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Great fun without much thought

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 27 / 28
Date: January 10, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Some games are complex - and some are just fun! Drill Spirits is great puzzle fun in the Tetris theme - but with more of a dig dug sort of problem.

In essence you start at the top of a pile of bricks. You drill your way down them, looking for air, watching the blocks explode if they match up with similar colored blocks. Some levels are easy, with lots of similar blocks to vanish for you. Other levels are far more complicated, with more colors to manage.

Levels can replayed many times, learning their layout so that you get through them as quickly as possible. With the dual screen, you can keep track of what block piles are up above you as you drill your way down.

This is a great game for quick playing as you wait in line - you don't have to think a lot about what you are doing, but it is very capitvating. So many studies have shown that keeping your brain exercised helps it stay healthy that I would highly recommend this game for anyone from age 5 to 105. It's easy to understand how to play - but it can be challenging for anybody. There are many levels of difficulty as well as a 'shop' to buy new items.

Highly recommended for any DS owner!

This is one tough game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 13
Date: January 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Maybe I am just not up on my button mashing, but I am having a heck of a time playing this game! No, I am not letting that detract from my review - it just means I have some more playin' to do.

It is tough game play, though I am sure most kids are not going to have any issues with it. It is a simple "pick it up and play" game - not a lot of reading of the instruction manual is needed. It is one of those simple games that can drive ya crazy.

Very addicting.

Namco sends over a neutered driller

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: February 13, 2005
Author: Amazon User

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.

More fun than the original Dreamcast version

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: December 31, 2004
Author: Amazon User

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!

A unique, addictive puzzle game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: April 09, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I first played Mr. Driller in the arcade. It's a fun puzzle game where you dig through colored blocks as you try to go further and further down. As you dig, the blocks above you become unstable, and can fall and crush you. You also need to periodically pick up air capsules so you don't suffocate. It was a great game, and my friends and I would take turns playing.

The Nintendo DS version is the same basic game. You control your character on the lower screen while the top screen allows you to see further above you. This would have been useful in the older versions, as blocks used to fall seemingly randomly from up above.

The levels are deeper in the DS version. In the arcade and on the PlayStation version, you could only choose between 2500 m and 5000 m, but every time you dig was 10 m, so it is more like a 250 m and 500 m level in the DS version. If you finish a level, you can unlock more characters that have special abilities, like being faster, able to climb higher, or even able to be hit by a block once.

The game seems be a little harder than the older versions. There are new blocks which can shatter without notice and cause avalanches, and there are boulders which will not "stick" tend to fall. For some reason, it seems like the air capsules are a little harder to get and air runs out more quickly in this version of the game.

Unfortunately, I haven't played any of the other versions, so I cannot comment on the differences from those versions. I also haven't been able to play multiplayer mode against my friends yet, since none of them have a Nintendo DS.

Overall, this is a great puzzle game. It's easy to learn, fun to play, and very addictive. I highly recommend it.

Too Hard!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: January 03, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I'm a puzzle master. Been playing puzzle games for 20 plus years. I rule in Tetris and this game is based on that style of fun. Puzzle games are the games I buy since I like the idea of being able to play for a few minutes at a time, if I want.
This game has all the right "connect the same items" puzzle fun that I like but it soon gets way too hard. I tried and tried to beat the deeper puzzles but could not. You have to be so quick with your moves that Billy the Kid would be left in the dust.
After realizing it was unbeatable, I sold the game on ebay.
Get Meteos instead. Skip Polarium also, it's just not that fun.

Driller drills into Nintendo DS

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: March 15, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Mr.Driller is a pain in the [...] to get uesd to, but after about 20 dies you'll get the hang of it. I've inly played this game long enough to unlock one person:Puchi. He's cool. It wasn't that easy tp get him though. The higher meters there are on a level the more faster your air bars runs out, which makes this game really hard. I only really bought it because the game I wanted took to long to get here. I also got it because it's a multiplayer game. I like multiplayer games the best. The only games I have for Nintendo DS are multiplayer games. Metroid, Football, and Mr.Driller are all multiplayer games.

Drill some more?

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: June 16, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Addiction. That's what makes puzzle games good and all. And Mr. Driller drills the addiction up finely. Because it's in the arcade, quarters and quarters will be taken up for this game if you're a puzzle nut like me...and believe me, the action will soon get intense.

Gameplay: 9/10

Mr. Driller is a puzzle game, but that doesn't mean it has shallow gameplay. The object of the game is to obtain as many points as possible by drilling blocks, while still having enough air to go all the way down the "mine". The air is a challenge, and if you drill a block underneath another block, the block may crash down and effectively crush you to death. Therefore, carefulness and caution is key in this puzzler (as it is with almost all puzzlers).

Graphics: 10/10

Hey, it's a puzzler. Which doesn't usually have graphics to its merit, but Mr. Driller serves up excellent graphics. In fact, Mr. Driller's cel-shaded-like graphics are very fluid, and not blocky like a few other arcade games. The action of the blocks and the points appearing are also nice, and I actually think the eyes of Mr. Driller as he dies is actually pretty amusing to see, if not also frustrating for the high-leveled player with one life left. The drills of Mr. Driller are glinting, and everything is very colorful and smooth.

Sound/Music: 8/10

Although most of the time arcade- or puzzle- tunes or sounds don't get stuck in my head (the exception being Tetris), I can clearly hear the sounds of Mr. Driller drilling as I type. The music is wavy and bright, and all the sounds, like the blocks falling, the burst of Mr. Driller's drill, and grabbing items like air capsules are very clear and distinct. Although the sound and music does not entirely shock you and make you gasp for breath, the tunes do their job and they are finely made.

Replay Value: 9/10

Drilling up blocks is actually very enjoyable, and I for one like it a lot. However, I declare that once you get to mid-high levels (such as 20 or so) you probably will decide to stop using up your time and play something else instead. Even so, the replay value is very high and everyone should give it a chance...a big one.

Overall: 9/10

Mr. Driller is a great puzzler - one of the best I've seen. I think some newer puzzlers (such as ZooCube) don't really live up to the "creed of puzzlers" - addictive, yet a tad challenging as well. However, Mr. Driller lives up greatly to this statement of belief, and it will always have a place in the puzzling realm of puzzle games.

An adorably evil little game.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: January 19, 2005
Author: Amazon User

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!

Great puzzler game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: March 09, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Driller is a great time waster game. If may seem annoying at first, but it becomes addictive after a few tries at the game. It's a tough game that takes a little to get used to. But once you get the hang of the game, it could have some good replay value. Great if you love puzzle games. For action, look elsewhere.

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