Who made it?
Published by Nintendo itself, the game was made by developer Vanpool, who has a history in music and computer software. He previously worked on the music for several Nintendo games and designed the mini-games in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. Most importantly, Vanpool is the developer of Freshly-Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland.
Today, Vanpool mainly assists HAL Laboratory on Kirby games, having worked on Kirby Fighters 2, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe.
What is the premise?
You are an armadillo. That’s all you need to know.
Okay, more seriously, Dillon’s Rolling Western is a mix between an action game and a tower defense game, and you have to defend various villages against Grocks, monsters that look like walking rocks. Dillon (the armadillo) has the ability to roll into them, but the villagers may need to support him with some defensive towers every now and then.
You have three days to defend each village before moving on to a new one, but you don’t have to defend yourself all the time because enemies only come out at night. Each day is divided into three phases – day, evening and night. During the day you can explore, mine resources and just feel the world. As the evening comes, you must protect the city. Then settle down in the evening with a bite to eat or practice your moves.
Why should I play it?
There really isn’t anything quite like this on the 3DS, and it’s the beginnings of a very unique IP in Nintendo’s catalog. The game also received two sequels — Dillon’s Rolling Western: The Last Ranger and Dillon’s Dead-Heat Breakers, the latter of which is available physically.
But this whole franchise is currently stuck on the 3DS and hasn’t been re-released anywhere else, which is a real shame. It’s a simplified, stylized take on the Tower Defense genre, with a mix of anthropomorphic creatures and characters thrown in for fun. Who doesn’t want to play as an armadillo shooter anyway?
Also, you might recognize Dillon if you’ve played Smash Wii U, 3DS, or Ultimate, as he makes cameos in the form of trophies, assist trophies, and ghosts.
How much is that?
$9.99 / £8.99 / $9.99. The Last Ranger also comes at the same price. If you want to complete the trilogy, you’ll have to shell out $39.99 / £34.99 / 3$9.99 for Dead-Heat Breakers digitally.
We’ll be back soon with another 3DS or Wii U eShop recommendation as part this series ‘Countdown’. Let us know below if you already have this in your collection and share your thoughts. Also, feel free to nominate other games — we may feature them in the coming days.
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