Dig Dug meets Bomberman in free roguelike Holy Smokes

The latest roguelike to see you exploring exclusively downwards (well, and a little bit sideways), Holy Smokes is essentially Dig Dug but with bombs instead of a shovel, and with explosions instead of not explosions. Now that I think about it, it's a little bit Spelunky as well, given that you use these bombs to clear rocks from your path, and that you're collecting lovely, shiny treasure as you do so.

Holy Smokes definitely feels more frantic, fast-paced and arcadey than most roguelikes, however. You have four, infinitely restocking bombs (they replenish on a timer), which you'll use to explode blocks, and some pretty tough enemies, as you drop down, down, down, and, yes, down, from a heavenly realm to the underworld below.

This is a game that feels great to play, thanks to all the screenshake and bits flying everywhere, and, if you do well enough, there are items and encounters to discover along the way. I found it quite tough, but maybe you'll do better? Grab the demo for Holy Smokes and find out. (Thanks, Warp Door.)

For more great free experiences, check out our roundup of the best free PC games.

Tom loves exploring in games, whether it’s going the wrong way in a platformer or burgling an apartment in Deus Ex. His favourite game worlds—Stalker, Dark Souls, Thief—have an atmosphere you could wallop with a blackjack. He enjoys horror, adventure, puzzle games and RPGs, and played the Japanese version of Final Fantasy VIII with a translated script he printed off from the internet. Tom has been writing about free games for PC Gamer since 2012. If he were packing for a desert island, he’d take his giant Columbo boxset and a laptop stuffed with PuzzleScript games.