Drill Dozer

"Pretty In Pink?!"

PRETTY IN PINK?!
Don't write off the GBA yet! Amazingly one of its most fun & unique platformers has come out now (Feb. 2006), is better than a lot of games coming out for the DS, and even more amazingly, GameFreak took enough time off from its Pokemon franchise to work on something not related to Pokemon. Do not let this little gem slip past your radar! So blow the dust off your GBA, dig your GBA SP out of your sock drawer, or whip your Micro out of your pocket, it's time to get drillin!

GRAPHICS - 10
In a time when new consoles are boasting the hottest 3D graphics, I think sometimes game designers forget just how important it is that a game be, first and foremost, FUN. And most times simplicity fosters the most fun of all. Reminiscent of old school platformers with its 2D graphics, Drill Dozer is, nonetheless, chock-full of eye candy from beginning to end, superdeformed anime-style. You are a little girl in pink with some really weird hair, commanding a wonderfully destructive drill. She's "cute," but don't underestimate her ability. Ruining stuff is her specialty. For 2D, the graphics are awesome: clean, bright and sharp, even looks good on the Gameboy Player. There's always a lot going on, but not confusingly so. The character designs are rather strange, but certainly not lacking in creativity. In fact the style is one of the most unique seen on the GBA in a long time...reminded me of old Turbo Graphix 16 character/ship designs.

MUSIC/SOUND FX - 8
Unique & adequate, and the sound effects were appropriate. Nothing was lacking. I always find it difficult to say much about the music & sounds for GBA games, and unless the game offers something truly mindboggling, the music isn't even really all that important to me. Nothing was muddy or distorted; they were crisp & clean, and the music is a little repetitive, but again, with a gameboy, what do you want.

GIMMICK - 9
It comes with a rumble feature. ^__^ Great gimmick, the cart vibrates when you drill. The cartridge itself is slightly longer than standard GBA carts, and sticks out of the slot about a half an inch more, but the rumble does not require putting a battery into the cartridge or anything, like, for example, Pokemon Pinball, which required a AAA battery that would not last very long. Amazingly, the rumble works quite well, and I'm tempted to open the cart up just to see how they smushed a spinner into a flat little cartridge. Of course since the GB Micro is so small, the rumble feature seems to work the best on it, but you can feel it even on the Nintendo DS. Nifty!

STORY - 7
The story, like the character design, is equally bizarre; you're the daughter of a gang leader, and your gang gets its red diamond stolen by a rival gang, The Skullkers. You set out to get it back, all the while chased by the police. The cutscenes are meant to provide a little humor in between the 6 basic levels, but they did seem a tad lengthy to me. The premise isn't bad, just too much chatter. I'm not a big fan of cutscenes anyhow, and usually end up just scrolling quickly through the text & talking heads, eager to get back to the action. I won't bore you with the details of the storyline, since you'll be A-buttoning your way through them on your own when you play the game. The story, too, is irrelevant to the fact that all you really need to know is that you're a little girl in a badass machine, and destruction is your middle name.

GAMEPLAY - 10
Yes it's a platformer, but it's more than just that. It has puzzles & involves some puzzle-solving, it is part adventure/exploration almost in an RPG sense, and it's part action (a lot of action) that will have your hand cramping in carpal tunnel agony. I actually found that it was more comfortable to play with my GB Micro than the old GBA or GB SP, since you make a LOT of use of the shoulder buttons. The levels may start off easy enough but you will soon find yourself hopping frantically through the later levels. There are 6 levels, but the levels are not short and involve more than just going from beginning to end. More importantly, the pacing is perfect, and the difficulty rises evenly as you play. There are no leaps from easy to hard, nor do the harder levels fall back into giving you a break. The bosses are many, and come at you rapid-fire, reminding me a little of Gunstar Heroes' frantic pace. You must constantly be on your toes, enticing you addictively to get to just get to one more level. The characters may look cutesy but the difficulty level is not aimed at the very young. I think perhaps the game would appeal to us older folks who grew up on NES Megaman, Mario, and Ghoul N Ghosts, than younger kids, because the difficulty level high. It tickles your frustration, and yet it's not so hard that you won't keep going back to it again & again.

REPLAY - 9
Great potential for replay, since there are unlockables aplenty, and you are given bonus levels upon completion of the game and certain other conditions, working up and customizing your dozer (I love any game that features customization). You are enticed to go back after you have finished, also, to retrieve bonus items. I don't think the urge to replay the game over and over is there right after you finish it, but it's certainly a game to keep in your collection and play again a few weeks down the line. It is fun to play again just for the destruction factor; boring through stuff with your drill is fun on any level. Sadly, there's no multiplayer option, and this game had so much potential for it. Dozer vs. dozer & a few playfields could have almost achieved a sort of Bomberman competitiveness, but alas, Drill Dozer is a solo adventure only.

OVERALL - 9
For all you GBA, GBA SP, GB Micro or NDS owners out there, Drill Dozer is a must-own. Oldster gamers like myself will appreciate many elements that harken back to the good ol days of gaming, when getting to the end of a game was a REAL challenge, and neo gamers should appreciate the game just because it's fun, unique, and deserves attention. And anyone in general who simply enjoys a good dose of destruction will have fun with the game, young or old. The graphics rock, the cart rumbles, and it's filled with tasty replay goodness. Nowadays when it seems like everything has been done, and nothing is new or original, along comes a little game for a handheld on-the-outs that boasts not only uniqueness, but a refreshing take on platform games, surprising even an old fossil like me who's "seen everything." XD Seek out this game and let the destruction begin!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/01/06