Review: Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits

Platform: Nintendo DS
Publisher: Namco
Developer: Namco
Release Date: December 2004
Genre: Puzzle

Mr. Driller returns, and once again the fun is short-lived.

What type of game would you classify Mr. Driller as? While the closest genre you could put it in is the puzzle genre, it’s not a puzzle game in the typical sense. This is not a ‘falling piece’ puzzle game or a rotating one ala Tetris Attack (also commonly known for its variation as Pokemon Puzzle League) or Puyo Pop. Instead, you have to drill through blocks while avoiding blocks above you while looking for air capsules (as you cannot survive without any air in this game).

Mr. Driller has found himself on several platforms through the years, from his humble days as an arcade coin-op star to the more-recently released Mr. Driller 2 on GBA. This version of Mr. Driller, ‘Drill Spirits’, is definitely the best edition of Mr. Driller to date. Mr. Driller’s main problem is still here though, and after a few hours of playing, it’s painfully obvious: there’s simply not enough depth here to make the whole experience worthwhile.

There haven’t been very many changes to the game’s structure since the original Arcade version back in 99’. Unlike the other versions, though, you can now travel different parts of the world and dig through slightly different shaped blocks this time. Although it gives this game more lasting-value that any other in the series, there’s still not enough here to warrant a purchase. More variety, or even a mission mode, would have definitely helped this game out and gave it a ton of more replay value.

Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits is a fun game to play in quick bursts, but the lack of depth or feeling of you progressing and getting better at it make it get repetitive fast. Unlike classics such as ‘Puyo Pop’ and ‘Tetris Attack’, you’ll quickly grow tired of all the blocks. Lets hope Namco adds a bit more to the basic game play structure, or gives it new modes next time around

Rating: 6.5 (out of 10)