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Meet Jill. She's just your ordinary little girl who happens to know how to pilot a drilling mech. Her dad's the boss of the Red Dozers, a friendly gang of thieves (Wait a minute...'friendly gang of thieves?!?'). When the evil Skullker gang ambushes her father and steals her precious red diamond, Jill hops in her Drill Dozer mech and sets off to drill some sense into that nasty bunch of Skullkers!
Looking like a long lost classic 2D Treasure game, Drill Dozer is actually made by the same people who developed Pokémon. Take control of Jill and her drilling mech and spin your way through rocks, walls, and the occasional giant robot. Use the d-pad and the A and B buttons to move, look around and jump. Use the L and R buttons to spin your drill clockwise or counterclockwise. Most of the time it doesn't matter how you spin your drill to attack enemies and bash walls, but sometimes you have to spin the drill the other way to sneak through ribbed air ducts, unscrew bolts, and rotate the dials of a safe to crack a combination. These instances are color coded so you know which way to spin your drill. Sometimes you attach a propeller to your drill to fly in the air or venture underwater.  Hidden in the stages are gears that let you shift up your drill for more power. Collect all three gears and you can spin your drill limitlessly with full power. At the end of the stage though, your gears will wear out and you have to snag two more gears in the next level. Find hidden treasures and cash in the areas and buy energy tanks, tougher drill bits, and maps to super challenging secret levels. The game has an included rumble pack so you can feel your drill digging and rumbling away. The background graphics aren't very impressive, and sometimes the drill meter overlay that tells you when to shift gears gets a little distracting. But the characters and sprites have charming animations and you fight creative bosses that take up half the screen. Sound effects are great, and once you get that third gear going, it sounds like somebody is building a house next to a busy dentist office on your GBA. Play control can be a little slow and clunky sometimes as you jump and drill in your mech. It's also a very short game, but there are secret levels and hidden treasures to find after you snag those Skullkers who took your diamond. Fans of classic style 2D platform action will want to take Drill Dozer for a spin. 
Hey dads, ever have to scold your kids for playing with your brand new DeWalt Power Drill? Get them this game because it's the next best thing. Reading skill is helpful, but not required to play. The violence is only the cartoony kind, and you only use your drill to bash through walls and clobber silly robots. Some of the later levels and challenges become pretty difficult, so a younger gamer may need help with those areas. Full of simple yet quirky fun, Drill Dozer is suitable for all ages.
This review edited by Dave Long Comments? Chat about it in our forums! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Browse Amazon.com's selection of "Drill Dozer" themed games Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Drill Dozer |
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