It’s clear even from its earliest moments that having Suda51 back as director for the full continuation of Travis Touchdown’s story is nearly a necessity to make this series work. Perhaps emboldened by the experimentation that came with Travis Strikes Again, No More Heroes III wastes no time drawing you back into its warped perception of reality. Mech suits, retro games, bright colors, and about four classic sci-fi references all show up in the game’s earliest moments; and it all blends well. If the original NMH was Suda feeling comfortable in his own skin, III is a tapestry of tattoos and piercings that may seem disconnected until you look at the full, fleshy canvas.
Every “piece” of No More Heroes is back. Travis is once again drawn into a killer-filled ranking list he needs to climb, this time against aliens with their own illusions of self-importance. These invaders calling themselves “superheroes” may reflect on the current state of pop culture, but ultimately it works within the game’s story. They (most specifically #1 threat FU) serve as a contrast to Travis’ own self-actualization as an assassin and “hero” in his own way, something that’s developed across the series. He’s come a long way, but still binges anime and chats with his buddy about Takashi Miike with the kind of all-encompassing, yet highly specific knowledge that’ll lead to one of them caving and buying a podcast mic eventually.
The combat is, as expected, sublime. Cutting through aliens with your beam katana still has that visceral and empowering killer’s high behind it, fueled by visual and auditory flourishes that never seem to get old. Some of the fluff of previous games has been removed, making this feel like an improved and refined version of the first game’s combat. As a carryover from Travis Strikes Again though, you’re able to gain additional skills and modifiers via the Death Glove (taking the appearance of two legally distinct Joy-Con being worn on Travis’ left hand). It’s through that addition that we’re able to dropkick aliens into blood fountains, and I’m here for it.
That rush may come most potently when carving through nameless hordes, but it’s the boss/ranking battles of No More Heroes that once again demand your attention and high performance. I died multiple times to the first boss while playing on the game’s Bitter (normal) difficulty. Which isn’t a complaint or criticism, just a preview of what’s to come as these fights ramp up and play with your expectations. The Galactic Superhero Rankings, while highly imaginative and befitting of the game’s ramped up scale, didn’t quite have the same appeal as the first game’s UAA bosses for me. Aliens and city-leveling death beams totally work in the world of No More Heroes, but I definitely have a soft spot for the more “grounded” approach of the original.
Speaking of grounded, exploring Santa Destroy on foot and motorcycle has returned. The hub world is still mostly barren but feels more thought out in certain ways. Rather than one shop for T-shirts, you’ll revisit various friendly aliens as you complete prerequisite milestones to earn more threads. Missions (both combat and minigame based) are also scattered around town instead of being in a single location. Add in various collectibles, such as trading cars and scorpions (as ingredients for ramen, naturally), and it doesn’t quite feel as sparse or repetitive as the original game’s.
There are even new areas to explore, unlocked as you climb the rankings and each one being accessible via fast travel. This expansion to the No More Heroes world (and perhaps Travis’ own view of it) is welcome, though some regions do feel sparse in different ways even compared to this version of Santa Destroy proper. There has also been talk of frame rate issues on the map, and while I can confirm things were somewhat rough around the edges (I’ll be getting into specifics shortly), there is also a day one patch on the way that should improve some of that. As part of the in-progress nature of this particular review, we’ll be examining that change as well and reporting back.
Where there’s a noticeable dip in quality is when playing handheld versus docked. Connected to a TV, No More Heroes III looks and runs quite well. This applies both in its moment-to-moment presentation, and its dalliances with more stylized visuals and medium blending. That’s heightened even more in combat, which seems to be the most polished portion overall. Playing in handheld, some of that veneer is pulled away, with combat still holding well in terms of performance but looking more muted and rough around the edges. Again, we’ll be examining how this all looks and feels after the launch day patch hits.
One final note — and this is confirmed to be fixed in the patch notes — I witnessed disjointed audio during multiple cutscenes. Characters would be speaking when their models weren’t, which definitely distracts from the action. Once gameplay resumed things snapped back into place, but it’s still a detriment to those plot points and character introductions that fell victim.
So far my time with No More Heroes III has been positive. Nearly everything that I personally loved about the original is still here, and the few aspects that give pause are performance-based for the time being. As I continue, I’ll be diving more into the game’s story and the improvements that come with the already mentioned patch.
If you’re nervous about whether or not you should pick up NMH III at this time, I still recommend it particularly for fans of the original game. There are flaws, but they’re familiar ones for the most part. Those never stunted No More Heroes’ popularity on Wii and the same can be said here. Sure you have to unclog a few toilets, but that might just be the price to order some sushi while listening to one hell of a soundtrack.
If you’re new to this rainbow-blood-soaked world you’ll be missing some context on certain characters (even Travis Strikes Again is essential for full comprehension), but this also manages to be one of the best examples of a creator putting themself into their work. When that creator is Suda51, you can’t afford to miss it.
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