Mr. Driller Drill Spirits

"I never thought that drilling through blocks could be so fun."

I first played a Mr. Driller game in sports plus for a quarter a game. I spent 5 dollars playing it. That's how addicting it was. Then I got a DS, and what-do-you-know! A Mr. Driller game comes out for it. Of course I had to get it.

My friend had gotten it before me, so I went with him when I was going to get it, and right when I opened it up, multiplayer.

Multiplayer 9/10

One of this game's strong points is multiplayer. Although you need two cartridges to play it(the downside), it can get very intense when playing against a friend.

It's quite the same as Mission Driller (I will get into later), only you see a ghost of your opponent on the other screen. You can get power-ups, or you can get items to use against your opponent. Very fun indeed.

Gameplay 10/10

For some reason, drilling through multi-colored blocks is insanely addictive. I never though I would be doing this for hours at a time.

It's really simple. It only uses the D-pad and one other button. You drill down through blocks, while same colored blocks stick to each other, and many blocks will fall around you as you drill deeper.

A hard part about this is that you have to get air on your way down. You slowly use air, so you must get capsules to replenish it or else you suffocate.

There are 3 different modes, each different and similar to each other. Of course they all have to do with drilling down, but things soon get complicated.

Mission Driller: This is probably the most mainly focused part of the game. You just have to make it down as far as possible, trying to reach the goal. As you make it farther, you lose more air faster.

It goes in increments of 100 blocks. When you make it down 100 blocks, you go to the next part of the level. All the blocks above you disappear, and a new set is placed below you. Just make it to the end and you win.

Pressure Driller: When you first start this mode, you might notice a giant robot chasing you. You have to make get fireballs and shoot it at him. A lot of pressure is placed on you (hence the name, Pressure Driller) to not get killed by the robot, and destroy him. The level never ends as long as you don't die or destroy the robot.

Time Attack: There are many preset levels that you have to beat a certain time to progress to the next level. Many of these levels are well thought out and very creative. It's probably the most fun mode besides multiplayer.

If I might add, the game gets VERY HARD later on.

So the gameplay is very ranged, yet simple, but the repetition would be it's downfall.

Replay Value 6/10

So you beat all of the levels in every mode, now what? You can always play it again, but how long will that last? Not too long. Once you get everything, there's not much to do, and you might find yourself not playing this game at all, even multiplayer could get boring if you've beaten the game so many times.

Graphics 8/10

It's very colorful. Red, yellow, green, and blue. That's pretty much it. Oh yeah, brown. It's very simple, but it fits the game well. The graphics look just like other Mr. Driller games, and I don't think they care enough to update them.

Sound 4/10

Another downfall of the game. First of all, I was glad at first that they have voices so I don't have to read the words, but I'd rather read the words than listen to the horrible voice acting. It sounds like little kids who are always happy talking like they're on TV.

As for the game sounds, the music isn't very catchy, and the drilling of the blocks can only be endured for however much patience you have. All you hear is *dla dla dla dla* over and over again every time you drill.

Overall, it's not too bad of a game if you turn the volume down and won't mind the repetition. It's definitely a good game to get, especially if someone else has it. It's a good challenge, but if you lose right near the end of a 10 minute level, I don't think you'll want to try that level again.

I give it an 8/10. The gameplay and multiplayer weigh down everything else.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/16/05