Mr. Driller has a fair history in the gaming industry. Starting life as a new incarnation of an ‘80’s classic – Dig Dug – Mr. Driller has seen releases across a multitude of platforms, including the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, DreamCast, PC and numerous PlayStation releases. Now, with the NintendoDS launched, NAMCO have taken it upon themselves to offer us a new edition, capitalizing on the new features proposed by the new hardware.

            The basic principle of the title is not to get crushed. The level plays over both screens, with the action taking place on the Touch Screen. A maze of variously coloured blocks lay before you, and you are set the task of reaching the bottom. As you drill a block in any direction, that block and any of the same colour blocks connected with it will be destroyed – allowing you to descend. As you progress your Air Meter will decrease, meaning you will need to collect Air Capsules along the way. There are a variety of other obstacles, such as blocks which take multiple drills and decrease your Air Meter and blocks which automatically disappear; creating a downfall.

            A few other modes are offered, including Time Attack Driller and Pressure Driller, in which the basic rules are slightly altered. Pressure Driller is the best of the bunch, making you speed through the levels picking up Fire Capsules in order to destroy the ever impending Drill (…of DOOM). The basic gameplay modes seem to have lost something in the transition to the NintendoDS, and become little more than irritating within the first few plays. Endeavouring to develop some degree of skill certainly takes some patience – and wholly feels unrewarded. Unlocking new characters adds a small amount of extended play – but certainly not enough. The multiplayer is easily the best feature of the title and, with a Single Card Download, this is limited to a simple race through 300m (three sections) of rubble.

The game is controlled by either using the D-Pad and the A and X buttons, or the Touch Screen. Now, by my earliest thoughts from the very first press release, the NintendoDS is the perfect place for Mr. Driller to find his feet – with the ability to balance his movement and drilling perfectly by using simple presses on the Touch Screen. However, in play, it clearly becomes apparent that this simply isn’t a well thought-out approach no matter how well adapted you’ve become to the latest standard in new control devices.

The graphics featured in the title are more than competent at conveying the themes of the game, but are far short of pushing the system. The basic sprite models are nice and crisp and the blue-and-pink theme is continued throughout, great. The sound is at a competent level, again, nice and crisp without ever really challenging the ability of the system.

Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits is unfortunately not quite the Mr. Driller compendium we’d hoped for. In fact, it’s not really advancement on any of the other titles in the Mr. Driller history, nor is it particularly well presented as a NintendoDS launch title. NAMCO seem to have developed a new vision of a game, but forgotten the old gameplay and, as a result, Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits reeks of disappointment.