Mr. Driller 2 (Game Boy Advance)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.0 stars Good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 6.8 (3.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Frank Provo
• Reviewed on: 04/29/2005
• Released on: 04/10/2005
• Originally published on GameSpot: Mr. Driller 2 (Game Boy Advance) Review

Even though Mr. Driller 2 is new to us, Namco actually released it in Japan more than four years ago. That explains why the graphics, the audio, and the overall selection of play modes seem weak by today's standards. Nonetheless, it's still an addictive puzzle game that's both easy to learn and challenging, which means that puzzle fanatics should be able to look beyond its faults and appreciate the beauty that lies underneath.

The concept is simple. Susumu, who's better known as Mr. Driller, is a dude in a space suit armed with a drill. The levels are long shafts filled with multicolored blocks that are stuck together to form various shapes. Using the directional pad and the button of your choice, you can aim the drill at a shape and destroy it. The overriding goal is to dig your way to the bottom of the shaft before Susumu runs out of air. Extra air capsules are scattered at random intervals throughout the shaft, and it's a good idea to mosey over to them once in a while to refill Susumu's oxygen tank. You also have to be strategic in your digging, because any blocks that were once supported by the pieces you remove will fall down. Falling blocks will stick to other blocks of the same color, and will subsequently destroy them if you manage to form a structure that's at least four blocks in size. However, structures that don't get destroyed in a chain reaction will fall until they land on the mass below, and then they could possibly crush Susumu if you don't move him out of the way. Luckily, you can drill in any of the four major directions and move Susumu out of the way using the directional pad.

What makes Mr. Driller 2 fun is that it's easy to play, and yet it's also challenging in a hectic sort of way. You constantly have to move and drill sideways to get out of the way of falling blocks, but doing so causes more blocks to fall, which in turn keeps you moving downward and sideways at a frantic pace just to avoid being crushed. At times, the blocks that don't cause chain reactions will get stuck somewhere above you, giving you a brief moment of rest before you start down the shaft again. Meanwhile, the constant depletion of air from Susumu's oxygen tank ensures that you won't lollygag for long.

Ultimately, how long you stay interested in Mr. Driller 2 will depend primarily on how much you enjoy playing it, because the overall selection of play modes doesn't enhance or extend the experience that much. There's a mission mode that has four stages of increasing lengths, an endless mode with three difficulty settings, and there's a time attack mode that offers 20 puzzles of increasing complexity. The harder stages are tough to beat, but most people should be able to work through all three modes within a day or two. On the upside, the cartridge does keep a permanent record of high scores and best times, which should make puzzle fans happy. There's also a time-attack-style link mode that supports two players, which is nice if you know someone else with a copy of the game.

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