Drihoo [ドリホー] Game Sample - Xbox
Did you ever want to combine Namco's "Mr. Driller" with the likes of Nintendo's "Wario Land" and the mild shenanigans of a "Roguelike"? Ever wanted that game to be released in a market that guaranteed almost no one would play it? Ever wanted it to be produced on a budget as a niche developer's swansong? If so, Microsoft and "Highwaystar Co." have got you covered -- "Drihoo", a borderline rare game for the original Xbox, is the marriage of such odd ideas that can loosely be considered an ARPG / Adventure title. It was tentatively called "Piledriver" early in development and was released in late 2002 as an early Japanese exclusive. Curiously, the case does not say it was "Only on Xbox", though no other version of the game is known.
The game's setting is a "Late Modern Fantasy World" where the player takes control of a rough and tumble former mercenary and drunk named Dunk who is one of the only survivors of a team of dwarven excavators known as "Oakenshield". In this tale, many adventurers travel the world in search of the past and there are many excavation teams across the world in search of fame, fortune and history. Most dig spots have since become archaeological sites and all archaeological sites were thought to be excavated until a huge discovery was found in Egypt of the ancient Hatkeput (a play on "Hatshepsut") civilization. So great is their intrigue as they built a high-level civilization during ancient times that people clamored to dig there, but very little is currently known due to the overwhelming danger and rampant cave-ins of the region, causing many to lose their lives. As such, the area has been dubbed "Cursepolis" due to its complex rock formations and few dare to explore the depths of the Egyptian underworld as thievery is common and the tombs are said to be possessed by ghosts, mummies, and other creatures. Dunk was excavating with his team in Cursepolis when a cave-in wiped out his team and now he continues on alone to honor their memories and carry their dreams on his back... when he's not bouncing at the bars or black-out drunk.
While the backstory is interesting and the game actually does have a ton of lore that outlines the history of the world and the many treasures you'll find, "Drihoo" is an acquired taste for certain. There is nothing else out there quite like it and I applaud Highwaystar for their originality here, but the game moves at a snails pace and could've been made significantly more enjoyable with a few more quality of life touches and balance corrections. For starters, Drihoo has a lot to do with resource management. This is not a bad thing in and of itself, but the underground world is HUGE and you will find tons of smaller crypts before making your way to the essential tombs needed to advance the story, and the underground is somewhat randomly generated, so crypts won't be in the same places each playthrough. Dunk can only hold twenty items and if you want a fully decked-out dwarf, you need to give up eight of those slots (he can wear a hat, dog tag, two gloves, boots, two support items, and "Beev"). Thankfully, his drill and hammer are accounted for separately, but between finding treasure and enemy drops, you'll either go back to town constantly (most items you find can't be used outright unless they're appraised a few times) to sell or store items, or constantly drop things and keep only what you need. Unfortunately, you'll be doing the former as money (gold) plays a BIG role in this game.
There are several facilities where you can spend your gold from the church to get a blessing (some protections upon death) to the smithy to upgrade your tools to the scholar to decode ancient texts to the map maker who sells digging rights to new lands as you progress the story to the town bar where you buy Beev and rest to save your game. "Beev" is beer and essentially Dunk's sustenance, and can be thought of as a potion you can ration off (it depends how long you hold the left trigger). Several items have quantities and won't be expended in a single use and most items also have ranks from F-S which determines their market value (C or higher is desirable). Gold also acts as experience, where you can level up as you sleep.
The underground is fascinating in the sense that you can have random run-ins with goblins (thieves) or other characters as well as pop-up shops, find items, and deal with the dreaded cave-ins (it erases chunks of your dig progress though you can hire gnomes for protection and any discovered places are still shown). Combat areas are slow and clunky and traps are abundant, the visuals are (rightly) fairly low poly with earth tones and sparseness, and the music is surprisingly good. You move fast above ground, but really slow below ground (drill upgrades and items help with travelling).
While more can be said of Drihoo, the general gameplay loop is shown here with a boss added for flavor. If you like what you see, excavate this rough gem for your collection.