A look at the Mr Driller Series

[ryodi]

How great is Mr Driller Ace? It makes Mr Driller 2 (GBA) look like a limited demo mode. Even in Japanese the menus are easy to understand although the story is completely incomprehensible despite the nice voice acting. I haven't found Dristone Driller mode yet because I have been concetrating on the main mode. The 500m, 1000m, 1500m and infinite challenges also seem to be a lot tougher than any other Mr Driller I have played. The GP mode is a great little extra as well and it is a pity it was left out of Mr Driller DS.

Overall it's just fantastic. Blows Mr Driller DS out the water and Mr Driller 2 in comparison is just laughable.

[vertigo]

Dristone Driller is the one with the little blob dude (Pacteria) on the main menu where you select the drill to go into Mission Driller. Race mode is nice but I can't remember if you get much/anything for finishing it. Still a nice challenge though.
Do you have Drill Land on Gamecube?

[ryodi]

No unfortunately I only have a PAL machine. Does it work with Freeloader am I seem to recall their being issues with it not saving your data?

[vertigo]

The issue with saving data is that it doesn't save your data, so yeh It's fantastic though, got 5 different main play styles in there, well worth the purchase if you get hold of a NTSC machine at some point.

[evert]

I consider myself to be able to get to grips with games of almost all the genres, but this is the ony game which I have NEVER been able to "get". I bought Driller 2 for the GBA and I have spent a LONG time on it, but I just cannot get ANYWHERE. There seems to be this barrier that I cannot pass, like I am just about to reach a sudden understanding of exactly how to play the game-the moment where everything clicksand I feel Iam on my way to mastering it, but it never ever comes. I am unable to find ANY strategy that works, slow.....blitz......a mix of both........I always die early .

What I will say is that I SUPPOSE that everytime I die I do see where I went wrong, but I just find it impossibe to concentrate the falling blocks, chain reactions, and getting those ****ing air capsules quick enough, planning a half decent route to the next one...god I amstressed just thinking about it.

Does there ever arrive that "moment" when the game clicks? Or do I just admit defeat!

[MikeRox]

The issue with saving data is that it doesn't save your data, so yeh It's fantastic though, got 5 different main play styles in there, well worth the purchase if you get hold of a NTSC machine at some point.

pah! tis worth buyin anyway, the into ownz, the music ownz, and it's great fun to play even without a save file. I didn't think Mr Driller would ever get any better than the original, thought it'd be one of them like tetris, the more they added, the less it worked, but Drill Land is quite frankly awesome!

[vertigo]

You don't get nearly as much out of it without a save file though.

[bowser123]

This thread is funny.
Not funny in a "OMG, it's ****" (it's actually an excellent first post and informative thereafter), but funny in how it's all tied in.

Just recently I've been playing some old games, and GBA Driller Ace just happened to be one of the ones I went back too.

I've always been a fan of Driller, but the game has never clicked with me to the extent that I ever really knew what to do. So it was a pleasant surprise to find this thread, as it's actually gave enough pointers and sheer enthusiasm for me to go back and make Driller finally click.

So, the past few days I've done little bar play Driller across 3 platforms. I've wiped all my save files and started from afresh, and this approach seems to have made me take real interest.
DS Drill Spirit rocks, I love the new mode where you have to shoot the flame at the oncoming nasty.


Cube Drill Land has the funky music and fantastic play modes (though the stamp system does grate- having to clear one to play more Horror Night House is annoying), and is the one I'm a tad stuck on.

I can't do Hole of Druaga, and it's starting to frustrate. It's not my lack of Japanese that's the issue, nor the actual play mode (Driller without the issue of having to go fast due to breath is a genius idea), but the damn boss.

I get to him with lots of items, and I think I have the general idea sussed. I've been making all the blocks one color, then using another item to make them disappear to make the remaining ones fall on its head. This seems to have limited success, and I soon run out of the items to make this combo work.
So, any tips to make the boss die please? Really frustrated that I can't progress in other modes until I have this damn stamp.

[Emir]

Drill Land came today. Now I just need to get me a Jap cube.

[vertigo]

Bowser123: Horror Night House you need to take your time, collect a holy water, wait until there are a few nasties around you then use it on a block so that they get frozen, only then can you break the blocks they're in safely and grab the gem. It's really easy once you get your head around it.
As for the boss on Hole of Druaga, it's got absolutely nothing with making things fall down. I used to think it did but it's not, it's to do with the colour of the glow around the boss. You need to take time to collect lots of red and blue dristones so that you can change and then destroy the right colours. If you don't have a destroy dristone that matches the colour the boss is glowing, use a change dristone that will change block colours and also his glow, then use a destroy one. Make sure you've got lots of dristones in stock because running out and then needing to search for them in the boss area as well as avoid enemies and not running out of air too. Hope this helps

[Dogg Thang]

I've always been a fan of Driller, but the game has never clicked with me to the extent that I ever really knew what to do. So it was a pleasant surprise to find this thread, as it's actually gave enough pointers and sheer enthusiasm for me to go back and make Driller finally click.

I might have to go back to it myself. I only have the DS version and, while I thought I'd love it, I never quite got it. I just bailed down as fast as possible and the strategy or methods never became apparent to me, though I had no doubt they were there. As a result, I moved on. I may have to revisit it.

[bowser123]

Ah, that makes sense.
I noticed he only seemed to glow a few colors and not all of them, should of made that connection to him being vulnerable to a set block color and only destroy them. Does drilling say a group of 2 reds when he's red also hurt him, or is it all item dependent?

I usually do go in with a fair few items, but can the purchased ones be used? I know that by using items it doesn't record your score, but do purchased items allow the badge to be obtained?

Ta for the tip on Horror Night House. Wasn't actually stuck on that one, meant that I wanted to play more levels of it as it's a fantastic mode. Really do appreciate the modes like that and the item ones, where it's not just a race to the end before losing breath.
Just a shame the badge stamping system seems a tad draconian in requiring you to clear all before attempting new stuff.

Whilst I'm here, are any items in the goods shop of Drill Land essential/ beneficial?
I worked out what the item shop has, not so much the goods shop.
For example there's 5 boxes that are identical, bar their color, something called type A and B and stuff that looks like the Practeria avatar from Driller Ace.
Don't really have the money to just purchase and try them out unfortunately.

[Mr_Sands]

Having looked at that video of Drill land I have decided I really want it now but vagly remember there being issues with save games using a Eur cube and freeloader. Did these problems ever get fixed in a later version of freeloader?

[vertigo]

do purchased items allow the badge to be obtained?

Nope! You'll just have to be a man about it

Just a shame the badge stamping system seems a tad draconian in requiring you to clear all before attempting new stuff.

This will make sense once you've actually done all the first set. If you can make out what's going on with the underlying story.

Whilst I'm here, are any items in the goods shop of Drill Land essential/ beneficial?

They're all beneficial and fairly obvious to work out what they are/do by the icon and by pulling out any numbers or katakana that you can from their shop description. The goods are pointless novelty items, as are the Driller Cards if you can't understand Japanese, but I bought the lot anyway just for fun and keep throwing money at the item shop in some sort of an attempt to buy everything in the game

[bowser123]

There's a story? Doh!
I usually feel a mixture of giddy euphoria and sickliness at the bright colours and brilliant, yet ridiculous music in the cut scenes and ingame. The failure music, that old fashioned gramophone that's followed by that thumping bass, is superb.
As for ascertaining what the story is all about, I have no idea.
It's almost as bewildering as Guru Logic.


Got sooo close to defeating the Druaga boss, but ran out of air when I had to depend on items from the boss which was slightly disappointing. Think I might try doing every room a few times and stockpiling stones before going to the boss.

The other thing I've only just noticed is the little character in the top right of the normal mode. He dresses in authentic clothing of the country you're drilling, cute little addition. I guess noticing it highlights that I'm now a little better at the game that I can spare a moment off the main action