Mr. Driller Drill Spirits

Reviewed by Daniel Armendariz
April 2005

Developer: Namco Website: Click Here Publisher: Namco Platform(s): Nintendo DS Players: 1 ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Who said puzzle games are dead? Nintendo brings a cult classic PS1 game to the DS with a unique twist. Mr. Driller is a homage to Dig Dug: a Tetris- like adventure where you guide your character to safety by burrowing your way through colorful cubes which can be linked up to create a domino effect to the other side of the world. However, you must manage not to lose oxygen from your breathing tank or be crushed by an avalanche of dirt or rocks. In the DS version, instead of pressing essential buttons on your controller, the player interacts with the action by touching the bottom screen as a way of navigating play. The top screen of DS is used as warning for oncoming debris.

Mr. Driller is very user friendly when it comes to controlling the character. The simple play makes easy for all ages to enjoy. The game is mind-bending, addictive fun. I found myself on auto-mode playing the same level ten or twelve times just to work on linking combos and taking different paths. As for added bonuses and extras, Mr. Driller is filled with them. With every mission achieved, driller mileage is awarded to the gamer to use in the prize store where weapons, power ups and levels can be accessed on the amount of time you put in; as a result, Mr. Driller contains instant replay value like such puzzle games like Tetris and Puzzle Fighter.

Downfalls in the product are also present. The driller mileages are extremely hard to collect during gameplay. I must have created a numerous amount of combos only to be dumbfounded with results of scoring mediocre points. Another problem with the game was the pressure mode. In pressure mode, while digging way through the other side, you also have to be aware of a twenty ton drilling machine enemy with a smile whose sole purpose is blending your carcass into Mr. Driller juice. I discovered the mode to more of burden than a blessing. The beat-the-clock factor made the game displeasing.

I found myself very pleased with this game. Mr. Driller is a challenging, entertaining and addictive game that all ages could pick up. In the age of 3D graphics and photorealistic environments, I was happy that a traditional 2D game could be exciting. I think developers should take notes from this game: Sometimes the best games are the simplest.