Mr. Driller is a real-time puzzle game that relies solely on quick-thinking and a bit of planning. The gameplay is a combination of Tetris and Boulder Dash : You have to drill down through multi-colored blocks to reach the bottom while avoiding the consequences of reckless drilling; blocks left without a foundation will drop down after a while, potentially crushing Mr. Driller . As the hero's air supply is depleted with time, the player must regularly grab oxygen pick-ups. Some of the blocks are "X-Blocks", which take a few tries to drill through and take away a large chunk of the player's air if destroyed. If four or more X-Blocks come in contact with each other, they vanish and leave behind a small blue creature "Chisokojin", which grants 765 points when picked up.
The game features two scenarios: the "2500ft" challenge and the "5000ft" challenge, both with five and ten levels respectively. Players must navigate through the blocks, managing their air supply and avoiding deadly drops to reach the bottom of each level.