Amazon.com Customer Reviews
Namco sends over a neutered driller - Review written on February 13, 2005
Rating: 3 out of 5
8 customers found this review helpful, 1 did not.
Fans of Mr. Driller in North America should be used to getting shafted by now. Drill Spirits is the first driller game to come this way since the Dreamcast and Gameboy Color games, and a good one it is too. Pressure mode gives you an actual boss to fight, and Mission Driller is classic Mr. Driller.
But for some reason, we are getting only about 60% of the game (though we pay 100% of the price) The concurrent Japanese version contains an additional mode, called Doristone Mode that gives a totally new angle to the gameplay, it is slower moving and more puzzle like, very unique and fun to play. Mission Driller adds a 2000M Moon level with modified graphics and special power ups. The game supports single card multiplayer (in America every player needs a card), and there are apparently more unlocable characters in the game (though I've yet to find them).
Anyway, all that stuff is absent from the American version; the import would run around $40-$50 dollars; so if you can't afford that, and don't mind getting the ripoff version of the game, this cart is the way to go.
The game itself is excellent, fast paced and fun. It's just too bad it's not all here. And the reason for the short shrift we're getting is just inscrutable. So um, bite me Namco.
An adorably evil little game. - Review written on January 19, 2005
Rating: 4 out of 5
1 customer found this review helpful, 1 did not.
I'd never played a Mr. Driller game until now, but I'm glad I picked this one up. It's a fun, cute, and challenging puzzle game which I enjoyed.
The voiceovers and between-level cut-scenes were a little too cute and Disney-esque, but good for a brief laugh. Play control was flawless; I died only due to my own lack of foresight as opposed to difficulty controlling the character.
The game is a quick play-through, but the extra modes and motivation of seeing how the cut-scenes vary from character to character add replay value, and five-against-one multiplayer is a fantastic experience. Small children will be lured in (and older kids will be turned off) by the cute graphics and bright colors, but within is a deep, engrossing, and suberbly challenging puzzle game. One of the best DS games so far. Sequel, please!
More fun than the original Dreamcast version - Review written on December 31, 2004
Rating: 4 out of 5
5 customers found this review helpful.
It seems that this game isn't getting much attention on Nintendo's newest handheld, and that is truly a shame as it is one of the most fun and addicting games to come out in quite some time.
The premise of Mr. Driller Drill Spirits is simple. You must dig down through layers of colored blocks, similar in style to the classic Namco game Dig Dug. However, when you drill through blocks, the blocks on top can fall downward. Any groups of 4 or more of the same color block will disappear. Drill a certain distance and you've cleared the level. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, you also have to deal with replenishing your air by grabbing air capsules along the way or you will run out of breath and lose a life. There are also "X" blocks, which require 5 hits of your drill to destroy, and you lose 20% of your air by doing so! There are 2 modes of play for this game- Driller Mode (the standard game) and Pressure Driller, which has quickly become my favorite DS game. You are required to drill as usual, however, a giant robotic drill is constantly descending from the top screen. If the drill touches you, you lose. This mode introduces fireballs as well and your goal is to destroy the drill before you reach the bottom of the level... or get crushed! You can also buy items to assist you in your journeys, however any records achieved while using an item will not be saved to the Records list.
Graphically, Mr. Driller looks as good as it did on the ill-fated Sega Dreamcast with bright colors nd a simple graphic scheme that works very well for a puzzle game. The music and sound are rather anoying... but you'll get used to it. Most background music are variations of the Mr. Driller theme. While Mr. Driller doesn't use the touch-screen capabilities, you can still control your character with the stylus... but that method is far too confusing. The D-pad will work just fine!
Overall, Mr. Driller is a very addictive puzzle game that fans of the genre will enjoy immensely. Give it a try- you may be surprised!