Mr. Driller Online is a deceptively simple game; choose a driller and begin drilling in a level. Each area is filled with a number of colored blocks that disappear when drilled, which will often cause other bricks to fall down and disappear. If like colored blocks connect, they'll disappear, causing other blocks to collapse, possibly creating long chains of clearing blocks. If a block doesn't disappear, it will keep falling until it hits solid ground, killing your driller if he happens to be standing in the way. As if the pressure of being crushed by heavy falling objects wasn't enough, your driller also has a limited air supply that must be refilled by collecting air supply capsules that are buried in each level.
This premise carries over between the two major single-player modes, as well as the two multiplayer ones. In Standard Driller, you are required to drill to a set depth before running out of lives. Quest Driller further complicates things by requiring that you not only meet certain depth requirements, but also complete various other side tasks every 100 meters. For example, one section may have a set time limit while another requires that you clear a certain number of blocks. The deeper you get, the more challenging the tasks become, adding another layer of gameplay for more advanced players.
Online, Mr. Driller Online supports up to four players in Solo and Tag matches. In Solo games, players race in order to see who can clear the level first. Although everyone can see each other, players can't mess around with each other. Tag games run on the same premise, only players form teams of two and must cooperate. Each team member must collect half of a power-up before it is useable and, if one member begins to run out of air, the other player can share his supply. Both of the online variations are fun, though it is really hard to find games sometimes - though this is turning out of be a common problem with online XBLA games, so aside from making the game free, there's very little Namco can do to fix that problem.
