Mr. Driller 2

Screenshot taken from the Windows version. To the left is the player destroying formations of blocks, to the right is the player's air meter and score.

Mr. Driller 2 is a puzzle video game, and the direct sequel to Mr. Driller. The playing area consists of a large stack of colored blocks, as the Drillers (Susumu or Anna) the player must dig through these blocks to reach the end goal located at a certain depth, except in Endless Driller where there is an infinite number of blocks. The player is given a limited number of lives and a limited supply of air to reach the goal. Throughout the playing area, the player can find air capsules to replenish 20% of their air supply. If the driller is either crushed by blocks or runs out of air, the player will lose a life.

When drilling into a Standard Block (Blocks of different shades of yellow, blue, red, or green), it will dissolve. Falling blocks will join with the first block it meets of the same color while it is falling. A block segment made up of 4 or more blocks will dissolve if it is created by a falling block joining onto the segment. There are also Crystal Blocks which eventually dissolve after flashing for a brief amount of time. Every 500 ft. there is a large green block that once drilled will clear all blocks above it. Brown X-Blocks require 5 drills to dissolve and consume 20% of the player's Air Supply in Mission and Endless Driller, while they add 5 seconds to the player's timer in Time Attack Driller. Exclusive to Time Attack Driller are the Silver X-Blocks which cannot be dissolved.

Mr. Driller 2 was released by Namco for arcades in Japan in July 2000,[1] and in North America in September.[1] A home port for the Game Boy Advance was released in Japan as a system launch title on March 21, 2001[2] — the North American release was delayed to April 12, 2005.[3] A Windows version of the game was developed by NEC Interchannel and released on March 29, 2002, allowing support for multiplayer via LAN.[4] The Game Boy Advance port was digitally re-released for the Wii U Virtual Console in North America on July 17, 2014, and in PAL regions on May 15, 2015.[3]

In Japan, Game Machine listed Mr. Driller 2 on their September 15, 2000 issue as being the third most-successful arcade game of the year.[11]

The Game Boy Advance home port was met with a more divided response, holding a 62/100 score on review aggregator website Metacritic.[5] IGN found the game to have very few additions compared to the original game, specifically with its gameplay for being nothing more than "repetitive buttonmashing" with small amounts of strategy involved.[9] GameSpy felt that the game was much more barebones than other games in the series, unfavorably comparing to Mr. Driller Drill Spirits on the Nintendo DS, stating that the game was a pointless purchase compared to the latter.[8] GameSpy also criticized Namco for releasing the game four years afters its debut in Japan, saying that they instead should have put resources into localizing the Japanese-exclusive Mr. Driller Drill Land for the GameCube.[8] GameSpot was lukewarm towards the graphics and small amount of gamemodes,[7] while 1UP.com labeled it an "incredibly dated" addition to the console's library for its general lack of content.[6] 1UP.com also agreed with GameSpy on the game being dated compared to other games in the series, saying that it would have been much more of a worthwhile purchase had it been released four years prior.[6]

In a more positive review, Japanese publication Famitsu, who awarded it the Silver Hall of Fame award,[10] found it to be an addictive puzzle game and a large improvement over its predecessor. They also praised the multiplayer aspect and colorful graphics. GameSpot praised it for the core gameplay still being challenging and addictive, alongside its budget-friendly price point and humorous character animations.[7] They stated that the game was worth owning simply for its gameplay alone.[7] IGN liked the game's high-score saving, save point system and unlockables,[9] while GameSpy liked its strategic and addictive gameplay, alongside the multiplayer mode for being a "fun little diversion".[8] German publication 64 Power liked the game's interesting premise and colorful visuals, although stated it was inferior to titles such as Chu Chu Rocket! and Kuru Kuru Kururin.[12]

• Japanese website