Dig Dug: Digging Strike

Dig Dug: Digging Strike (also known as Dig Dug DS) is a Nintendo DS game developed by Namco.

Plot
Taizo Hori, chairman of the Driller Council and hero of the Dig Dug Incident, has become somewhat bitter over the fact that the media spotlight has left him in favor of his own son Susumu Hori, aka Mr. Driller. When the government of the island nation of Horinesia calls to request the help of Mr. Driller, Taizo decides to handle it himself to prove his superiority. Once he arrives the president of Horinesia explains that while searching underground for fossils, the people of the island seemingly awoke monsters sleeping beneath the surface. Taizo declares that he will handle the trouble by himself, but Susumu decides to tag along anyway to support his father.

Overview
Digging Strike combines elements from the original Dig Dug and its successor Dig Dug II. The top screen shows an overhead view of the stage, islands similar to Dig Dug II. The bottom screen shows the stage in classic Dig Dug side view as you dig. Your goal is to defeat a single large boss character that has taken over the stage. This is accomplished by digging out the dirt beneath large stakes stuck into the ground, driving them deeper. Strategically driving these stakes into the ground will cause pieces of the island to break off into the ocean, hopefully taking the boss with it. Enemies move around underground with you, collecting food. Should they get their hands on food, they float up to the surface and are then consumed by the boss character, which then evolves into a more difficult form. You've got to avoid this by taking out food and enemies under ground. You have a number of weapons and items at your disposal outside of just your drill. Underground, you'll find magnets, bombs and boxing gloves which can be used to defeat enemies. You'll also find parts strewn about underground that you can use to build new weapons. Additionally, certain power ups can be found that will allow you to temporarily take control of Mr. Driller to do various tasks, such as stunning the boss or changing the direction of the stakes.