Retro Review: Drill Dozer (VC)

Don't stop till you drill enough!

 From Game Freak-- famed developer of the Pokemon series-- came Drill Dozer, a quirky 2D platformer released late in the GameBoy Advance's life cycle in 2006. While they're famous for their work on Pokemon, Game Freak can branch out and make some quirky games occasionally. An adventure starring a gang of thieves out to retake their prized gem using a robot with a giant drill, I've been excited to play Drill Dozer after hearing lots of praise for it. Does it manage to drill in a good impression best after all these years? It sure does!

 We follow Jill, a young girl part of the Red Dozers gang of thieves, who happen to posses a robot with a giant drill called the "Drill Dozer". When the gang's prized Red Diamond is stolen by a rival thief gang called the Skullkers, it's up to Jill and her crew to get it back! The gang will hop from one place to another, meeting some wacky characters and nabbing treasures along the way. The story mah not be the deepest out there, but it made for a fun adventure. I liked the cast as they were a charming bunch as their interactions and personalities were entertaining to watch. 

 Drill Dozer is a 2D platformer with you controlling Jill and the Drill Dozer as you jump around platforms and drill through enemies to progress in levels. You hold the shoulder buttons to activate the drill, allowing you to wreck havok. The controls were snappy and while alternating between the shoulder buttons was tricky at first, I found them to be solid. As you advance in levels, you'll come across red gears, which upgrade the Dozer's drill power. You shift up to increase the damage and effectiveness of the drill, allowing you to drill through tougher enemies and doors. Solving puzzles will also have you utilize the drill to create passageways, destroy obstacles, and unlock hidden walls that house some goodies.

The gameplay was fun and a solid challenge
when it came to boss fights.

 Levels were fun and they're packed in variety. You'll explore a heavily guarded art gallery, haunted and booby-trapped ruins, and a city with high skyscrapers to name a few which were fun to explore. That said, the water levels were the ones I didn't like since they were slow, floaty, and boring. Enemy variety is plentiful with lots of enemies that'll make use the of drill and keep you on our feet. Scattered are green chips to collect, which you can use to increase the dozer's health tanks, buy more powerful drills, and unlock bonus levels that to practice in. The main downside I had was the lack of a map feature to view progress and treasures in levels. It took around 8 hours to beat the game and replay value is high with you tackling several bonus levels to play and finding treasures that you've missed. 

 For a late GBA game, Drill Dozer is filled with personality. The character sprites pop-out with color while the backgrounds are good-looking, both making the game's world feel a lot more charming. It made heavy use of the rumble feature for the GBA where it would vibrate when you drill and it's also applicable in the Wii U Virtual Console release. Oddly enough, only Drill Dozer and WarioWare: Twisted! ever made use of this feature. Personally, it was fun for a few hours but I turned it off since it was noisy and drained the battery quickly. The cheery, upbeat soundtrack was pleasant to hear throughout the ride and tracks such as the main theme, boss theme, and track that plays when you've gathered all gears were my favorites. 

The presentation is bright and energetic,
fitting of the game's upbeat nature.

 Drill Dozer was a blast and I seriously enjoyed my time with it. The cast were charming, the gameplay was unique and fun, the boss fights were challenging, and the presentation was among the best to come out of the GBA. It's not often that a memorable and competent platformer comes around, which is why Game Freak outdid itself with Drill Dozer as it stands as a classic in their catalogue. Genre fans should definietly give the game a look.