Mr. Do, or Do Not: there is no try.

Namco has long been associated with great arcade titles.  Don't believe me?  Just take a look at the list of classics they developed in the heydey of coin-op. Pac-Man, Galaga, Dig-Dug, Pole Position,  Xevious, Rolling Thunder, and Splatterhouse are just a few of the titles that made Namco king of the arcade.

Another classic from that era, one I recall vividly, is a game called Mr. Do.  Although it was developed by Universal in 1982, rights to the title have since been acquired by Namco and they have re-released it as a mobile title.

For those unfamiliar with Mr. Do, I can only describe as something akin to Dig-Dug.  Of course if that doesn't help, here's a synopsis: dig tunnels underground to pick up cherries and kill monsters which can be stopped by dropping apples on them, or hitting them with Mr. Do's "power-ball".

Namco's mobile release of this title is perfect in its re-creation, both graphically and audibly.  The underground, monsters, and particularly the title character are all lovingly recreated on the mobile screen.  Sound is every bit what I remembered it to be.  The graphics have been enhanced from the original, and it is a beautiful thing.

The problem with this version is the control scheme.  Understandably, most mobile handsets do not have an analog joystick option so Namco is forced to utilize the digital input keypad for controls.  This transition has been successfully completed in the past, just look at nearly any title ported from the arcade to the NES, but fails miserably this time around.

The problem comes in that the input to move Mr. Do left, right, up, or down is too much.  In other words, when pushing a direction button, instead of walking a step, he walks a few steps.  This may not seem like a problem, but consider this: you are quickly navigating Mr. Do around the later levels, at a point when timing is crucial, when you go to make a quick turn, and instead take a step too far into a monster.  This happened so often in this game I grew increasingly frustrated as I played.

I was never very good at Mr. Do as a child, so I asked SuperGuido what he thought.  He agreed the controls were a problem.  Sadly, it ruins what otherwise might be a excellent port of an arcade classic.  I cannot in good conscious recommend the title with these control issues.   If Namco corrects the issue, I would change my recommendation, but for now, I sadly have to say skip it.

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