Suda51’s No More Heroes franchise is known for being absolutely downright insane. Everything from the cast of characters to what goes on in the game’s universe is on a completely different level from anything else out there. Over the top is what this game does and it does it in ways you wouldn’t expect.
The first No More Heroes launched way back in 2007 on the Nintendo Wii of all consoles. Yup, the family-friendly Nintendo Wii had a title that was oozing mature themes and humour that ventured into the very not-safe-for-work territory. Over the years a sequel was spawned and a spin-off called Travis Strikes Again surfaced too. Both of these were also dripping with Grasshopper Manufacturer’s flamboyant style of gameplay and narrative storytelling that often breaks the fourth wall.
FU
From the get-go, players will be treated to the game’s no-filter content. No More Heroes 3 opens up with an anime cutscene showcasing a meteorite crash landing on Earth. A child finds the meteorite and along with it, a small alien creature known as FU. FU is seemingly wholesome and cute. He connects with the child to build himself a new rocketship to leave Earth and promises to return in 20 years.
Now, 20 years have passed and that child has grown up and made a name for himself. Being a rich corporate executive, he waits to reunite with FU. Unfortunately for everyone else though FU does return to Earth exactly as he said he would he’s not as wholesome as he previously was. Oh no, on the contrary, he’s now a deranged psychopath alien with immense power and immediately begins the subjugation of planet Earth.
This is where Travis gets drawn into the fray. FU’s galactic henchmen are all extremely powerful aliens who make up the Galactic Superhero Rankings. The lowest down on the food chain here, Mr Blackhole is sent out to begin their invasion and encounters Travis and his friends. This is where the game really kicks off and you’re treated to a range of tutorial pop-ups which teach you the basics.
Varied Gameplay
Playing as Travis, players will have access to his iconic beam katana. You’ll have to charge your beam katana up regularly as you play through the game. This is because it uses energy every time you perform an attack and this drains its batteries. By pressing down a button and then flicking the right analog stick up and down, you’ll shake the katana and recharge its battery. Charging the katana up can become a tad annoying throughout the game but thankfully there are other gameplay mechanics which help alleviate this issue.
Travis is not your average human being having access to both a beam katana and a mecha suit with immense power. Having fought off numerous assassins and henchmen in his previous endeavours, Travis is a seasoned veteran of intense battles. No More Heroes 3 is broken up into chapters which play out almost as if they were an anime series. As such, the game is best played in bite-sized chunks so as to avoid fatigue from the fights.
Using Travis’s beam katana, players will hack and slash their way through waves of enemies and face off against a boss. The boss is one of the Galactic Superhero Ranking’s top 10 members. Upon defeating rank number 10, Mr Blackhole, FU takes a personal interest in Travis and the story escalates quite heavily with FU killing multiple people and dismembering a major character. There is a tonne of blood, gore and dark humour in No More Heroes 3 and this game is certainly not for children. There are characters that get decapitated, killed by having their heads crushed, sliced in half and more so do be warned. This is an extremely violent game.
Circling back to the gameplay, players will be able to equip Travis with some skills which he can pull off during battle. At first, you’ll only have access to a deadly dropkick but you gain more as the game progresses. Travis can also grab and throw enemies using a wrestling move and has the ability to instant kill foes by slicing right through them if you move the analog stick according to the on-screen prompts. It feels very satisfying to do this in-game.
Of course, this wouldn’t be a No More Heroes game without a massive amount of variation in the gameplay formula. Each chapter of No More Heroes features gameplay that’s quite varied and different to what you’ve previously played through. There are mini-games and very cinematically driven story segments. Suda51 and Grasshopper Manufacturer love to try different things and there’s even a mini-game where you’ll have to unblock a toilet so that you can save your game.
No More Heroes Style
With all that said above, No More Heroes 3 is certainly more No More Heroes style gameplay. The familiar climbing of rankings aspect seen in the previous 2 games is back here and while the story does take some shock value unexpected turns, you’re still fighting your way through hordes of enemies and facing off against a tough foe in an over-the-top boss fight.
The open-world aspects of the game are also expanded upon a bit with Travis having access to a motorcycle. You can explore Santa Destroy and the neighbouring areas and there are side missions to take on which will net you upgrade materials. These are all very standard fare though and lead to upgrades which will enhance Travis’s combat capabilities.
No More Heroes 3, therefore, feels familiar while still trying out new things. If you’ve played the previous games in the franchise, you’ll know what you’re in for here. This is a tonne of special effects, varied gameplay, shock value, dark humour, toilet humour, anime and manga tropes and of course, lots and lots of hack-and-slash violence.
Graphically, No More Heroes 3 looks great with the effects being the star of the show. Unfortunately, though, the PC version of the game is a port of the Nintendo Switch version with some tweaks. It doesn’t match up with the PlayStation 5 version in terms of visual fidelity which is disappointing. That’s not to say that the game is bad looking, it’s just not as great as it could be on PC. There are also some moments in the game which could probably trigger an epileptic seizure in someone due to the visual effects so do be careful if you’re sensitive to flashing lights.
The soundtrack of No More Heroes 3 is excellent with some real adrenaline-pumping tunes as well as a banger of a track that plays when you’re at the Sushi store. The voice acting is also great throughout the entire game.
Final Verdict
No More Heroes 3 on PC is certainly more No More Heroes. There have been some changes here and there between the first game, the second game and this one but the overall package was quite enjoyable this time around. There are some things which fans might dislike here such as the repetitive nature of some of the battles against weaker enemies and the lacklustre side quests. The PC version is also a port of the Nintendo Switch version and not as great as the PS5 version. Other than that, No More Heroes 3 is a game worth playing if you’re a franchise fan. Newcomers might feel a bit lost when it comes to the characters and their history but they’ll still have a great time with the gameplay itself. Just be wary of its mature themes and extremely violent content.
Grab your copy here https://store.steampowered.com/app/1744330/No_More_Heroes_3/
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Series S
Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture
Publishers: Grasshopper Manufacture, Marvelous, XSEED Games
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