3DS Critic Reviews

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.

Dillon’s Dead Heat Breakers is a great title unfortunately released during a mass exodus from the 3DS to the Switch. It’s a shame because Dillon and his pal Russ are a great set of characters and the world they live in definitely could be explored even further but likely won’t, as this series never really took off the way I think Nintendo hoped it would.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.