There are few in the gaming industry as unique as Suda51, the mastermind behind games like Killer7, Shadows of the Damned, Lollipop Chainsaw and of course No More Heroes. The first two No More Heroes games recently got a re-release on the Nintendo Switch thanks to Marvelous and XSEED in advance of the release of No More Heroes III, complete with an HD makeover and some new controls. How did the games turn out? Well as it happens, they were excellent.
No More Heroes tells the story of Travis Touchdown, an intentionally unlikeable character who becomes an assassin to pay for his Otaku nature. That alone should tell you that these are games that do not take themselves seriously at all. Travis will slaughter his way through multiple enemies while trying to take out the higher ranked assassins. The first game also sees you going around the city of Santa Destroy while going to missions and doin necessary tasks along the way, although the second game is far more linear. The action in both games is intense and fast paced, and you will not be able to let your guard down even for a moment. The first game’s story is about Travis’s rise in the ranks, while the second deals with the fallout of his actions and tells a story of revenge…in a quirky way that is. These are over the top, bloody games and will see Travis use his Beam Katana and wrestling moves to take out his enemies. Be careful of your power meter though, since you will need to recharge in a rather suggestive way, should the power run low.
Both games have received a nice new coat of paint that helps them shine bright, and reworked controls so you do not need to use motion controls if you do not wish to. That said, you can use the Joy-Cons like the Wii motes and simulate the original controls if you want that. Some were upset that the first game is not based off the PS3 and 360 remaster called Heroes’ Paradise, but Suda51 was not involved in that version and is noted to not be fond of it. All the content from the first two games is here, completely uncensored in their full glory, with one exception. Some of the music was removed due to licensing issues, including the song Heavenly Star. Everything else is here though, including No More Heroes 2’s shoot em up mini game, complete with HD visuals, that is based on the in universe anime known as Bizarre Jelly.
The first game is a bit rougher around the edges as Grasshopper had not yet figured out everything, and the camera can occasionally get in the way, but is still a fun game. As long as you make sure to keep your charge and get the right combo with the right direction and the most you will have issue with is the visuals sometimes being a bit too intense . Otherwise, it is a very competent action game, albeit one with a bland wide open sandbox element. I would have liked for the second game to have refined the sandbox elements and give the city more life instead of doing away with it altogether, but the action itself reaches new levels here. The boss fights are more intense, the levels have more variety and the game overall feels more polished.
More importantly, the story is a bit better developed the second time around and the messages of the game are more clear. No More Heroes 2 looks absolutely incredible in HD, and playing with traditional controls is great. No More Heroes 2 also contains numerous mini games throughout, but also includes other playable characters to control, with their own stories. The over the top nature of the game is also kicked up a few notches and every time you think the game has reached its peak, you are then surprised with what more it can pull off. Its only flaw is that the controls on the other character do require some getting used to, which will come as an issue if you are used to the base controls from this game and the first game.
I would have loved for both games to be bundled together, but as it stands, No More Heroes 1 and No More Heroes 2 Desperate Struggle, are amazing games and should definitely be played by any fan of action games and over the top ridiculousness. I highly recommend these.