Cratermaze is an action puzzle game viewed from an overhead perspective. Each stage consists of a maze filled with various enemies and items. You must collect all of the keys on the stage to open the exit door while avoiding or eliminating enemies. Your primary method of dealing with enemies is to dig holes; if an enemy walks into a hole, they are momentarily trapped and you can then fill the hole to kill the enemy.
You can also obtain temporary weapon powerups such as rayguns and yo-yos, as well as extend your digging reach to dig multiple holes at once. There are also several bosses encountered throughout the game.
The game features popular children's character Doraemon and his friends in its Japanese release. The game is a conversion of the 1987 coin-op Kid no Hore Hore Daisakusen , which also saw a modified Famicom version called Booby Kids .
Cratermaze was released on the TurboGrafx-16 in 1990. It is classified as a puzzle game, allowing players of all ages to enjoy its challenging and addictive gameplay.