe, tried their hand at making computer games.  Under the name Windmill Software, they wrote a love letter to Dig-Dug called “Digger,” and they shipped out every copy from their home with a tuft of hair lovingly inserted from their dog, Byte.   It was developed for IBM PC with CGA cards and boasted 4 beautiful colors, multiple play-modes as well as a 2-player option.  The player took control of a bulldozer, digging in search for gems, gold and cherries while keeping away from vicious Hobbins and Nobbins.  Overall, the game was forgettable, but notable for being one of the first games to incorporate a reload time after firing, and for the incorporation of a very icon death-tune sound effect.

27 years later, Windmill Software is all but expunged.  Rob and JoAnne have gone their separate ways, but somehow, the rights to their creation made its way into the hands of Creat Studios, and Digger HD was born.  Digger HD is everything a retro-remake should be: it is a beautiful, faithful remake of the original title, complete with high-definition graphics and a very fun soundtrack. Each and every detail, right down to the physics and enemy AI is recreated 1-to-1 in each perfectly translated level.  If you don’t believe me, the entire original game is included, so you can switch between the two at your discretion.

The problem lies not in Creat Studios port of Digger, but rather in their choice of games to spend their time on.  Digger was never particularly fun or innovative.  Even 20 years ago the game felt slow, derivative and dated.  The game is frustratingly slow, and not terribly challenging.  There are dozens of levels, but by the fourth or fifth map, you feel like you’ve seen everything there is to see.  It is mind-numbingly repetitive, but not in a progressively demanding way, like Dig Dug or Galaga.  However, if you look back fondly on your childhood memories of Digger, then you’ll be pleasantly reposed.