Did you know that Nintendo has added a total of 25 Game Boy Advance games on the American Nintendo Classics app and all of them have been published by Nintendo? That streak ends on September 25th, when Namco will add both Mr. Driller 2 and Klonoa: Empire of Dreams. Yeah, that's really cool news, but are either of these games actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Edge, Nintendo Power and more classic magazines that reviewed these games back when they first came out. So, prepare to get dirty, because we're digging tunnels in this Namco-themed episode of Nintendo Classics Review Crew.


Originally intended to be a puzzle-based continuation of the classic 1980s series Dig Dug, Mr. Driller quickly became a fun mainstay for Namco, first debuting in the arcade before finding its way to everything from the WonderSwan Color to the PlayStation 5. First released in Japan in early 2001, as a Game Boy Advance launch title, it took Namco four long years to bring Mr. Driller 2 to American shores, years after most of the system's biggest hits came out. As you would expect, this sequel comes with a few new quirks, along with a trio of single-player modes, and even a two-player match-up to see who could drill the furthest. Was that enough to win over critics in 2005? Let's find out.

Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of magazine reviews for Mr. Driller 2. Perhaps that's because it came out four years after the Japanese version, or maybe it was just a low-priority with the new hardware and games coming out. Either way, the few magazines that actually bothered to review it was either hot or cold on the puzzler, with very little middle ground. Nintendo Power, for example, gave the game the lowest score, a dismal 5 out of 10. “As addictive as Mr. Driller 2 is, the Game Boy Advance's sole screen doesn't provide enough vertical space to give you time to plan much of a falling-block strategy. You're often fleeing in panic – fun for bursts, too chaotic for the long haul.”

On the other end of the spectrum is NGC Magazine, which gave the Game Boy Advance sequel a 79% in issue 92. Edge went one tick higher, leading to the highest score – an 8 out of 10. Now, it is worth mentioning that Edge ended up reviewing the Japanese import back in 2001, which may help to explain how they landed on this: “The conversion is excellent, and although everything looks unfeasibly small at first, the game rapidly feels as though it has found its natural home on Nintendo's new console, rather than surrounded by the latest display of 3D technology usually found in the sonorous environment of your typical Japanese arcade. But far more importantly, it's still a brilliantly simple concept. And it's still brilliantly enjoyable.”

The Mr. Driller series is always fun, but the complaints from 2005 were sound. It was hard to go back to a single screen version of the puzzler after the Nintendo DS release. I would argue that this has only gotten worse in the last twenty years, so your mileage may vary on this one.

When Klonoa first debuted on the PlayStation, the critics raved about the clever level designs and adorable characters. Unfortunately, consumers didn't bite, opting instead for 3D platformers like Crash Bandicoot and Gex. Fast-forward a few years, and Klonoa was back with an even more ambitious and over-the-top adventure on PlayStation 2. And, once again, American gamers were largely indifferent. Hoping for some better luck, Namco decided to release the next installment, this time on a Nintendo portablle, on ... September 11, 2001. Yeah, this series was doomed. If you're one of the many people who missed out on this platforming classic 24 years ago, then this is a great time to catch-up. I'll let the critics explain why.

Let's go ahead and kick things off with Electronic Gaming Monthly which gave this version of Klonoa one of the lower scores – a 7.8 out of 10. But before you grab your pitchfork, this is really the story of two critics that loved the game and one that really pulled down the overall average. The naysayer was Shoe, who gave the game a 6.5 out of 10: “I'm all for traditional 2D platformers, especially when they play and control as well as Klonoa does. The gameplay is nothing revolutionary, mind you, and this title is nothing next to Mario Advance. But the clever puzzle elements, clean graphics and simple premise all make this one of the better GBA carts on the market. Empire of Dreams is a breeze to beat, especially since free lives are always available (like you male readers wish Jeanne Kim could be).” Yeah, I'm just going to skip past that in order to highlight Milkman, who gave the game a 9: “Since most folks never got to experience Moonlight Museum, Klonoa's first handheld adventure, it's a real treat to get a brand-new Klonoa game for the GBA. The control is right on the money, and the music and sound effects are vintage Klonoa. Consistent with the series, the level design is the real star here, offering five worlds of uninhibited fun, with a variety of action and puzzle-based stages that will appeal to a broad audience. An instant classic in my opinion.”

Now, for what it's worth, there was one magazine that went lower, as Game Informer gave Empire of Dreams a 7.5 out of 10. Climbing up the scale, we see Nintendo Power go with a 4 out of 5, while Computer & Video Games agreed, giving it an 8 out of 10. “Klonoa has so much charm that you'll kiss your GBA for making your dreams for an original and addictive platform game come true.”

If you're a longtime fan of the Review Crew, then you won't be surprised when I tell you that the top score comes from GamePro. Giving it a 4.5 out of 5, Four-Eyed Dragon concluded that “The graphics and sounds are sharp as those of any other Game Boy Advance game. Bright, kaleidoscopic levels fill every inch of the screen, while the music and sound effects play nicely with Klonoa's game style. Klonoa: Empire of Dreams is a straightforward platformer with enough gameplay variety that it will make you want to play to the very end.”

With an overall average of 81%, this seems to be the general consensus. While not as visually dazzling as the console versions, Empire of Dreams has inventive levels and fun gameplay. Of the two games hitting the Nintendo Classics app, this is by far the one I'm the most excited for. Definitely give this one a try.