This 20-Year-Old Nintendo Classic Would Be Perfect for a Switch 2 Remake

Nintendo’s massive library of games can’t all get the recognition they deserve. While marquee franchises like Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda can be reliably counted on to get new entries every couple of years, there are plenty of franchises under the Nintendo umbrella that only get a handful of releases. A few true cult classics even only get one chance to show off their inventive game design or charming overall aesthetic.

One such game is Drill Dozer, which hit the Game Boy Advance twenty years ago today. Coming towards the end of the handheld platform’s lifespan, Drill Dozer was an intriguing experiment by the team behind Pokémon to do something new with the action-adventure genre. The result remains one of the most underappreciated Nintendo games of all time — and the perfect fodder for a long overdue reboot.

Drill Dozer Was Great, But Got Buried

More than almost any other relatively obscure Nintendo title, Drill Dozer feels like it could have the makings of a great modern-day continuation. At its core, Drill Dozer is an action-platformer where players control Jill, the leader of a group of bandits and the pilot of a small mech known as the Drill Dozer. The game’s primary tweak on the archetypal Metroidvania format required players to be precise with the Drill Dozer’s “arms,” a pair of high-powered drills that can burrow through obstructions, solve envrioment puzzles, or drive through enemies. Different equipment can be found and utilized to help players break through levels, adding unique attributes through “gears” for the duration of the stage.

It was an inventive way to rethink the tired and true 2D action-adventure genre. Directed by Ken Sugimori and developed by Game Freak — the same company behind the Pokémon series — Drill Dozer was an attempt by the team to produce something that wasn’t connected to their most famous creation. Looking to make a game that featured fast-paced and aggressive gameplay without the conventional approaches to combat, Sugimori became intrigued by using the rotating aspect of a drill as a potential game mechanic.

In interviews at the time, Sugimori reflected on how Drill Dozer’s unique mechanics and approach to action gameplay were the culmination of a decade’s worth of ideas brought into practice. Mapping the drill effects to the Game Boy Advance’s shoulder buttons, Drill Dozer played unlike anything else on the market, and was bolstered by Hironobu Yoshida’s graphic design and Tsuyoshi Ichinose’s music. With a unique cartage design to allow for a built-in rumble effect, Drill Dozer debuted in Japan in 2005 before launching in North America on February 6, 2006. Earning strong reviews from critics, Drill Dozer ended up being a flop commercially. Journalists at the time wondered if the game’s release was undersold by Nintendo and overshadowed by the release of the Nintendo DS. Although there was never a formal sequel to the game, 2017’s more puzzle-heavy and dramatic Giga Wrecker was largely influenced by Drill Dozer.

Why Drill Dozer Deserves A Switch 2 Edition

While Giga Wrecker was an interesting attempt to recapture the spirit of Drill Dozer, the increased emphasis on puzzles and more mundane anime-inspired art style lost some of the magic of Drill Dozer. Sugimori’s desire to build a puzzling action-adventure that never lost its speed came to fruition with Drill Dozer, which turned movement and specific drill bursts into the key for almost every challenge. It was engaging on a moment-to-moment level, with the charming characters and fun, lighthearted story keeping the player invested in the actual beats. Drill Dozer has so much untapped potential, and it feels especially frustrating now because the Switch and Switch 2 might be the perfect platforms for a new version of the game. A more hi-def take on the cute art style could give the massive mech battles a silly sense of charm, while games like Donkey Kong Bananza highlighted how easily the central game mechanic of “break through anything” could reinvent level design and progression.

If a sequel or reboot really wanted to expand on the central idea, it could take inspiration from something like the Armored Core series, incorporating more customization into the mech look, design, and functionality. Drill Dozer‘s central mechanic could be replicated for multiplayer scenarios, whether that be in direct combat, in races through tricky terrain, or working together to bring down a common enemy. The worldbuilding of the first game, an almost cartoonish reality where goofy gangs compete for riches and status, could definitely be expanded into a larger setting. Twenty years after it was released, Drill Dozer remains a cult classic, with only a handful of cameo appearances in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour to her name. Nintendo is sitting on a gold mine with that property, and they just need the right opportunity to dig it out.