Drill Dozer is clunky and slow - this is not a negative! It's fun to stomp around in this machine of destruction for that exact reason - the gameplay loop is really addictive, you collect semi-permanent power-ups throughout each level, and then lose them in the next, it's a loop I'd love to see in more games, and the game utilises backtracking very well, with the mystery of an inaccessible area, that you can go back to and demolish before you forget about it. A lot of fun ideas and set pieces are done with the drill too, I really like the jelly blocks and lifts. The graphics and character designs are fun and vibrant - there's a bit of Powerpuff Girls/Teenage Robot vibe to it, even if drawn a lot more smoothly instead of in the sharp UPA style.

Why is it missing a whole star then? Well, it's a 2000s platformer, and with that naturally comes two things: the first is genre swaps, and god damn the flying/underwater stages are the worst in this game. Might be the worst underwater levels ever, and you occasionally get some bizarre mini-game-kinda-not-really thing like opening a safe that just drags it down. The other platforming burden of the time this game is infected by is tutorials. This is a game-length tutorial, even in the final levels they're teaching you what to do instead of just trusting you to figure things out.

First log of the year, yay!

I can't belive nobody told me how cute and full of charisma this game is, I was only promised good platforming, it's a time capsule to the 2000's visually in the best way. Jill is adorable, in her interactions, animations and small vocalizations (the progressive excited tone of the "HIYA" as your drill gears up is so cute and hypes you up a little), how she both contrasts and complements the Drill Dozer is incredible, bot are small and kinda cute, but have an undeniable edge to them, a spark of playfulness that tells you that they should not be taken lightly.

This extends to every character honestly, even that weird little critter that appears in some of the menus. This is from a time Gamefreak figured it out when it came to character design, everybody has it's quirks that make them very nice designs to look at, with details that tell you about their personalities but aren't THAT out there, something that for me has become more difficult for the human characters they've been making in recent years.

I was very surprised by the gameplay, which is what I think deserves more praise and it's the reason for this five stars, because even if the levels aren't that long, when I was in a "good" section I could only think that this game was five stars, the way the drill gives tou movement is amazing, wether it is advancing nonstop with a fully powered drill through walls and enemies, or carefully yet quickly making jumps guided by the way you control the direction of your drill to traverse very creative and dynamic platforming sections.

It's honestly a shame how short this game is, the story and characters stay enough to feel short and sweet, but I wanted to explore them more, I wanted more funny interactions and mayhem with this child boss of a crime organization and her family, I wanted more platforming, I wanted more bosses and enemies, I wanted more of the main villain and the connection Jill's mom has with the diamonds...

Apparenlty Gamefreak has been trying to go for more IP's so as to not only be the Pokemon guys, and with the right team of talents the answer is right here.

I want more Drill Dozer man, I'm gonna 100% it sometime soon...

oh man this game is so cool I love everything about it. It’s kinda like wario land 4, mega man zero, and the Astro boy gba game mixed into one. Super cool and unique mechanic, and the built in rumble is definitely a feature (even if it was more of a marketing gimmick). This is really one of my favorite gba games, and much like WarioWare Twisted, this game really shines when playing it on real hardware. Unfortunately because of that, the cartridge is going for about $120 loose. If you’re willing to spend that kind of money on a loose gba cart for your collection, this is an amazing choice.

You know how people complain about Kid Icarus: Uprising or The World Ends With You inflicting hand pain? Drill Dozer is that game for me. Claw gripping the GBA just sucks, even on the original wide model, and it taints the whole experience to the point where I just can't enjoy it on its home system. Any game where ibuprofen is a required component is a no-go.

"Play it on the GameBoy Player!", I hear you say, and I have! That solves the hand pain but then you're left with the game, which isn't all that great. It's slow, clunky, and constantly sounds like a dental drill. It has great music, but in the climactic moments you'll barely be able to hear it because, you know, drill. The charm of the game is in the visual spectacle and the constant rumble but man, you can do so much better on the GBA. Wario Land 4 is right there.

I gotta play something good soon or I'm gonna lose my marbles.

As much as I wanted to like Drill Dozer, the game has very significant flaws that I cannot overlook. The platforming is extremely bad and the drilling mechanics gets incredibly dull and repetitive a few hours into the game. It got to the point where I felt I wasn’t having a good time and wanted to wrap the title up. The last half of the game has some absurd difficulty spikes, making you wonder how did the devs at Game Freak expect players to react to certain situations when the platforming is so mediocre. That sky area, especially, is the absolute lowest point of this game to the point where I had to question if it’s even worth continuing this game. It was a very frustrating experience and I question if it was even play tested.

While I did love the music (it’s probably a more realized sound coming from the GBA era Pokémon games) and the beautiful sprite work, the last half of the game dragged so much for me that I will probably never be returning to this game ever again.

Drill Dozer est un jeu plein de charme avec un choix de gimmick intéressant, les foreuses, qui seront exploité de manière intelligente dans un level design plein d'inventivité. On a un joli chara design bien retranscrit en jeu avec des animations propres et adorables et une ambiance plutôt cool.

Le jeu possède une bonne rejouabilité, après la fin du jeu il est possible d'acheter des niveaux secrets et une meilleur foreuse débloquant d'autres routes dans les niveaux classique afin de partir à la chasse au trésors.

Cependant, les contrôles ont tendance à manquer d'inertie rendant certain mouvement plutôt lent lors de certaines actions et esquive, ce qui peut se montrer frustrant dans les derniers niveaux quand le jeu demandera d'avoir des réactions rapide ou pendant les passages à faire sous timer.

Cela ne retire en rien son mérite, Drill Dozer est un jeu réussi, et montre que même à coté de Pokémon, Gamefreak était capable de produire de bonne petite surprise quand ils en avait les moyens. Et puis, jouer à un jeu ou tu contrôle une petite cheffe d'une bande de voleurs qui se bat dans un Lagann, c'est forcément cool.

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suikomareta

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kakaeta mama

sono senaka dake oikakete
koko made kitan da
sagashite ita
boku dake ni dekiru koto

ano hi kureta kotoba ga ima demo
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kinou yori mo kyou boku wa
boku no umaretekita wake ni kizuete yuku

kotae wa sou itsumo koko ni aru

subete ga marude atarimae mitai datta
toutoi hibi wa mada owaranai

soshite mata
hashiridashita omoi ga ima demo
kono mune wo tashika ni tataiteru kara
kyou no boku ga sono saki ni tsuzuku
bokura nari no asu wo kizuiteiku

kotae wa sou itsumo koko ni aru

Drill dozer is a really unique experience on the GBA. The world and characters have a similar vibe akin to Starfy or maybe Warioland while still being it's own totally unique thing. Drill dozer surpassed my expectations very early on with it's charming art and music, and the story, while simple, is still engaging enough to make you wonder what will happen next. The controls feel a little heavy as if you were really piloting a big mech but the sluggishness never feels like it impedes on the platforming or level design too much. Drill dozer had some easy sections and some more challenging ones (looking at the bosses) and overall I'd say it's a fantastic Game Freak title to try out if you haven't already. I really enjoyed my time with this charming gem!