The puzzle game-inspired December 2019 video slot Mr. Driller’s developer is Ainsworth whose other mechanical game is Money from Mars (December 2020). Themes: maze, cartoons, drilling, landmarks, 2D animation, and robotics.

Mr. Driller has: five total bets, 20 symbols, reel-tall wilds, three self-adjusting jackpots, 50 fixed win lines, rightward payouts, mystery wins, four randomized side games, and bet multipliers.

Regular spins: twelve symbols (wild bit, Ataru, Holinger-Z, Puchi, air capsule, crystal, clock, A, K, Q, J, and 10) pay from X0.10 to X3 for three to five combinations; and three symbols (“mini”, “minor”, and “major”) pay from X10 to X2000 for a one-of-a-kind.
Feature spins: three symbols (“mini”, “minor”, and “major”) pay from X10 to X2000 for a one-of-a-kind.

Mr. Driller Game Characteristics

Mr. Driller is based on, and also named after, the maze-related Mr. Driller game series (ongoing since 1999; and relates to the 1981-2008 game series Dig Dug) from the Tokyo-based developer Namco Bandai Games. Specifically, it is an adaptation of the 2001 arcade game Mr. Driller G—third in the series.

Mr. Driller W’s characters: Anna Hottenmeyer, Ataru Hori, Hollinger-Z, Puchi, Susumu Hori, and Taizo Hori. Plot: set in Japan, Paris, Egypt, on moon, and elsewhere; the characters must destroy and drill past blocks to make an oxygen-limited getaway from a playground.

There is a Parisian setting—evident in the pink Eiffel Tower and other 2D buildings under a rainbowed partly cloudy sky—for the Mr. Driller’s partitioned, transparent, and pink-framed 5X3 grid.

The Mr. Driller’s coins: $0.04, $0.08, $0.12, $0.16, and $0.20. Total bets (X50 bet factor): $2.00 (minimum bet), $4.00, $6.00, $8.00, and $10.00 (maximum bet).

Mr. Driller has nine special symbols: substituting colorful “wild” drill bit; feature-triggering colorful German driller girl Anna Hottenmeyer (scatter); jackpot-triggering rectangular/square blue “mini”, pink beige “minor”, and fuscia “major”; and roulette feature-unlocking rectangular orange “Extra Chance”, orange “Break the Block”, light green “Robo Multiplier”, and golden coins.

Eleven ordinary symbols: gray-dressed boy Ataru Hori; gray drilling robot Holinger-Z; white-and-russet dog Puchi; oxygen-replenishing turquoise “air” capsule; blue crystal; pink “1” clock; and comical-fonted pink-red A, orange K, purple Q, blue J, and green 10.

Mr. Driller has the following payouts (note: feature games draw mini/minor/major symbols only).
Bet $2.00: 10/Q/J pay $0.20, $0.28, and $0.48; A/K pay $0.20, $0.40, and $0.80; clocks/crystals/capsules pay $0.28, $1.00, and $2.80; Puchi/Holinger-Z/Ataru pay $0.32, $1.60, and $4.00; wilds pay $0.60, $2.00, and $6.00; “mini” pay $20.00; “minor” pay $400.00; and “major” pay $4000.00 jackpots.

Bet $4.00: 10/Q/J pay $0.40, $0.56, and $0.96; A/K pay $0.40, $0.80, and $1.60; clocks/crystals/capsules pay $0.56, $2.00, and $5.60; Puchi/Holinger-Z/Ataru pay $0.64, $3.20, and $8.00; wilds pay $1.20, $4.00, and $12.00; “mini” pay $40.00; “minor” pay $800.00; and “major” pay $8000.00 jackpots.

Bet $6.00: 10/Q/J pay $0.60, $0.84, and $1.44; A/K pay $0.60, $1.20, and $2.40; clocks/crystals/capsules pay $0.84, $3.00, and $8.40; Puchi/Holinger-Z/Ataru pay $0.96, $4.80, and $12.00; wilds pay $1.80, $6.00, and $18.00; “mini” pay $60.00; “minor” pay $1200.00; and “major” pay $12000.00 jackpots.

Bet $8.00: 10/Q/J pay $0.80, $1.12, and $1.92; A/K pay $0.80, $1.60, and $3.20; clocks/crystals/capsules pay $1.12, $4.00, and $11.20; Puchi/Holinger-Z/Ataru pay $1.28, $6.40, and $16.00; wilds pay $2.40, $8.00, and $24.00; “mini” pay $80.00; “minor” pay $1600.00; and “major” pay $16000.00 jackpots.

Bet $10.00: 10/Q/J pay $1.00, $1.40, and $2.40; A/K pay $1.00, $2.00, and $4.00; clocks/crystals/capsules pay $1.40, $5.00, and $14.00; Puchi/Holinger-Z/Ataru pay $1.60, $8.00, and $20.00; wilds pay $3.00, $10.00, and $30.00; “mini” pay $100.00; “minor” pay $2000.00; and “major” pay $20000.00 jackpots.

Driller Hottenmeyer may simultaneously appear on the corner and middle reels, thus activating (the bordering drill bits pinpoint randomized selections from) a cascading stack of: “Extra Chance” (re-spinning the picker wheel), “Robo Multiplayer” (bet multiplier), three-stage “Break the Block” (prize-revealing blocks), or credited coins.

The HTML5 game Mr. Driller, which supports mobile gadgets and desktops, has 5/10/15/20/25 free games. Sound effects: retro, clinking, cartoonish, and space bleeps. The animated 2D graphics: gushing, starry effect, vibrating, winking and jumpy character, and drilling.

Luck in the Mr. Driller

Mr. Driller, a game of chance, has a 96.80% RTP rate and 3.20% house edge.