2002 · Adventure · Role-playing

Drihoo

Xbox exclusive

Dunk the dwarf is a solo treasure hunter, left to his own devices after a cave-in separates him from the rest of his crew.

Released: 28 November 2002
Platforms: Xbox
Genres: Adventure Role-playing
Developers: —
Publishers: —
Perspective: First person Third person
Themes: Action Sandbox

About

Drihoo (ドリホー) is an action adventure game developed and published by Japanese studio Highwaystar for the Xbox. The game was released exclusively in Japan on November 28, 2002. Known as Piledriver in development, it was the first Xbox game to be funded in part by a joint venture from Microsoft and Japan Digital Contents The game was priced at 6800 Yen RRP. From November 1st 2002, a ringtone medley was available via Melo DAM.

A four page manga by Yuriko Yamaguchi was also published. An English release was announced under the title Piledriver but was quietly cancelled.

›Story

Dunk the dwarf is a solo treasure hunter, left to his own devices after a cave-in separates him from the rest of his crew. The ground underneath the land is filled with ruins, treasures, and monsters, just waiting to be found. Luckily, he's armed with his trusty drill ready to explore the earth.

The core of Dunk's journey is digging. While underground, players can hold down the R trigger to rev up their drill and start drilling through dirt or stone. There are no preset maps and no pre-made tunnels: players make their own paths, digging in whatever direction they please. Their tunnels are persistent and will always stay in exactly the same position between play sessions, allowing players to slowly build an extensive tunnel network over time. Dunk will slowly get more tired over time as he digs, but luckily he can carry a supply of his favourite booze, "beev", with him; taking a swig of beev helps him recover his strength, and he can always refresh his supply of beev back at town.

Hidden throughout the world are tombs, filled with treasures - but also monsters. If Dunk runs into these, he can explore them to collect whatever treasures he finds while defending himself from monsters with his hammer. After collecting treasures, he can bring them back to the nearest settlement to decode ancient relics and sell valuable items, using the proceeds to find more supplies to keep him going.

Keywords

exploration
space mining
mining

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The game revolves around the dwarf Dunk (36 years old), who after surviving the collapse of a cave and being cut off from the rest of his team while excavating ruins, searches for treasures and other relics. The player drills underground through a large area to find these items. Dunk can get tired and has to drink an alcohol named "beev" to recover his stamina. The player can travel to a nearby town to upgrade their drill and buy other items and sell the valuables they find.

Throughout the game, the player will encounter enemies such as goblins, mummies, and scorpions that will attack the player during exploration. Dunk can defend himself with his hammer or drill. The player can also meet various NPCs inside the tunnels that sell explosives and other useful items.