What Drill Dozer provides is a refreshing gameplay experience, while also becoming a throwback of sorts to longtime game
Drill Dozer (formerly known as Screw Breaker) stars a young girl named Jill. While she seems like an everyday elementary student on the outside, she is the daughter of the leader of this well-known (and somehow, good) band of thieves known as the “Red Dozers.” When a group of rival thieves called the “Skullkers” steals the group’s Red Diamond and beats up the boss in the process, young Jill decides to take matter into her own hands and attempts get the jewel back. In doing so, she decides to bring along a robot called the Drill Dozer, as well as the gang’s other members, in order to help accomplish her mission.
At its core, Drill Dozer is a side scrolling platformer very similar to many other games out there. While inside her robot, Jill can perform a lot of techniques that are very familiar to gamers, such as Jumping, Ducking, and Dashing. As you would probably expect, these basic maneuvers are quite important for making progress in the game. It also shouldn’t take most people long to get the hang of these controls, which is always good.
So, what separates Drill Dozer from a lot of other side-scrolling games out there? The answer to this question has to be broken down into a few reasons. The first reason, and probably the biggest reason is the drilling gameplay that this game provides. Not only is the process of drilling your way through the game a refreshing one, but it’s a feature that provides quite a bit of depth, even if a good portion of this depth happens to go unnoticed by some people.
Throughout the game, you will use the Drill Dozer’s drilling abilities to plow your way through obstacles and enemies, which is probably no surprise to anyone. What may be a surprise, however, is how well this actually works. With just using the Drill alone, you will be able to deflect and counteract against certain attacks, use its ability to kick back in order reach seemingly unreachable areas or start a new action a bit quicker, cross gaps, under the proper conditions, and do quite a few other things. Knowing how to use these skills is a part of what makes this game such a great platformer, and it really provides a great deal of satisfaction as you play. What adds the icing to the cake is that fact that this game has a built-in rumble feature. This adds that extra “oomph” when you’re drilling through stuff.
Drill Dozer is divided into a few areas, with each area usually providing a couple of levels. The levels that you find in Drill Dozer are not ones where you will be able quickly breeze through. The levels you see here are rather lengthy locations, where you will have to accept and pass every challenge thrown at you. You’re never really going through any portion of the game where there is nothing to be aware of, and you often learn new things or take on new enemies as you progress.
As you move through the levels, you will figure out that different objects and foes will have a different amount of damage it or they can take from your drill before it gives in. Oftentimes, you won’t be able to progress without taking out a certain amount of stuff in your way. Still, this game is not one where you will win on power alone, as the game throws clever puzzles and enemies at you at a very nice pace. About half of these stages will also include a boss battle, and they have also been designed to challenge you, especially if you decide underestimate them. Running low on health is not exactly a rare thing in this game. As a matter of fact, it’s almost the complete opposite of that at times.
With all of this said, Jill and her Dozer will also have a nice amount of help. As you make your way through a level, you will have to collect gears to power up your Dozer. In each stage, you will usually see two additional gears to go along with the one you will have from the start, and each gear will make your drill more powerful. When you have these gears in your possession, you will have to “Shift up” from one gear to the next. Oftentimes, this will be important for taking down certain gates, but it also increases attack power. Also, you will gain new abilities for you Dozer that will allow you to move underwater or in the air in certain levels, and the gear system works just as well here.
In the game, you will also be collecting chips, which are given to you by breaking certain boxes or objects or beating enemies every now and then. This acts as your currency in the game, which will allow you to buy upgrades for your Dozer. The most important upgrade you’ll buy as you make your way through the main game will likely be Energy Tanks, which gives you additional health in the same sense as you would have it in a Metroid game. There will also be a few other things that you will be able to buy, but more on that as this review moves on.
Drill Dozer’s presentation is pretty solid overall. The game never overwhelms you with a lot complicated terms and suggestions, even though there is quite a bit to learn. The game provides a help menu that allows you to keep up with anything you may have forgotten. On top of that, you’re usually given a good hint from your buddies as you make your way through certain spots. This helps your progress, but at the same time, does not make the game too easy.
Visually, Drill Dozer looks pretty nice for its kind of game, too. The sprites that you’ll see are colorful and well animated. The game never gets dull to look at, even though you’ll be seeing a lot of the same enemies. The game’s backgrounds and stage design are also done very well. This is not only a compliment to the game from a visual standpoint, though. This speaks more about how well the stages are designed from a gameplay standpoint. It’s impressive to see as much stuff as you’ll see in this game, then to figure out that a very good portion of it can be interacted with in some way.
The sound department is also displayed respectfully in Drill Dozer. As you make your way through the game, you’ll discover that quite a few characters will have his or her own grunts and gestures. The game’s sound effects, especially with the drill, have been taken care of for the most part, as well. As far as music is concerned, Drill Dozer’s track does the job here, too. It’s not the most catching music you’ll hear, but it’s a nice package that fits with the game. It may even sound quite similar to fans of the Pokemon games, which may be a plus to some.
The question that some of you may be asking now is, “Does Drill Dozer has any faults, or is this guy just being way too nice?” Actually, the former is the case, but not because this is a bad game. Where Drill Dozer will come up short in is the length (pun intended, but not intended at the same time). Even with these rather lengthy levels, the main game is a short one. Just when the action is really starting to get intense, the game is just about done from a story standpoint. What makes it even more strange is that despite the game getting tougher as it goes along, the final boss battle really throws a curve-ball at you by making it fairly easy. This will probably be a disappointment to a lot of people (personally, though, I found this ending to be hilarious).
Some people may be turned off by the game length, but let it also be known that Drill Dozer tries very hard to make up for it, and it does to an extent. Even when you’re done with the main game (or as you go through it), you will be able to buy bits for your Dozer, which will enable it to break certain blocks that were previously unbreakable. By doing this, it makes some stages almost entirely new. Speaking of new, you will also be able to buy new stages once the game is beaten, and these stages are the kind of stages that can make the hardcore gamer in you smile. One final thing to add to this is that you will also be challenged to collect treasures that will help improve your ranking and show off your platforming skills.
While Gamefreak is most known for its involvement in the Pokemon games, Drill Dozer is an example that the team knows how to make other superb games. What Drill Dozer provides is a refreshing gameplay experience, while also becoming a throwback of sorts to longtime gamers. Those that are willing to give this game a try will very likely not be disappointed. Not only is this arguably the best GBA game of 2006, but it’s also one of the best games you’ll find on the already well-established portable platform.