![]() It’s a game of contrasts, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the combat. So No More Heroes has aged like a fine wine, then, in terms of its narrative. Is it a comment on the banality of open-world games, which often have you partaking in similarly arbitrary tasks simply to advance your level enough to do the next “story mission”? Who knows the real intention, but it resonates brilliantly in 2020 – more than it ever could have back on the Wii, we dare say. The contrast between the utterly tiresome lawnmowing game (which we actually fell asleep playing), for example, and the hyperkinetic, personality-rich boss battles you earn for its completion, is genuinely funny. Gameplay-wise they tend to amount to little more than egregious, menial repetition of uninteresting actions. Now, these jobs are uniformly pretty darn dull. The fascinating part is that setting up said battles costs money – a lot of it – and one of the most prominent ways to get the dough is to take on part-time jobs. See, Travis is an assassin, hoping to reach the very top ranks of the United Assassins’ Association by killing its members off one by one in ranked battles organised by the mysterious femme fatale, Sylvia. What’s really worthy of note is the comedic application of the more banal sections of the gameplay. The story here is notably quite simple – to begin with – and it barely matters, though the cutscenes and dialogue are entertaining throughout. In fact, one of the best things about No More Heroes is its uncompromising commitment to its own themes. It’s the hallmark of the very best they work so hard, but make it look easy. Even when the gameplay is boring – and it often is – you won’t be bored, which is a testament to the game’s sheer confidence in itself and its gleeful disregard for convention. And it’s absolutely brilliant.Įssentially a hack n’ slash title with some open-world elements, No More Heroes rises above its often-pedestrian gameplay with an overflowing reservoir of over-the-top action, fabulous aesthetics, ceaselessly enjoyable writing and, hell, just a whole lot of straight-up style. ![]() It’s a sleazy, grimy, ugly game with an indefensible moral vacuum of a protagonist in leering otaku Travis Touchdown.
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