Drill Dozer
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| Drill Dozer | |
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| Developer(s) | Game Freak |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Designer(s) | Ken Sugimori |
| Platform(s) | Game Boy Advance |
| Release date | (NA): February 6, 2006 (JP): September 22, 2005 |
| Genre(s) | Action |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | CERO: All Ages ESRB: Everyone |
| Media | Game Boy Advance Cartridge |
| Input methods | L & R Shoulder Buttons, Buttons, D-Pad |
Drill Dozer (スクリューブレイカー 轟振どりるれろ Sukuryūbureikā Gōshin Dorirurero?, released in Japan as Screw Breaker) is an action platformer game for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance system, released in 2005 in Japan, and in 2006 in North America.
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[edit] Story
The player plays as Jill. She is the daughter of Doug, the leader of a bandit gang known as The Red Dozers. Doug was ambushed by a rival gang known as the Skullkers. They attacked the Red Dozers to steal the powerful Red Diamond, a gift from Jill's dead mother. To retrieve it, Jill mounts the powerful vehicle, the Drill Dozer.
On the way, she also comes across four other diamonds: the Yellow Diamond, which was kept in the Art Museum and drove Carrie insane; the Blue Diamond, which was floating about Kuru Ruins and stirring things up (it brought a stone statue to life and even took control of a swarm of fish) ; the Green Diamond, which the unnamed police warden used to animate his massive robot, with which he battles Jill; and the Black Diamond, which gave Croog his alien appearance and unimaginable power. At the end, the Black Diamond shatters and Croog's alien face falls off, revealing it to be a mask. Croog's true face is unknown, as a head of long blond hair drops over his eyes and he runs off-screen, sobbing and concealing his appearance with his hands. Later on, a pair of crazy old thief ladies (who, despite being recurring characters throughout the game, are never named) steal the Blue and Green Diamonds. Afterwards, Jill is appointed the new boss by her father, and they drive away. These events were, apparently, meant to prompt a sequel, but due to the game's unsuccessful sales, it seems unlikely.
[edit] Packaging
The cartridge comes in a distinctive brick red color, is roughly 1.5 times larger than the average Game Boy Advance Cartridge, and has a built-in Rumble Pak. Also included is a five-page mini comic written by Ken Sugimori, "A Girl and Her Dozer", that explains the game's prologue and provides brief biographies on the main characters.
[edit] Characters
- Jill: The playable pink hair schoolgirl that rides the Drill Dozer.
- Doug: Leader of the Red Dozers. He was known to be an archaeologist, but formed the thief team after an unexplained trauma. He was incapacitated by some of Croog's thugs.
- Gearmo: The Drill Dozer techie of the Red Dozers, he is responsible for saving game data and some certain tutorials within the first level when you get the gears.
- Grutch: The oldest member of the Red Dozers, responsible for the treasure collection screen and giving Jill vital advice alongside Gearmo.
- Shopkeeper: The shopkeeper is an old buddy of Grutch's who runs the shop in the Red Dozer's Trailer. The shopkeeper sells items and drill bits for Jill whenever she is in his shop, and will sell continues whenever Jill gets a game over.
- Detective Carrie: The only other female character in the story, head of the anti-thievery task force. She is one of the more challenging bosses in the game and will help you after realizing some corruption in the police force.
- Croog: Boss of the Skullkers, focused on destroying the Red Dozers. His strange, extraterrestrial appearance could be from the diamonds' influence.
[edit] Gameplay
The Red Dozers' Trailer serves as the Drill Dozer's "main menu". Here the player can save his or her progress, examine Jill's Drill Dozer's equipment, check the treasure he or she has accumulated, or visit shopkeeper's shop purchase energy tanks, drill bit upgrades, and maps to access chips. The shop is available after the first area, Skullker Factory, is beaten.
Drill Dozer is an action platformer in which the player controls Jill and her Drill Dozer. All seventeen massive stages are flooded with enemies, obstacles, and puzzles which force Jill to use Drill Dozer's drill in a wide variety of ways. The drill is activated by simply pushing one of the shoulder buttons. The R button spins the drill forward and the L button spins it backwards.
Scattered throughout the stage are red boxes marked with yellow wrenches that contain either chips or health. Each stage also contains two red gears that allow Jill to shift her Drill Dozer to the second and third gears. The higher the gear, the more powerful the Drill Dozer's drill is and the longer it spins.
At the end of each stage (with the exception of the secret stages), Jill must face off against an enormous boss and use her drill to exploit and damage its weak point.
In each world, there is a mini-boss and a boss. All of the bosses can be defeated by using your drill in various ways. The only boss where the drill isn't used is in the final battle with Croog. Your Drill Dozer falls apart, and Jill's only method of attack (and defense at that) is her fists. This final battle is the only battle where the boss does not have a health meter, as only one successful hit is required to defeat him.
When Jill's Drill Dozer runs out of health, the player receives a game over. He or she can resume the game at the beginning of the room the Drill Dozer was destroyed in by paying the shopkeeper fifty chips.
[edit] Treasures
There are thirty-two treasure chests hidden throughout the game. The first treasure chest is located at the end of the Red Dozers' Training Course and rewards Jill 150 chips for completing the course. The other thirty-one chests are scattered across the game and there are one to three hidden in each stage.
After defeating Croog, Jill will receive a rank from Doug and Officer Carrie based on the amount of treasures she has collected. Collecting all thirty-one treasures will earn her the rank of "Crime Boss".
[edit] Reception
- Gamerankings - 81%
- IGN - 8/10
- Eurogamer - 8/10
- Game Informer - 7.75
- Computer Games Mag - 4/5
- EGM - 8.33
- Gaming Age - B+
- Gamespot - 8.2
- 1Up.com - 8.5
- X-Play - 4/5
- Nintendo Power - 9/10
- Gamespy - 4/5
- Deeko - 8.5
Drill Dozer was nominated as GBA Game of the Year by Nintendo Power, as well as Overall Game of the Year, and Best New Character (Jill) and Best Platformer throughout all systems for 2006.[1] Of these, it won GBA Game of the Year as "NP's Pick".[2] It was also runner-up for GameSpot's Game Boy Advance Game of the Year.[1]
[edit] Cameos and homages
- Alternate unlockable costumes for Jill on the main menu include a Mario-like red shirt and overalls, a frog suit, and an outfit that mirrors the female Trainer outfit from Pokemon Fire Red/Leaf Green, another Game Freak game.
- Jill (and her Drill Dozer) appear as an assist trophy in Super Smash Brothers Brawl. They also appear as a collectable trophy.
