Mr. Driller 2

Mr. Driller 2[lower-alpha 1] is the second game in the Mr. Driller series developed by Namco. It was released for the arcades in 2000, and was ported to the Game Boy Advance and Windows in 2001, and is available in emulated form via the Virtual Console on the Wii U. The game introduces two new characters to the series, Puchi (Susumu's dog), and Anna (Susumu's rival).

Mr. Driller 2
Promotional sales flyer
Developer(s)Namco
Publisher(s)Namco
Director(s)Yasuhito Nagaoka
Producer(s)Hideo Yoshizawa
Composer(s)Go Shiina
SeriesMr. Driller
Platform(s)Arcade, Game Boy Advance, Windows
Release
  • JP: July 2000
  • NA: September 2000
Genre(s)Puzzle game
Mode(s)Single player, Multiplayer
Arcade systemNamco System 10

Gameplay
Screenshot taken from the Windows version. To the left is the player destroying formations of blocks, to the right is the player's air meter and score.

Mr. Driller 2 is a puzzle video game, and the direct sequel to Mr. Driller. The playing area consists of a large stack of colored blocks, as the Drillers (Susumu or Anna) the player must dig through these blocks to reach the end goal located at a certain depth, except in Endless Driller where there is an infinite number of blocks. The player is given a limited number of lives and a limited supply of air to reach the goal. Throughout the playing area, the player can find air capsules to replenish 20% of their air supply. If the driller is either crushed by blocks or runs out of air, the player will lose a life.

When drilling into a Standard Block (Blocks of different shades of yellow, blue, red, or green), it will dissolve. Falling blocks will join with the first block it meets of the same color while it is falling. A block segment made up of 4 or more blocks will dissolve if it is created by a falling block joining onto the segment. There are also Crystal Blocks which eventually dissolve after flashing for a brief amount of time. Every 500 ft. there is a large green block that once drilled will clear all blocks above it. Brown X-Blocks require 5 drills to dissolve and consume 20% of the player's Air Supply in Mission and Endless Driller, while they add 5 seconds to the player's timer in Time Attack Driller. Exclusive to Time Attack Driller are the Silver X-Blocks which cannot be dissolved.

Single Player Modes
  • Mission Driller
    • Mission Driller, is the story mode of the game. The player selects one of three stages of varying difficulty to start. Each stage requires the player to reach the goal by drilling to a certain depth. The player is shown a story-related cutscene upon completing a stage. The cutscene changes based on the character the player uses. Upon completing the starting three stages, a fourth extra stage is unlocked.
  • Endless Driller
    • In Endless Driller, the player chooses between three difficulty levels which determine the number of lives the player gets. Unlike Time Attack Driller and Mission Driller, Endless Driller does not have an end goal. Due to the lack of an end goal, the player keeps drilling until they are out of lives.
  • Time Attack Driller
    • In Time Attack Driller, the player must reach the goal of a certain depth within a certain time. Unlike Mission Driller and Endless Driller, the player is given an unlimited supply as there are no air capsules to be found. Small clocks replace air capsules in this mode; when collected the timer is reduced by the amount of time specified on the clock.

Two-Player Mode

The two-player mode is a versus mode between the two players to see who can drill the furthest. In the Game Boy Advance version of the game, the players must use a Link Cable to connect their systems, and both players require a copy of the game. In the Virtual Console release of the game, the two-player mode is unplayable due to the inability to connect with another system.

Development and release

Mr. Driller 2 was released by Namco for arcades in Japan in July 2000,[1] and in North America in September.[1] A home port for the Game Boy Advance was released in Japan as a system launch title on March 21, 2001[2] — the North American release was delayed to April 12, 2005.[3] A Windows version of the game was developed by NEC Interchannel and released on March 29, 2002, allowing support for multiplayer via LAN.[4] The Game Boy Advance port was digitally re-released for the Wii U Virtual Console in North America on July 17, 2014, and in PAL regions on May 15, 2015.[3]

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Mr. Driller 2 on their September 15, 2000 issue as being the third most-successful arcade game of the year.[11]

The Game Boy Advance home port was met with a more divided response, holding a 62/100 score on review aggregator website Metacritic.[5] IGN found the game to have very few additions compared to the original game, specifically with its gameplay for being nothing more than "repetitive buttonmashing" with small amounts of strategy involved.[9] GameSpy felt that the game was much more barebones than other games in the series, unfavorably comparing to Mr. Driller Drill Spirits on the Nintendo DS, stating that the game was a pointless purchase compared to the latter.[8] GameSpy also criticized Namco for releasing the game four years afters its debut in Japan, saying that they instead should have put resources into localizing the Japanese-exclusive Mr. Driller Drill Land for the GameCube.[8] GameSpot was lukewarm towards the graphics and small amount of gamemodes,[7] while 1UP.com labeled it an "incredibly dated" addition to the console's library for its general lack of content.[6] 1UP.com also agreed with GameSpy on the game being dated compared to other games in the series, saying that it would have been much more of a worthwhile purchase had it been released four years prior.[6]

In a more positive review, Japanese publication Famitsu, who awarded it the Silver Hall of Fame award,[10] found it to be an addictive puzzle game and a large improvement over its predecessor. They also praised the multiplayer aspect and colorful graphics. GameSpot praised it for the core gameplay still being challenging and addictive, alongside its budget-friendly price point and humorous character animations.[7] They stated that the game was worth owning simply for its gameplay alone.[7] IGN liked the game's high-score saving, save point system and unlockables,[9] while GameSpy liked its strategic and addictive gameplay, alongside the multiplayer mode for being a "fun little diversion".[8] German publication 64 Power liked the game's interesting premise and colorful visuals, although stated it was inferior to titles such as Chu Chu Rocket! and Kuru Kuru Kururin.[12]

Notes
  1. Japanese: ミスタードリラー2, Hepburn: Misuta Dorira Tsu

References
  1. Akagi, Masumi (13 October 2006). ナムコ Namco; Namco America; M. アーケードTVゲームリスト 国内•海外編 (1971-2005) (in Japanese) (1st ed.). Amusement News Agency. p. 54, 127, 159. ISBN 978-4990251215.
  2. Harris, Craig (13 February 2001). "Mr. Driller 2". IGN. Archived from the original on 28 October 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  3. McMahon, Conor (4 June 2014). "Mr. Driller 2 Review (Wii U eShop / GBA)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  4. Nakamura, Seiji (7 March 2002). "LAN接続によるネットワーク対戦が最大の魅力 NECI、「ミスタードリラー2」を3月29日に発売". GAME Watch. Impress Group. Archived from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  5. "Mr. Driller 2 for Game Boy Advance Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 24 January 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  6. Parish, Jeremy (15 April 2005). "Mr. Driller 2 Review". 1UP.com. IGN. Archived from the original on 5 January 2010. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  7. Provo, Frank (29 April 2005). "Mr. Driller 2 Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 26 July 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  8. Theobald, Phil (21 April 2005). "GameSpy: Mr. Driller 2 Review". GameSpy. IGN. Archived from the original on 28 August 2008. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  9. Harris, Craig (12 April 2005). "Mr. Driller 2". IGN. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  10. Harris, Craig (16 March 2001). "Famitsu Rates Four GBA Games". IGN. Archived from the original on 1 April 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  11. "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - TVゲーム機ーソフトウェア (Video Game Software)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 618. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 September 2000. p. 17.
  12. "Mr. Driller 2" (in Spanish) (43). Magazine 64. 2001. p. 20. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
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