run rabbit, run
Dig a hole and forget about the sun
and when the work is finally done
don’t sit meIt’s time to dig one more
– Pink Floyd “Breeze”
In Murtop you’re a rabbit and it’s pretty much all about digging. Published by Flynn’s Arcade, this installation of his Hiulit is a thoroughly enjoyable old-school arcade game. The game looks, sounds and plays similar to his vintage ’80s titles like Dig Dug and Bomberman, but has a lot of unique fun on Nintendo Switch.
Below is the “what you get” part of the review. The graphics are retro pixelated, but not so blocky that it’s hard to tell what you’re looking at. The image is a little grainy, but you can see what the carrot is, that you are a rabbit, and that your “little bomb” is actually a bomb. Although the game is low resolution, it makes good use of color and contrast to maintain its visual appeal. As for the sound, it’s also reminiscent of the original Mario sheet music in low resolution. The tune is a bit repetitive, but it evokes just the right amount of quirkiness and tension without being distracting or intrusive.
Clear a square in the game grid with each hop as you tunnel around the playing field. No matter how many squares you dig, you can fly around the grid along the boundaries (up/down, left/right) between squares. The controls are very simple, with the left JoyCon to move and the Y button to place bombs in the grid. Deposit means the bomb comes from Bunny’s poop chute. It may sound painful, but it won’t blow you up when the bomb explodes. This is your only weapon, so use it carefully. When the bomb explodes, the blast travels in a positive-shaped pattern (up/down, left/right) as far as the tunnel walls allow. If you’re still in the path of the explosion, you’ll die and watch your little bunny soul float away and fade away. As with most classic arcade games, he has three lives, so don’t worry too much.
Now that we understand the nature of the game, let’s take a closer look at the gameplay. Similar to a maze crawler with enemy avoidance and elimination. Carrots are offered in rounds to score points, but the real goal is for him to kill all of the enemy creatures within 60 seconds. Don’t worry if you’re overly focused. The game will give a small audio cue at the halftime mark. As with older console games, rounds must be successfully completed to advance to the next round. If you die 3 times, you start over from level 1. Starting over can sometimes feel a bit repetitive, but the pattern of levels speeds things up.
One important thing to remember relates to bombs. These are high explosives and can kill you as quickly as any other creature in the tunnel. The only hope is to get out of the positive form of the explosion. Here’s the problem. Pressing the Y button will drop a bomb, but the process will immobilize you for about a second. The problem is that the bomb fuse only lasts for about a second and a half. You’ll have to pay close attention to timing while balancing the remaining time on the level countdown. Also, bombs cannot be used on the ground. There may be a bad guy in the upper echelons, but you can’t bomb him. You need to lure him underground and bomb it there.
Murtop looks very simple, but things are complicated. Not only does it have a timer for the rounds and the width of the ‘rabbit’ to avoid self-destruction, but there are rocks in the ground that can be burrowed to crush enemies. However, it can also be crushed if you are late. Finally, if any other creature catches up with you, it will kick you out with one touch. No, it’s hard to become a rabbit in this game.
If you manage to avoid all the pitfalls, blow up the bad guys quickly, and even collect some carrots along the way, you can work your way up to the big prize – the initials on the high score board. Just like the original arcade game, it’s fun to show off to your friends. And because it’s priced fairly low, Murtop is a fun arcade-style addition to your or your friends’ Switch library.
