Dillon's Dead-Heat Breakers

After how much I didn’t like Dillon’s past adventures, I had low expectations for Dillon’s Dead-Heat Breakers. The final game’s quality is a revelation, as it turned out to be so much fun, with smart tweaks to the tower defense bits and a much more fleshed out overall game with an involved town segment.

The best game in the series to date. [Issue #34 – July/August 2018, p. 17]

Despite its issues, Dillon's Dead-Heat Breakers is a solid recommendation for 3DS owners looking for something new. Its bold and unorthodox setting makes for an experience unlike any Nintendo game before it, while its odd mashup of different genres makes it especially rewarding for open-minded gamers. It might lack the depth of other single-genre titles, but Dillon's Dead-Heat Breakers makes up for it with uniqueness and furry-filled charm.

You'll come away with a new appreciation for those oft-ignored indies that make their way to the system every so often.

Dillon’s Dead-Heat Breakers is easily the finest the series has yet to offer players. It does away with the clumsy touch controls while offering more variety in gameplay and streamlined battles that perfectly fits the new approach.

Dillon and his adorable little hamster friend Russ roll back into the Tower Defence scene with fresh and futuristic tale of Western adventure. Dillon's Dead-Heat Breakers builds on the previous games, heightening the action with intense races and expands the universe with an intriguing cast of characters/recruits. There is a steep learning curve and a lot of investment needed into the main tower defence gameplay, but it is worth rolling into in order to save those adorable Scrog critters.

Sometimes the adventure tends to be monotonous. Moreover, it doesn’t have a multiplayer mode. Despite that, the minigames will keep us entertained for a long time and also, it’s really nice that we can see our mii in action as in Miitopia.

Despite the constant back and forth between jobs and saving frontiers, I had a great time strapping in for the ride. Dillon’s Dead-Heat Breakers offers a refreshing experience from both the racing and action, mixing both genres with a heap of tower defense for a truly unique experience.

For all my frustration with unwelcome tutorials before every level, slow speech, having to replay levels, and hiring helpers, I enjoyed the core action and running my store. The muck you must wade through before you get to the action is unavoidable, but when you do finally get through, it’s compelling. Speeding around the levels as Dillon, slamming into enemies and pulling off last-second saves as animal versions of my friends and family cheer me on is exhilarating.

Although it still feels a little bit repetitive, it’s a step in the right direction for the series. It’s fun and engaging, and even if it still has some rough edges, the experience is quite good.

Dillon’s Dead-Heat Breakers doesn’t stray too far from the established formula of the previous entries but it still manages to provide a fast-paced take on the tower defense genre. It’s unfortunately marred by some repetitive gameplay sections but it’s still a blast to play in the end.

Dillon’s Dead-Heat Breakers brings a quality and enjoyable tower defense style game in its third installment in the series. Although the story and cutscenes tend to drag, the overall gameplay is great fun. Even if you’ve never played a game in the Dillon series, I recommend giving this a try.

I can't fathom a situation where fans of the franchise will be disappointed with Dillon's Dead-Heat Breakers. The music is fantastic, the world well-realized, Dillion has never looked better, and the shift away from predominantly touch controls is a wise decision. This is a solid adventure through and through, and it gives me slight hope we'll see other forgotten eShop gems get another chance to shine in the future.