PlanetDreamcast | Games | Reviews | Mr. Driller

Mr. Driller Page 2/2 More fun than a root canal! - Review By Mr. Domino In time attack, the levels have the same layout every time. Lastly, the survival mode is an infinite version of the arcade mode, except here Mr. Driller only has one life. Players can select to start at the surface, 5,000 ft., or 10,000 ft. and must dig as far as possible before dying. To sum, all three modes of play are very enjoyable, and the high score option will keep you coming back to try and best your previous accomplishments. The Bad One wonders how Mr. Driller feeds himself, since his hands can't even reach his grotesquely puckered mouth. Mr. Driller is a great game, but it's not as easy to grasp as other puzzle games. The general gameplay concept is a bit hard to fully understand from the first few plays, and the game doesn't hit its addictive stride until some time is spent learning how to best react to different situations. Although the game may come across as a leisurely jaunt to the center of the earth, later levels demand quick thinking and quicker reflexes to avoid suffocation and to deal with the flood of X-blocks. Also, unlike other puzzle games which have a more or less fixed area of concentration, Mr. Driller requires players to pay attention to both the top and bottom of the screen, in order to avoid falling blocks, set up chains, and see where is best to dig. This sort of split focus may prove to be too much for people expecting the game to play like Tetris -- Mr. Driller is quite a bit more demanding on one's attention and reflexes. An initial annoyance (although one overcome with practice) lies in the frequent occurrence of blocks falling from high above the screen and crushing our hero. The levels are so large that often times Mr. Driller will find himself removing a block that happens to be supporting a group of blocks already high off the screen, sending them cascading down on the hapless hero. Accidental chains that take place offscreen can also lead to unseen blocks falling from above; to avoid incidents such as these, players are required to both memorize the ever-changing layout of the level and use quick reflexes to escape. Puzzle fans who found themselves overwhelmed with Chu Chu Rocket's speedy action may have difficulty playing and enjoying Mr. Driller to its fullest extent. The accidental chains also diminish the skill element in the scoring system, but while scoring itself may not require a great amount of skill, the fact that surviving does sort of balances it out. The graphics are simplistic, but then it's hard to argue that the game would benefit from fancy polygons and whatnot. Finally, as wonderful as the soundtrack is, the siren which goes off when the air supply dips below one-fourth is really, really grating. In fact, this siren is the only real strike against the game, although I do wish Namco would have bothered to include two-player support and an online mode. The Final Word Mr. Driller is a simple, fun, and addicting game. It offers a nice mix of action and puzzle elements, and Mr. Driller has more than enough depth (no pun intended) to keep players coming back to best their previous score or time. It may not be the 3-D fighter many were hoping for, but I'll take a great, original game over just another sequel any day. I highly recommend Mr. Driller to anyone craving a good puzzle game. Developer: Namco Publisher: Namco Genre: Puzzle Highs: Incredibly addictive, cute character, amazing soundtrack. Lows: A little difficult to "get into," high-score based gameplay may not appeal to some. Other: 1 player, VMU compatible (12 blocks), VGA Box Compatible, Jump Pack Compatible. Media: Intro (MPEG) - The cute intro. It's a block catastrophy! [Big (6.9M)] - [Med (3.7M)] - [Small (818K)] Gameplay 1 (MPEG) - A typical game in arcade mode, except it's possible that you may actually exhibit some skill. [Big (13.7M)] - [Med (7.4M)] - [Small (1.6M)] Gameplay 2 (MPEG) - Two failed, yet still interesting, attempts at time attack. [Big (13.1M)] - [Med (7.1M)] - [Small (1.5M)] Final Score: (out of a possible 10) Visit this Game's Dreamcast Database Entry Previous Reviews Comments on this review? Mail Feedback.