Play Dig Dug II Online

Summary

Dig Dug II drops the classic tunnel‑digging for an overhead island arena where you, as Taizo Hori, swing an air pump and a jackhammer. The red‑goggled Pookas and fire‑breathing Fygars still chase you, but now you can carve fault lines along the map’s seams; when the faults reach the water, the enclosed land sinks, taking any enemies (and an unwary player) with it. Each successful split rewards points based on how many foes drown, and after three land pieces are severed a bonus vegetable pops up for extra score.

The game’s tension ramps up as the enemy count dwindles—once only a handful remain, they scramble to the island’s edge and plunge into the sea, ending the round. Critics noted the steep difficulty but praised the learning curve, while later retrospectives blamed the shift from free‑movement maze‑chase to static island puzzles for its lukewarm reception.

When the NES version arrived in North America, it carried the subtitle “Trouble in Paradise,” though the game itself never changed. It lingered as a NES‑only title in the West until 2005, and finally resurfaced on the Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo Classics service in 2022.

Storyline

Dig Dug II finds himself on a sun‑kissed Caribbean island, lounging in a hammock between graceful palm trees and dreaming of endless sand, surf, and bikini‑clad native girls catering to his every wish. He relishes the thought of a vacation free from the pesky Pooka and Fygar. However, the troublesome enemies soon arrive, turning his peaceful paradise into a tropical nightmare. The player’s job is to help Dig Dug rid the island of these irritating intruders. Restoring tranquility to his seaside retreat is the ultimate goal.