The ultimate Otaku power fantasy, boiled down into probably the most violent series that Nintendo has lovingly called one of their own has FINALLY gotten a re-release on a modern console, a smart move that will certainly help continue to bring the hype for the upcoming No More Heroes 3. No More Heroes is a series started on the Wii, which it also got its sequel on which we will also be covering here, No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle. That’s right, the Nintendo Wii! There is plenty of optional waggle for those of you who want to really relive the original experience with these games, but you can also play without it with a control scheme that works VERY well. You could even say it controls a little better, but part of No More Heroes is the entire vibe and attitude, and I think the waggle really helps settle you into the role of Travis Touchdown.
No More Heroes and No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture & Marvelous Inc.
Price: $20 each
Platform: Nintendo Switch
MonsterVine was supplied with Switch code for review
Travis is a down on his luck dude, obsessed with Japanese media, video games, old wrestling videos, and as it turns out, a hell of a fighter! Travis manages to essentially win an eBay auction for a real deal lightsaber, and from there, manages to kick off the whole series by killing one of the top-ranked assassins of a secret, blood-soaked organization of killers. After this, he finds out he’s officially been awarded a ranked position within the organization, and he has nowhere to go but up, as there are officially people coming for his position, and his neck in order to do that. Now I know you might be all pumped up to get your killing on at this point, defend your title and rise through the ranks, but come on, this is an ORGANIZATION! You got fees to pay buddy, and the best way to do that is going to be some side jobs, and maybe if you’re lucky you can find a way for your special set of (beam katana) skills to make you some money as well.
The general gameplay loop for both of the No More Heroes games is centered around rising through the ranks of the organization by paying for your association fees by doing odd jobs and short combat sequences to get cash. After that, you will go to a larger level to fight through a ton of grunts, leaving the hallways splattered with blood, until you make it to your target for a big grand boss battle. There is plenty to do in Santa Destroy, California from delivering coconuts, capturing scorpions, and mowing grass, to constantly being hired to meddle in the affairs of Pizza conglomerates in the city, by way of killing. Speaking of killing, this is VERY much one of the most intentionally over the top violent game series I’ve ever played, and I loved it! After so much of Nintendo constantly being family-friendly and such, they decided to put this on probably their most family-focused console ever and it was honestly a bit refreshing. It’s all very tongue in cheek (It’s Goichi Suda, AKA Suda51 and this is par for the course), but you can very much tell what kind of feeling they were going for with this, and they knock it out of the park.
Make sure to get help from old drunks trying to gather various hidden star covered balls in the city (We all know that’s a Dragon Ball stand-in, you aren’t fooling us Suda!), or maybe visit the former Pro Wrestler in order to lift some weights or do some stretches to increase your stats (and yes, this does include some good old fashioned motion controls). Maybe visit Doctor Naomi who sells upgrades for your beam katana, as well as entirely new versions of a beam katana, my favorite being some kind of absolutely insane beam… claymore? You have to see it to believe it, it’s COOL! Santa Destroy is filled with all kinds of interesting characters who can help you on your journey to the top, the second time included, so be sure to take advantage of that or else you are going to have a hard time.
Now that we’ve painted a pretty little picture of this, let’s get into the real meat and potatoes of this game, the blood-soaked combat. I’m sure you can imagine, a beam katana is capable of some massive destruction, but you aren’t the only one rocking some fancy weaponry. Travis assumes one of two stances depending on how you are holding the Wiimote, or which buttons you are pressing should you opt-out of motion controls (Don’t do that your first time through!). If you are holding your controller angled up or down, Travis will accordingly attack with either a High or a Low attack, and using a combination of these attacks is an important step to breaking through enemies’ guards and doing big damage, and hopefully getting a deathblow prompt. You will have to vary your attacks to be effective, so be sure to pay attention to what stance is most effective against enemies.
Travis can attack with his beam katana, or do kicks and punches to put the enemy in a stunned state where Travis can flex his wrestling knowledge, as larger on-screen motion control prompts to german suplex the CEO of a pizza company. Normal, everyday stuff, I know. You can do charge attacks with either method of attacking, or you can weave them together to try and do a stun state while also doing damage as well. In addition to that, Travis can block, roll and as you unlock some other moves, you can do jumping slashes and other maneuvers!
Do enough damage, and an on-screen prompt will pop up, giving you a direction to swing your Wiimote as Travis will execute a Deathblow, a generally killing blow that can bisect a man at the waist, causing a shower of blood to come from their still standing legs. These attacks can really turn the tide of a battle, because the intense amount of damage will also damage those around the target and leave you standing on top of multiple bodies. When you successfully kill with a death blow as well, you will see a slot machine start-up on the screen, and if you line up 3 icons with that Travis will enter his other combat mode, Dark Side. Dark Sides’ particular effects depend on what icon you match, but they range from super speed, single slash kills, instant deathblows, or even turning into a tiger because WHY NOT! I love this, but it’s also one of the only things I get annoyed at. Every single time I trigger this, it’s on one of the last two enemies it seems, so I only either get to use it to beat one grunt or completely waste it since there is no one around to use it on. When this triggers at the start of a fight, or it triggers when you are losing a fight, it feels GREAT however, just my personal experience and tendency towards bad luck in video games come back to bite me when it comes to this mechanic.
I think that covers the general idea of these two games, but I’d like to spend some time talking about the changes and additions the second game brings to the table because those are the big changes since the story’s setup is similar in structure in both games. NMH2 brings out the big guns in the form of further differentiating how different weapons act for Travis, with one of the standouts being his dual-wielding pair of beam… short swords? The sequel also has a few segments in which you get to play as someone other than Travis, and those sections really shine because it feels like a breath of fresh air to play some mechanically different characters in this super fun world. The open-world is also nixed for the second game, and the side jobs are given a retro makeover which I personally love! I don’t miss the open world much, it mostly existed to extend game playtime by making you run all over the place in Travis’s giant custom motorcycle. Instead, you just select where to go and badabing, badaboom you are there, no clunky driving required!
The Final Word
No More Heroes is a series that is near and dear to my heart, and I will recommend it up and down to anyone. The series has some quirks, but its personality and uniqueness shine true against similar gameplay games, and its boss fights are some of the most memorable ones in gaming. I think Travis Touchdown is a little bit of a self insert for everyone who’s ever wanted to live their favorite things. He is brash, a pervert, and a little bit of a loser, but he is a dude who is true to himself, and unashamedly announces his loves from the rooftops. Pick this up, because No More Heroes 3 is setting itself up to be a must-play, and this will set the stage for you to truly appreciate it!
– MonsterVine Rating: 4.5 out of 5 – Great
