History YMMV / DillonsRollingWestern

* TierInducedScrappy: The Impact Blasters. Early on, the player will pick them simply because they're cheap and deal a decent amount of damage to the enemies at the time. However, as ''Dead-Heat Breakers'' progresses, the player will often only use them to fill up an empty tower or help defend the main shelter. Their main issue is that they have a ''horribly'' short range in practice - by the time they get an opportunity to fire, a grock is already attacking their barricade, and they'll almost ''never'' be able to hold off a hammer grock from destroying their barricade.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: ''Dillon's Dead Heat Breakers'' makes major changes to the gameplay to address the common criticisms of the previous two titles being tedious and frustrating. This includes replacing touch screen controls with standard button controls, allowing the player to hire gunners and set them up before even going on the field, reducing the three day structure to just a single day, making the star rankings optional via replays, and removing the missions with clients.

* DemonicSpiders: Whalegrocks and Thundergrocks in ''Dead-Heat Breakers'', which are walls of health and hit quite frequently. They eat a ''lot'' of shots before going down (Even your snipers who deal the most damage), and if your Amiimal engages in them, chances are they will be occupied for ''quite'' awhile while you deal with the others. If you decide to deal with the either of them, then they will eat quite a bit of your time, which can be valuable when enemies spawn mid-fight. Both also have their own annoyances too, with Whalegrocks being able to swim in the water and completely ignore both Dillon and the player's Amiimal, and Thundergrocks having a [[ThatOneAttack really annoying spread attack]] in combat. The previous EliteMooks were [[DamageSpongeBoss sponges]] that would occupy your Amiimal's time, but these two take it UpToEleven. The only saving graces is that like the other "boss" Grock types, they never prioritize smashing up the gunner towers and they're slow on the field, meaning that gunners can ''easily'' weaken them and they're easy targets for people with the Long Shot.

* UncannyValley: While animal Miis have been seen before (Such as the dogs in ''VideoGame/WiiSportsResort'' or the anthropomorphic dogs, cats, and rabbits in ''VideoGame/StreetpassMiiPlaza''), ''Dillon's Dead-Heat Breakers'' marks the first time where the player can turn their own Miis into anthropomorphic animals (Called [[IncrediblyLamePun "Amiimals"]]). However, due to the Amiimals' having a slightly more realistic art-style compared to the aforementioned animal Miis, as well as their heads having a rather human-animal hybrid design to them, [[https://pm1.narvii.com/6824/5d738ce931b9cb05ddffc6edcf0a7b23e10d5535v2_hq.jpg they do not mix well with Mii faces and can end up looking rather unsettling]]. The bull and especially the mouse in the [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/dillonsrollingwestern/images/e/ef/00000790_09.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20170914004146 official artwork for the Amiimals]] are especially worth noting about.

** Races are the best way to get money in ''Dead Heat Breakers'', but on days when races are not available, players may often find themselves going to the mart for money since it lets you take a breather, and [[TheScrappy you don't have Jolt getting in the way when you're trying to recycle things in the recycling centre]] or the skill cap of the arcade. Most players can easily pick just two items (That're close to the reference) and sit at the counter all day.

* TheScrappy:
** Jolt, a puffin who runs the recycling centre in ''Dead-Heat Breakers''. He asks you to recycle things that look ''very'' similar to one another and has the nerve to dance around and get in your way.
** Design-wise, sheep are the most disliked Amiimals in ''Dead-Heat Breakers'', as they can only sport an afro-like hairstyle, which completely obscures any hairstyle the Mii it's based on has. This can be ''VERY'' bothersome when two sheep Amiimals have nearly or completely identical faces.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: The Amiimals in ''Dead-Heat Breakers''. Some fans are glad that Miis are still getting support after hardly being utilized since the release of the Nintendo Switch and the failure of ''VideoGame/{{Miitomo}}''. Others feel that they are an unnecessary addition to the game and have also been seen as [[ReplacementScrappy inferior replacements]] of Gallo, Boone, and Nomad from ''The Last Ranger''. Some have also accused the Amiimal feature as Vanpool trying to pander to the UsefulNotes/FurryFandom, not helped with the fact that the game came out not too long after the release of ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'', which was infamous for heightening interest of anthropomorphic animals. And then there are those who felt like Vanpool was trying to [[FollowTheLeader capitalize]] on the character creation system from ''VideoGame/SonicForces'', which itself also received polarizing reactions from fans.

* PopularWithFurries: You control a fairly badass anthropomorphic armadillo, and in ''Dead-Heat Breakers'', your own Mii is turned into an anthropomorphic animal to become a character in the story.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: The Amiimals in ''Dead-Heat Breakers''. Some fans are glad that Miis are still getting support after hardly being utilized since the release of the Nintendo Switch and the failure of ''VideoGame/{{Miitomo}}''. Others feel that they are an unnecessary addition to the game and have also been seen as [[ReplacementScrappy inferior replacements]] of Gallo, Boone, and Nomad from ''The Last Ranger''. Some have also accused the Amiimal feature as Vanpool trying to pander to the UsefulNotes/FurryFandom, not helped with the fact that the game came out not too long after the release of ''Disney/{{Zootopia}}'', which was infamous for heightening interest of anthropomorphic animals. And then there are those who felt like Vanpool was trying to [[FollowTheLeader capitalize]] on the character creation system from ''VideoGame/SonicForces'', which itself also received polarizing reactions from fans.

* {{Narm}}: Can be invoked in ''Dead-Heat Breakers'' with the [=NPC=] Amiimals. Most of them are based off of people from your friend's list or your own Miis, so if you have one that's intentionally hideous or based off of someone famous (ie, Creator/EdgarAllanPoe, Creator/MichaelJackson, or Creator/DavidBowie) you might see them in the game. The game even ''says'' which mii they are, too.

* ComplacentGamingSyndrome: In ''Dead-Heat Breakers'', expect to have one or two Long Shots(Snipers), one or two Plasma Cannons (rocket launchers), and mostly vulcans with a ''few'' short-ranged shooters on every map. Snipers have the most restrictive range, but can often take out even mid-tier enemies in one hit, meaning they ''will'' be rolling in the KO bonus if placed in a strategic location. Vulcans meanwhile are the weakest weapons, but they're often the cheapest to hire and do their job of weakening enemies for you, your Amiimal, or even other gunners. The low-range weapons may often be the least used, since their range is so small by the time they can fire, enemies are already attacking the barricade.

* TierInducedScrappy: The short-ranged gunners. Early on, the player will pick them simply because they're cheap and deal a decent amount of damage to the enemies at the time. However, as ''Dead-Heat Breakers'' progresses, the palyer will often only use them to fill up an empty tower or help defend the main shelter. Their main issue is that they have a ''horribly'' short range in practice - by the time they get an opportunity to fire, a grock is already attacking their barricade, and they'll almost ''never'' be able to hold off a hammer grock from destroying their barricade.

* ComplacentGamingSyndrome: In ''Dead-Heat Breakers'', expect to have one or two snipers, one or two rocket launchers, and mostly vulcans with a ''few'' short-ranged shooters on every map. Snipers have the most restrictive range, but can often take out even mid-tier enemies in one hit, meaning they ''will'' be rolling in the KO bonus if placed in a strategic location. Vulcans meanwhile are the weakest weapons, but they're often the cheapest to hire and do their job of weakening enemies for you, your Amiimal, or even other gunners. The low-range weapons may often be the least used, since their range is so small by the time they can fire enemies are already attacking the barricade.

* DemonicSpiders: Whalegrocks and Thundergrocks in ''Dead-Heat Breakers'', which are walls of health and hit quite frequently. They eat a ''lot'' of shots before going down (Even your snipers who deal the most damage), and if your Amiimal engages in them, chances are they will be occupied for ''quite'' awhile while you deal with the others. If you decide to deal with the either of them, then they will eat quite a bit of your time, which can be valuable when enemies spawn mid-fight. Both also have their own annoyances too, with Whalegrocks being able to swim in the water and completely ignore both Dillon and the player's Amiimal, and Thundergrocks having a [[ThatOneAttack really annoying spread attack]] in combat. The previous EliteMooks were [[DamageSpongeBoss sponges]] that would occupy your Amiimal's time, but these two take it UpToEleven. The only saving graces is that like the other "boss" Grock types, they never prioritize smashing up the gunner towers and they're slow on the field.

* UncannyValley: While animal Miis have been seen before (Such as the dogs in ''VideoGame/WiiSportsResort'' or the anthropomorphic dogs, cats, and rabbits in ''VideoGame/StreetpassMiiPlaza''), ''Dillon's Dead-Heat Breakers'' marks the first time where the player can turn their own Miis into anthropomorphic animals (Called [[IncrediblyLamePun "Amiimals"]]). However, due to the Amiimals' having a slightly more realistic art-style compared to the aforementioned animal Miis, as well as their heads having a rather human-animal hybrid design to them, [[https://pm1.narvii.com/6824/5d738ce931b9cb05ddffc6edcf0a7b23e10d5535v2_hq.jpg they do not mix well with Mii faces and can end up looking rather unsettling]]. The bull and especially the mouse in the [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/dillonsrollingwestern/images/e/ef/00000790_09.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20170914004146 official artwork for the Amiimals]] are especially worth noting about.

** DemonicSpiders: Whalegrocks and Thundergrocks in ''Dead-Heat Breakers'', which are walls of health and hit quite frequently. They eat a ''lot'' of shots before going down (Even your snipers who deal the most damage), and if your Amiimal engages in them, chances are they will be occupied for ''quite'' awhile while you deal with the others. If you decide to deal with the either of them, then they will eat quite a bit of your time, which can be valuable when enemies spawn mid-fight. Both also have their own annoyances too, with Whalegrocks being able to swim in the water and completely ignore both Dillon and the player's Amiimal, and Thundergrocks having a [[ThatOneAttack really annoying spread attack]] in combat. The previous EliteMooks were [[DamageSpongeBoss sponges]] that would occupy your Amiimal's time, but these two take it UpToEleven. The only saving graces is that like the other "boss" Grock types, they never prioritize smashing up the gunner towers and they're slow on the field.

* DemonicSpiders: Whalegrocks in ''Dead-Heat Breakers'', which are walls of health and hit quite frequently. They eat a ''lot'' of shots before going down (Even your snipers who deal the most damage), and if your Amiimal engages in them, chances are they will be occupied for ''quite'' awhile while you deal with the others. If you decide to deal with the Whalegrocks then they will eat quite a bit of your time, which can be valuable when enemies spawn mid-fight. The previous EliteMooks were [[DamageSpongeBoss sponges]] that would occupy your Amiimal's time, but the Whalegrocks take it UpToEleven.
* GoddamnedBats: Snaggrocks, especially in ''Dead-Heat Breakers''. In the first two games, they would sometimes appear out of nowhere in the overworld (They're also one of the few Grocks that can appear before a raid, too) and snag some of Dillon's money, who would then have to chase them down to retrieve the stolen money back. In ''Dead-Heat Breakers'', they instead suck any gunner tower's energy dry. They move too quickly for most of your gunners to take down, and unless your Amiimal is directly in their path, they will outrun them, meaning the job of taking care of them goes to you. This is actually [[InvokedTrope invoked]] - they're ''intended'' to be annoying.

** The brake mechanic, which is done by holding the stylus down on the touch screen[[note]]In the first game and ''The Last Ranger''.[[/note]]/holding down the B button[[note]]In ''Dead-Heat Breakers''.[[/note]] while in rolling mode in the overworld of stages. While it is the expected way to get out of rolling mode, most players use the alternate way to get out of rolling mode, which is done by pressing the L button[[note]]In ''Dead-Heat Breakers'', it is instead done by pressing the L button while holding the B button.[[/note]] to instantly switch back to non-ball form, though it does take a couple of seconds for the animation to finish. The problem with braking is that using it has a slight delay, which can be rather bothersome when trying to slow down to collect Scruffles or when trying to run into a Grock you missed. What doesn't help is that you have to wait until Dillon completely stops to get out of ball form.

* GoddamnedBats: Snaggrocks in ''Dead-Heat Breakers'', who suck your towers' energy dry. They move too quickly for most of your gunners to take down, and unless your Amiimal is directly in their path, they will outrun them, meaning the job of taking care of them goes to you. This is actually [[InvokedTrope invoked]] - they're ''intended'' to be annoying.

** The brake mechanic, which is done by holding the stylus down on the touch screen (In the first game and ''The Last Ranger'')/holding down the B button (In ''Dead-Heat Breakers'') while in rolling mode in the overworld of stages. While it is the expected way to get out of rolling mode, most players use the alternate way to get out of rolling mode, which is done by pressing the L button (In ''Dead-Heat Breakers'', it is done by pressing the L button while holding the B button, instead)) to instantly switch back to non-ball form, though it does take a couple of seconds for the animation to finish. The problem with braking is that using it has a slight delay, which can be rather bothersome when trying to slow down to collect Scruffles or when trying to run into a Grock you missed. What doesn't help is that you have to wait until Dillon completely stops to get out of ball form.

*** The brake mechanic, which can be done by holding down the B button while in rolling mode in the overworld of stages. While also present in the previous 2 games (By holding the stylus down on the touch screen while in rolling mode), it's worth noting here as it is the only way in the game to switch back to non-ball form. In the previous 2 games, the player can simply press the L button to instantly switch back to non-ball form, though it does take a couple of seconds for the animation to finish. The problem with braking is that using it has a slight delay, which can be rather bothersome when trying to slow down to collect Scruffles or when trying to run into a Grock you missed. What doesn't help is that you have to wait until Dillon completely stops to return back to non-ball form.

*** The brake mechanic, which can be done by holding down the B button while in rolling mode in the overworld of stages. While also present in the previous 2 games (By holding the stylus down on the touch screen while in rolling mode), it's worth noting here as it is the only way in the game to switch back to non-ball form. In the previous 2 games, the player can simply press the L button to instantly switch back to non-ball form, though it does take a couple of seconds for the animation to finish. The problem with braking is that using it has a slight delay, which can be rather bothersome when trying to slow down to collect Scruffles or when trying to run into a Grock you missed. What doesn't help is that you have to wait until Dillon completely stops to return back to ball form.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: The Amiimals in ''Dillon's Dead-Heat Breakers''. Some fans are glad that Miis are still getting support after hardly being utilized since the release of the Nintendo Switch and the failure of ''VideoGame/{{Miitomo}}''. Others feel that they are an unnecessary addition to the game and have also been seen as [[ReplacementScrappy inferior replacements]] of Gallo, Boone, and Nomad from ''The Last Ranger''. Some have also accused the Amiimal feature as Vanpool trying to pander to the UsefulNotes/FurryFandom, not helped with the fact that the game came out not too long after the release of ''Disney/{{Zootopia}}'', which was infamous for heightening interest of anthropomorphic animals. And then there are those who felt like Vanpool was trying to [[FollowTheLeader capitalize]] on the character creation system from ''VideoGame/SonicForces'', which itself also received polarizing reactions from fans.

* {{Narm}}: Can be invoked in ''Dillon's Dead-Heat Breakers'' with the [=NPC=] Amiimals. Most of them are based off of people from your friend's list or your own Miis, so if you have one that's intentionally hideous or based off of someone famous (ie, Creator/EdgarAllanPoe, Creator/MichaelJackson, or Creator/DavidBowie) you might see them in the game. The game even ''says'' which mii they are, too.

*** The controls, but this is mainly a problem for lefties. There's no option to change the settings, and it doesn't support the Circle Pad Pro, making the game even more difficult than it needs to be. Thankfully, this has been addressed in ''The Last Ranger'', which allows the player to switch between left-handed or right-handed. ''Dillon's Dead-Heat Breakers'' is a bigger improvement, as it completely forgoes touch screen controls in favor of button controls.

*** The map is extremely small and the icons cannot be touched to see the health of a tower unless the player goes to another menu.
*** The star ranking system. In order to progress, the player must collect stars, which are awarded by completing a stage, and more of them can be obtained by beating the stage in a certain amount of time and successfully completing all 3 quests of said stage. Unfortunately, as wiping out all of the Grocks during a raid can take a very long time (Made even worse with the savings mechanic, see above), it is very easy to get a low star ranking on your first playthrough of a stage, which more often than not won't net you the amount of stars you need in order to progress, thus forcing you to retry a stage until you get a higher star ranking in order to get the required amount. Luckily, ''The Last Ranger'' has the option to buy stars from a shop nearby the first stage on the map, which will raise your star count and save you time from replaying stages to get a higher star ranking.

*** Creating an Amiimal in ''Dillon's Dead-Heat Breakers''. When creating one, your Mii is covered by a barrel that you need to escape out of by mashing the A button. Doing so will result in your Mii transforming into a random animal, which you can decline if it's the one you don't want to be. The problem is that you cannot freely choose which animal you'd like to be. You have to decline the animal you don't want and repeat the whole process again until you get an animal that you like. To make matters worse, each Mii is restricted to only 4 animals solely based on their face, which may mean you might not be able to get the animal you wanted to be unless you change your Mii's face.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: ''Dillon's Dead Heat Breakers'' makes major changes to the gameplay to address the common criticisms of the previous two titles being tedious and difficult. This includes replacing touch screen controls with standard button controls, allowing the player to hire gunners and set them up before even going on the field, reducing the three day structure to just a single day, making the star rankings optional via replays, and removing the missions with clients.

** Design-wise, sheep are the most disliked Amiimals, as they can only sport an afro-like hairstyle, which completely obscures any hairstyle the Mii it's based on has. This can be ''VERY'' bothersome when two sheep Amiimals have nearly or completely identical faces.

* TheScrappy: Jolt, a puffin who runs the recycling centre in ''Dead-Heat Breakers''. He asks you to recycle things that look ''very'' similar to one another and has the nerve to dance around and get in your way.

*** While on the subject of Amiimals, sheep are the most disliked Amiimals design-wise, as they can only sport an afro-like hairstyle, which completely obscures any hairstyle the Mii it's based on has. This can be ''VERY'' bothersome when two sheep Amiimals have nearly or completely identical faces.

*** Creating an Amiimal in ''Dillon's Dead-Heat Breakers''. When creating an one, your Mii is covered by a barrel that you need to escape out of by mashing the A button. Doing so will result in your Mii transforming into a random animal, which you can decline if it's the one you don't want to be. The problem is that you cannot freely choose which animal you'd like to be. You have to decline the animal you don't want and repeat the whole process again until you get an animal that you like. To make matters worse, each Mii is restricted to only 4 animals solely based on their face, which may mean you might not be able to get the animal you wanted to be unless you change your Mii's face.

** The final boss of the first game, [[spoiler: the Ultimogrock. Unlike every other Grock, it cannot be battled upon contact, due to being completely out of Dillon's reach. In order to battle it, you must use your towers to shoot it down until it falls to the ground or have it approach the village the first time so Russ can throw the Victory Charm at it. Upon doing either, you can enter its mouth and start the fight. To defeat it, you must keep damaging its core until its health runs out. However, the core can summon pillars to completely block Dillon from damaging it, not helping that these pillars can also harm Dillon while in the middle of slashing or grinding the core. Not only that, but it can summon Crysgrocks to make it even more difficult to attack the core. Sometimes, the core will be completely guarded by pillars, and you are required to destroy a Bossgrock named "Diamongrock" (Sometimes '''TWO''') in order to get rid of the pillars. To make matters worse, you are only given 120 seconds to take out the core or else the Ultimogrock will get right back up and be out of reach again, forcing you to wait for it to get taken down again. Couple that with its absurd amount of HP, and it is very unlikely that you will ever defeat the Ultimogrock on your first attempt.]]
** The final boss of ''The Last Ranger'', [[spoiler: the Wheelgrock, has the same problems as the boss mentioned above. Due to a protective shield, it cannot be battled at all at that moment. To get rid of the barrier, Dillon must safely push the cart carrying Russ, Gallo, Boone, and Nomad back to the village to deliver the Powerstone to a mark near the entrance that is referred to as "The Bowl of Armedo" (Actually called "The '''BOW''' of Armedo). After doing so, a large bow will reveal itself near the mark and Dillon uses himself as an arrow to launch himself towards the Wheelgrock to destroy the shield. Once it collapses, the player can battle the Wheelgrock. Like the above mentioned boss, the player must destroy its core in order to defeat it. To protect the core, the ginormous Grock uses top-like hazards that roll in circles around it, as well energy balls that aim at Dillon, the former of which can completely block Dillon's roll attack and the lattar completely harms Dillon. To make matters worse, the player now only has 90 seconds to take it out (Making it even more unlikely to beat it on the first attempt). Failing to do so will force the player to rely on towers until it topples over or have it approach the village the first time, which will result in Gallo, Boone, and Nomad charging at it with a cart full of dynamite to bring it down, thus giving Dillon another chance to defeat it. Couple that with its extremely high HP, and you have a boss that can take even longer to defeat.]]

* ThatOneSidequest: All 3 of the quests in [[spoiler: Last Stand]]. The first quest, "Croaky Jr", has Madam Croaky requesting the player to find a gem called "Aurolia", which is '''the''' rarest gem to find in the game, and more likely than not, you won't be able to find this gem in time to give it to Madam Croaky. The second one, "Operation Caretaker", has Colonel Buster betting the player to not have 3 tower destructions throughout the whole stage, which can be really tough since tons of Grocks can roam the stage during the Raid (Made even worse when attempting the stage the first time, due to the limited amount of money you start with). Lastly, there's the final quest, "To Dillon...", which is given out by Rachel the Reporter. This quest involves Dillon having to take out 4 Grocks at once with a single Arma-Charge...'''TWICE'''. Considering that it's not very often that 4 or more Grocks can position in a place where you can take them all out at once, this quest can be extremely obnoxious.

*** The star ranking system. In order to progress, the player must collect stars, which are awarded by completing a stage, and more of them can be obtained by beating the stage in a certain amount of time and successfully completing all 3 quests of said stage. Unfortunately, as wiping out all of the Grocks during a raid can take a very long time (Made even worse with the savings mechanic, see above), it is very easy to get a low star ranking on your first day, which more often than not won't net you the amount of stars you need in order to progress, thus forcing you to retry a stage until you get a higher star ranking in order to get the required amount. Luckily, ''The Last Ranger'' has the option to buy stars from a shop nearby the first stage on the map, which will raise your star count and save you time from replaying stages to get a higher star ranking.

* ComplacentGamingSyndrome: In ''Dead-Heat Breakers'' Expect to have one or two snipers, one or two rocket launchers, and mostly vulcans with a ''few'' short-ranged shooters on every map. Snipers have the most restrictive range, but can often take out even mid-tier enemies in one hit, meaning they ''will'' be rolling in the KO bonus if placed in a strategic location. Vulcans meanwhile are the weakest weapons, but they're often the cheapest to hire and do their job of weakening enemies for you, your Amiimal, or even other gunners. The low-range weapons may often be the least used, since their range is so small by the time they can fire enemies are already attacking the barricade.
** Races are the best way to get money in ''Dead Heat Breakers'', but on days when races are not available, players may often find themselves going to the mart for money since it lets you take a breather, and [[TheScrappy you don't have that annoying bird getting in the way when you're trying to recycle things in the recyling centre]] or the skill cap of the arcade. Most players can easily pick just two items (That're close to the reference) and sit at the counter all day.

* GoddamnedBats: The striped grocks who suck your towers' energy dry. They move too quickly for most of your gunners to take down, and unless your Amiimal is directly in their path they will outrun them, meaning the job of taking care of them goes to you. This is actually [[InvokedTrope invoked]] - they're ''intended'' to be annoying.

* PopularWithFurries: You control a fairly badass anthropomorphic armadillo, and in the third game, your own Mii is turned into an anthropomorphic animal to become a character in the story.
* TheScrappy: The bird who runs the recycling centre in ''Dead-Heat Breakers''. He asks you to recycle things that look ''very'' similar to one another and has the nerve to dance around and get in your way.