In art, to speak of series B as a genre is to refer to energetic works that get rid of the restrictions imposed by the market of big productions with big budgets. It is about a creative freedom that does not aspire to be an artistic genius like independent cinema, nor to big productions that need to produce large amounts of money by selling a formula. I feel that if you are going to read No More Heroes 3 reviewyou should know from the very beginning that this game belongs to this category.
Suda51 is, in my opinion, a game creator who has made a style out of bad taste and crudeness. And I say this in a good way. No More Heroes 3 is a game that looks in many ways like a game from the Xbox OG eraMaybe I’m exaggerating, but that’s how it feels. The city you ride or the motorcycle are less than mediocre. The combat is repetitive. There are a huge number of references to b-series pop culture, hardly relevant. And the mix of all this in a game is a special work.
The Legacy of No More Heroes
Suda51 started Travis Touchdown’s adventures on the Wii. The fun fact is that it was originally going to be an Xbox 360 game.. Since then Travis’ character hasn’t changed much, he uses a rechargeable katana/light saber. I was in those days, with the first game that was a unique work, to say the least. Remember what a weird experience it was for me to get into this game that first had you in fights and then you were making money off of retro pipe minigames and pretty bizarre stuff.
I don’t know if the history of these games counts as a legacy within the history of video games. Without a doubt, many do not know and many will not. Xbox isn’t even the platform where this game will have its biggest impact, I’d be inclined to think, but it’s certainly a step up for Xbox in Japanese gaming. No More Heroes belongs to that kind of game destined to become a cult work due to its originality and stylebut also because it is a game destined never to be a mass game.
Galactic superheroes.
No More Heroes 3 channels everything from ultra-violent martial arts movies to anime to pop culture, all into what would be some sort of insane space Yū Yū Hakusho. The plot of the game asks you to think what would have happened if by letting ET return home this child will condemn humanity, Well, this sweet alien, when he returns 20 years later, decides to dominate the world. Hopefully he’s insane enough to host a martial arts tournament, and we have a worthy representative, Travis.
This is the tournament of galactic superheroes. To be able to participate in this strange tournament, you will have to take on strange jobs like unclogging toilets to be able to save the game, because yes, you save games when you go to defecate. And minor fights to earn coins to pay for your next big fight, big boss battles from the ranked list, 9 in total. The final boss is FU, our evil ET who wishes to wipe out humanity.
The extra tasks can get a bit monotonous at times, but they still do a good job of reminding you that you’re in Suda’s world. Definitely, the most monotonous is the holy city destroywhich is a scenario to which no other effort seems to have been devoted other than to make it feel old, outdated.
The fight
The combat in No More Heroes 3 is not the pride of this game either. And this even though the game is basically about boss fights. It was imprecise for me. And somewhat repetitive. But no less interesting for that. Each of the 10 bosses you face in the game (the first being the one in the prologue), has its own style and mechanics, and they all shine with charisma. Because If there is something this game has to spare, it is charisma for its characters and its dialogues They entertain with a strange but funny story.
No More Heroes 3 will arrive physically on Xbox from Meridiem Games
Basically, you have a katana/light saber that must be charged with repeated movements of the right stick. Then a match where you mainly have sword attacks, dodge and block skills, wrestling takedowns. The battle scenes are also special. Although the technique is still bizarre for style, the art makes them crazy and eye-catching. I think No More Heroes manages to do something pretty interesting with their combat.
This interesting thing goes beyond its controls, which if you ask me, are much better on Xbox than on Switch, for mere comfort when playing, I mean. There are not many moves available. Yes, you can improve your character but only in basic aspects. But the idea of that galactic tournament is well developed, with art so unique that it fills you with delight. And the bosses become a real challenge where you have to learn patterns and do your best.
Last updated on 2022-09-24. Prices and availability may differ from those published.
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Conclusion of the analysis of No More Heroes 3
No More Heroes 3 is made in Suda51’s unique style, which can be summed up as a hyper-violent and crude hack-and-slash action game but brimming with originality and art, full of pop culture and anime references to franchises that are mostly not special. The aesthetic is dissonant, but unique. You won’t find anything that No More Heroes 3 has to offer in any other game, for better or worse. And that’s what makes this game, despite its crude B-series style, fascinating and out of the ordinary.
If we wanted to compare versions, No More Heroes looks and plays better on Xbox Series X, There’s no doubt. Performance is one of the highlights of the Xbox version. Yes, it is not that the game is very demanding in terms of production values for the graphics, and something that does happen is that many times the textures load slowly. But in terms of frame rate and resolution it fares better than the Switch version.
The worst thing about the game is its “open world” city, empty and ugly. And the best thing is the aesthetics and the style of the bosses and the battles against them. And of course, the story of the evil ET. If you want to experience a unique game, No More Heroes 3 is a solid addition to your library. In addition, it is one more step for Xbox in terms of filling its catalog of Japanese games. If you haven’t played an NMH title before, it’s worth checking out, as you don’t need to have played the previous games.