It's very refreshing to see that GameFreak can make a game that isn't Pokemon. While I love Pokemon, Drill Dozer seems to be like a bastard child to a very honorable family. What I mean by this is, I would have loved Drill Dozer to be a multi-billion dollar franchise but it's just not going to happen.
I recently won Drill Dozer on Ebay for $2.24. For that price, one might expect it to either be trash or a hidden gem. I've only been playing this game for 3 hours and I have to say it seems to be the GBA game I can't believe I missed out on. Expect the following statements to be generally positive.
Drill Dozer is a 2D platformer with an interesting twist. Rather than your main form of action via jumping, spinning or inhaling, you're given a walker called a Drill Dozer that allows to attack enemies, drill through walls and unscrew larger machines with a drill. As you progress through an area, you collect chips to upgrade your Drill Dozer. You will also find gears that will make your drill faster and more powerful for faster progression and making waste to obstacles.
The characters are eccentric and at times very humorous. The rumble pack that the cartidge has makes for a more immersive experience. The graphics are colorful and the artstyle is full of personality. Foremost, the levels are clever but often easy to finish. Luckily, there's a treasure system that make have to playing levels over to collect them. It's not required to complete the game but it's a nice perk for perfectionists.
Overall, Drill Dozer is a fun game and very accessible. I'm heavily impressed with Gamefreak for this. I hope that the rest of the game doesn't get stale because I want to this addition to my library to be well-deserved. Who knows, but so far I'm more inclined to welcome a Drill Dozer DS.
Pixel Art can be fun.
