Mr. Driller (PlayStation)

Reviewed by

Peter Bartholow

on 05/26/2000

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Quick specs
ESRB: Everyone
Genre: Puzzle
Elements: General Action
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Mr. Driller is a cute and quirky puzzler that lacks the variety to make it a long-term contender for your attention like a Puzzle Fighter or Tetris would. At a low price of $20, however, Mr. Driller is a worthwhile and refreshing return to the puzzle genre, however short-lived the game may be.

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GameSpot editors' review

CNET editors' rating: 3.0 stars Good
Detailed editors' rating

Reviewed by:
Peter Bartholow
Reviewed on: 05/26/2000
Updated on: 05/17/2006
Released on: 05/09/2000
Originally published on GameSpot: Mr. Driller (PlayStation) Review

Since the action and RPG genres have taken hold of today's next-generation gamers, a few cherished genres have unfortunately fallen by the wayside. Among these sad casualties is the puzzle game. While refreshing, Mr. Driller lacks long-term appeal and probably won't fill the void in your gaming repertoire.

According to Mr. Driller's introduction, "The town is being overrun with colored blocks." Creeping up from deep within the earth, the adorably button-nosed Mr. Driller must get to the bottom of things - literally. Mr. Driller's arcade mode requires you to burrow to the bottom of either a 2500- or 5000-foot passage. By facing a direction, Mr. Driller will drill through the block next to him, causing all like-colored blocks touching it to crumble as well. Three obstacles - gravity, Mr. Driller's air supply, and the insidious X blocks - make this harder than it sounds.

Providing the requisite falling to classify Mr. Driller as a puzzler, gravity causes unsupported blocks to fall, potentially crushing our pink-clad hero. Falling blocks will glom on to any like-colored blocks they pass, however, requiring you to drill strategically. Likewise, gravity will cause any group of four or more like-colored blocks to disappear, whether all four fall or one passes three stationary blocks. Mr. Driller has a limited supply of air, which can be replenished by collecting capsules. Fortunately, these are conveniently peppered throughout the flow of colored blocks. However, getting to these capsules can be difficult, largely due to the third and final obstacle - the X blocks. Mr. Driller can drill through the rusty metal blocks, but doing so mysteriously drains 20 percent of Mr. Driller's air supply. However, X blocks share all the other characteristics of normal blocks and thus can be dealt with accordingly. This becomes especially necessary in the deeper layers of Mr. Driller's descent, as X blocks tend to gravitate toward air capsules.