The titles from the Mr. Driller series Bandai Namco they haven't peeped out of Japan that often, so much so that with Mr. Driller DrillLand, game initially released for GameCube of 2002, there is talk of a port for Nintendo Switch which remained an exclusive on the Japanese market until a few months ago. After 18 years from its debut, the title has finally arrived in Europe - and also in America, of course - last June 25th, showing itself to the western public for what it is: a fun and colorful puzzle game which thanks to the HD remake shows absolutely no signs of age.
Welcome to the DrillLand amusement park
Announced on Switch in the latest Nintendo Direct Mini, Mr. Driller DrillLand is a spin-off of the arcade classic Dig Dug, a title in which we are called to impersonate a cartoon character who has to make his way through a tunnel full of colored blocks. The goal of course is to reach the bottom without being crushed by the same blocks which, once those around are eliminated, risk falling on us. At the base of the game is the concept of an underground amusement park, DrillLand precisely, which we will have to visit, explode and "drill" together not only with Susumu Hori (the classic hero of the series) but also to his friends, or the cute little dog Puchi, the irrepressible Anna Hottenmeyer, the expert Taizo Hori (the protagonist's father), the mysterious Ataru Hori (Susumu's brother) and the robot Hollinger Z.
Once we have chosen our character (also called "driller") we could therefore choose between five different "attractions" of the park: World Tour e Star Driller, which basically offer the more traditional mode, but with some added mechanics, such as power-ups and special blocks; Horror Night House, with a horror theme that calls us to take on the role of ghost hunters; Drindy Adventure, which is inspired by the world of Indiana Jones, where we will have to explore the bowels of the earth in search of golden relics; and finally The Hole of Druaga, based on the arcade title of Tower of Druaga by Namco. In particular, in this last attraction we will be called to fight enemies, to collect objects and to travel through a labyrinthine prison. The goal is to find a key that will allow us to reach the final boss, which we will have to defeat by carefully exploiting the blocks that surround us.
These are all different levels, both in terms of theme and strategic approach. Although they have identical core mechanics, in fact, each attraction leads to the player a variety of original gameplay, and can be played in free order, at the user's choice and discretion; so much so that if some level should seem too complex, difficult or difficult - because yes, the game is not as simple as it appears - we can simply switch to a different attraction, and have fun and train with that.
A world to discover and to "drill"
Mr. Driller DrillLand is a puzzle game that looks easy, but it really isn't. The title obviously allows the more casual players to have fun, thanks to a game design made of colored blocks, cute and funny characters, a relatively intuitive game system and a less demanding mode (called “Easy”). However, it should be kept in mind that the game rewards a lot those who work hard to reach the objectives, and in the most frenetic mode (called "Classic") the title certainly offers the best of itself, revealing itself a lot more complex and often even punitive.
Moreover, unlike the more classic puzzle games, for which before moving another block we must wait for the effect of our move, in the world of Mr. Driller there are no "turns", and it will therefore be fundamental drill and escape - continuing to dig - if you do not want to end up buried by the mass of blocks left precariously above our heads. Not to mention that, to make everything even more dynamic and excited, the contact between four or more cubes of the same color it will cause the sudden disappearance of the blocks, and therefore the risk of ending up buried by the "rubble" above will also increase.
In addition to these features, then, it should be kept in mind that in the Bandai Namco series the character is able to blow up at the top from a single block and must pay close attention especially to oxygen, which can be restored thanks to "air pills”Interspersed with the classic blocks. Alongside the single player campaign, the title also offers a local multiplayer mode. With a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 4 players, Mr. Driller DrillLand can indeed be played in Race mode and in Battle Mode. The first, designed for the split screen, allows each challenger to play in his own "tunnel", of which he must reach the bottom as soon as possible: in fact, the victory will be for the player who will touch the 500 meters deep first. In the second, however, the drillers will face each other (alternatively also 2vs2 teams in the case of the presence of four players) in the same arena, with the aim of getting their hands on as many medals as possible and thus winning the victory.
