Mr. Driller: Drill Land Review – Walt Drillney World

Mr. Driller: Drill Land is an incredibly charming and consistently fun game that mixes the simple fun of Dig-Dug with numerous different themes and gameplay variations to keep the gameplay from getting stale. A couple of the mini-games are almost identical, but most of the games are fun and different in ways that make Drill Land a pleasant and laid-back arcade digger.

Mr. Driller: Drill Land
Developer:‌ ‌Bandai Namco
Price:‌ ‌$30
Platforms:‌ Nintendo Switch and PC (Reviewed)
MonsterVine‌ ‌was‌ ‌provided‌ ‌with‌ ‌a‌ PC ‌code‌ ‌for‌ ‌review‌ 

It’s been 18 years since the original release of Mr. Driller: Drill Land, which actually came out on the Gamecube back in 2002 in Japan. While we never got the game here, “better late than never” certainly applies to Drill Land in this scenario. It may have taken a while, but now Mr. Driller: Drill Land is available for everyone, and it’s a great way to relax while stuck in the house this summer.

The story is suitably whimsical and basic. The digger Susumu and his friends go to “Drill-Land,” a theme park that features a variety of digging-themed attractions. The themes are wonderfully cheesy, like the Haunted House stage and the Tower of Druaga parody level. Each stage is preceded with charming cutscenes that show off each character’s personality in a fun and silly way. A couple of the levels are quite similar, with a goal of reaching a certain depth while sometimes collecting a few items. The different hazards and characters do help make these levels more enjoyable, but I wish they were all drastically different like the Haunted House and Druaga stages.

“Everything is round and clean, while the characters all look different and suited to their personalities while adhering to the game’s pleasant style.“

The basics of Drill Land are easy to pick-up. You’re dropped onto a stage, and you can dig and jump to try to complete set objectives. You can break bricks around you with your drill and by matching them with more bricks of their color. You also have to avoid being crushed by bricks above you, or running out of air, as you’ll lose lives and possibly have to start the level over. Each stage is a different level of difficulty, though dying always feels fair and never sets you back too far due to the short length of levels.

Susumu and his friends are all playable in different stages, and they each have their own styles of play. Horinger Z and Puchi are able to survive cave-ins and jump twice as high respectively, making them great for new players, while the other characters abilities make them more suited to more experienced players. (Interestingly enough, one of the other characters you can play as is Hori Taizou– the original Dig-Dug protagonist and Susumu’s father.) Most of the stages have a set character for them that best suits their stage, but some let you pick a character instead.

Your character can purchase souvenirs and trading cards using currency gained from playing levels, which can be viewed on the menu. Since you still get points after losing, purchasing collectibles adds a sense of progression to the game, which I certainly appreciate. The collectibles also serve as a nice way to look at concept art and models while staying in the “Amusement Park” theme.

The presentation of Drill Land is incredibly cute, both in its visuals and its audio. Everything is round and clean, while the characters all look different and suited to their personalities while adhering to the game’s pleasant style. The music is upbeat and bubbly, and gets you in the mood to dig on whatever stage you play.

The Final Word
Mr. Digger: Drill Land is a very charming and fun digging-based arcade game that offers a variety of unique stages with their own gimmicks and rules. Though a couple of the stages are fairly similar, most are quite varied, and the collectibles make you feel as though you’re progressing in some way even when you lost. It’s an easy game to pick up, so I recommend Mr. Digger: Drill Land to anyone who is on the fence.

MonsterVine Review Score: 4 out of 5 – Good