Previews

Drill to victory

It’s that old ‘cute girl, big drill’ combination in Drill Dozer

Drill to victory
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| Drill Dozer

Best known for its Pokémon games, it seems there’s more to Japanese studio Game Freak than just battling critters. With Drill Dozer, the company is getting all destructive on us, because as you might guess from the title, the game is about the mess you can make when you’re in control of a large industrial drilling machine.

Actually, it’s more than a just a drill: the Drill Dozer in question is the drilling robot of Jill, the spunky daughter of the big boss of the Red Dozers, a band of thieves. But like Robin Hood, these are friendly thieves, so that’s OK then. In contrast, the Skullker gang are a band of evil thieves (boo, hiss), and not only do they attack Jill’s dad, they also steal her red diamond. As can be imagined, Jill is not a happy bunny, and so with Drill Dozer in tow, she’s out to get back the diamond and demolish the Skullkers once and for all.

It’s a good thing then that Drill Dozer can be used to smash through pretty much any obstacle you’ll come across. Of course, this being a side-scrolling platform game, you’ll have to build up its abilities and drill power to get into areas that at first glance seem impenetrable.

The currency for doing this are the chips that fall from defeated enemies and demolished items. You use them to buy upgrades so you can drill through hardened floors and metal blocks or equip extra energy tanks that enable the drill to take extra punishment. You can also purchase maps for special bonus levels.

Alternatively, you’ll find gears scattered throughout each level and these will enable you to spin your drill faster, while special equipment will provide the ability to fly or operate underwater.

Rumbling in the ground beneath your feet, Drill Dozer is due to break the surface on the 26th of May.

Jon Jordan
Jon Jordan
A Pocket Gamer co-founder, Jon can turn his hand to anything except hand turning. He is editor-at-large at PG.biz which means he can arrive anywhere in the world, acting like a slightly confused uncle looking for the way out. He likes letters, cameras, imaginary numbers and legumes.