Episode 96: Drill Dozer

Gamefreak, on the rarest of occasions, takes a break from toiling away in the Pokemon mines. And when they do, sometimes they strike gold. Such was the case with Drill Dozer, first released in 2005 to mostly favourable reviews. As time ticked on, however, many began to look back on it with increasing fondness, and it's not hard to find those who consider it one of the best games ever released for the Gameboy Advance.

You play as Jill, pilot of the Drilldozer: a short and squat mech that harnesses the power of its drill arms to destroy and unravel any and all obstacles in its path. It's a game that commits to it’s concept to a fault, with the world and everything around it shaped by those drills and what your mech is capable of. In a world where 2D platformers are a dime a dozen, Drill Dozer can’t help but stand out - even if its box art was doing it no favours.

But does this all come together holistically to be an enjoyable game to play today? And can a single-concept platformer avoid the dirge of repetitiveness that curses so many titles?

On this episode, we discuss:

• Drill Dozer uses an elaborate UI to help the player time the shifting of their gears. Does this deliver the information to the player in a helpful way, or could more have been done with a subtler implementation?
• Does Drill Dozer try to dazzle the player with new concepts and novelty, or is this more an experience about refining your understanding of its core mechanics? Is it, impossibly, both?
• Drill Dozer features a flying level, a water level, and a stealth level. Which of these were our favourites? (the answer may surprise you…)

We answer these questions and many more on the 96th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

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Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K

Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another

Drill Dozer OST: Go Ichinose Satoshi Nohara

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Thanks to Electric Maestro from our discord server for suggesting Drill Dozer! If you have any feedback to give, recommendations for us to play, or simply want to join the conversation, don’t hesitate to drop by and join our community discord server!