Dozer packs punch for GBA

While Nintendo has been focusing current efforts in promoting the DS gaming system, the GBA seems to have been abandoned. However, Nintendo’s in-house developer Game Freak, best known for the enormously successful Pokémon franchise, has created a fun title to occupy the GBA slot in the DS with Drill Dozer.

Drill Dozer is about a girl named Jill and her robotic mech, the Drill Dozer, who is a member of a gang of benevolent thieves headed by her father. Before they make any more leeway on their ethical standards, a rival gang of malicious thieves, known as the Skullkers, steals their precious Red Diamond and gives Jill’s dad the once-over.

Jill, not one to stand by idly, hops into her Drill Dozer to recover the gemstone and show the Skullkers the business end of her machine’s drill.

Drill Dozer treads familiar platform game territory, but with a twist. The Drill Dozer is a powerful machine capable of demolishing almost anything in its path.

The L and R shoulder buttons operate the drill, with each one turning it in a particular direction, clockwise or counter-clockwise.

It can also be upgraded by picking up extra gears that add power and longevity to the spinning of the drill, shifting up by tapping the corresponding button.

There are also modifications that allow it to navigate in water and fly through the air, adding to the variety of game play. The learning curve of the game is just right. The first levels start off simple enough, but later levels require the use of upgrades, tricky drill techniques, and advanced maneuvers.

Enemies range from simple foot soldiers who fall easily to the whirring of the drill, to other kinds of Dozers that can’t be defeated with tactics nearly as straightforward. The bosses all require a bit of extra skill to defeat, ranging from moving through an ever-changing maze to an interesting variation of Hot Potato with bombs.

There are also secret levels that make you think and act quickly to find the treasures hidden within the areas. The level of challenge gets almost frustratingly high at times, but that just makes the feeling of accomplishment that much sweeter. For a portable game, this does have a fair amount of content and replay value.

Unfortunately, once everything has been found, that’s all there is to it. However, the game is unique and fun enough to keep coming back for more, and the built-in rumble feature is icing on the cake. Cake made of gears and motor oil. Those who want to relive a bit of the excellence of the 16-bit era should definitely check this out.