Drill Dozer

Drill Dozer
Action - Gameboy Advance
Backup memory - 3 save slots
1 Player

Also known as Screw Breaker in Japan, this is Game Freak's return to form. It's the first non-Pokemon game they've made in the past 6 years! And if this is what they can do when they're not tied up, I'm all for it killing Pokemon entirely.

Drill Dozer is completely awesome in every way. I knew it looked interesting the moment I saw it, but that didn't prepare me for the incredible ride that was ahead. Screw Breaker is very simple. You can jump. And you can drill. But what's completely unexpected is the many different ways you can use your drill so that every new stage is fresh with challenges.

The unique thing about the drill is that the strength is variable. You start every stage with the weakest setting - first gear. Along the way you'll find upgrades to acquire 2nd & 3rd gear. Whenever you drill, a meter will go up and then down. When the meter drops to zero, your drilling stops. But if you have upgrades, you can shift up to the next gear which elongates your drilling time and makes it more powerful. You have to manually shift gears much like you would in a car: Wait til the meter goes near the max ("redline") and then shift. It's a very cool system and makes drilling that much more engaging.

Another neat property of the drill is that the L trigger drills counterclockwise and R, clockwise. For most of the game, it doesn't matter which way you drill. But there are some obstacles that require specific drill-rotation. So you'll have to do some quick thinking at times to distinguish when to use what.

Bosses are designed so that you need to figure out patterns. You'll get hints as to how to defeat many of the earlier ones, but at the later stages, you'll have to figure out weakpoints yourself. The fights are very clever, very reminiscent of Treasure's better efforts.

All of this adds up to a game that's a joy to play. There's plenty of challenges to be had in the course of Drill Dozer. For those gamers who might find the obstacles a little difficult, you can always continue at the last screen with full-heal for a small price. So it's very accessible for gamers of all skill levels. For expert gamers, I'm happy to say that once you finish the game, new areas open up with tricky spots that require skillful mastery of the controls to access. The normal game isn't really "easy" either, especially if you don't use the continue feature.

The amazing thing about Drill Dozer is that it's so simple... yet GameFreak manages to make every stage seem fresh and totally different from the last. You would think that a game that only involves jumping and drilling would get old fast. But just when you think you've seen it all, Drill Dozer introduces a new way of using your drill that you'll have to adapt to. The game is very well designed.

Without a doubt, Drill Dozer is the best game on the GBA. It's simplicity and brilliance all in one. The joy of gaming is back!