No More Heroes has always been a strange one for me. It’s one of those games you don’t expect on a Nintendo console but works pretty well. Nintendo fans (such as myself) are often those who love both the family-friendly Super Mario games and tend to enjoy the artistic appeal of the best Japan has to offer. Luckily Suda51 got us covered. Time to revisit No More Heroes 1!

No More Heroes (NMH) was one of my favorite games on the Nintendo Wii, next to Madworld (Platinum Games), also a real non-standard Nintendo game. It took off the kiddy gloves and emerged us into a dark world, with a lot of gore and blood. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think Super Mario games are for kids, but they sure are more family-friendly than Travis or Jack.

No More Rundown

For those unfamiliar with the story, let’s do a quick rundown. The story follows Travis Touchdown, who is a stereotypical Otaku – his motel room decorated with professional wrestling and anime collectibles – living in near poverty in the No More Heroes motel of the fictional town of Santa Destroy, California. He also enjoys the occasional adult movies, which he failed to return (obviously), which leads to an interesting dialogue with the movie-rental place.

After winning a beam katana in an internet auction, he runs out of money to buy video games and wrestling videos. After meeting with Sylvia Christel, he accepts a job to kill Helter Skelter, also known as “the Drifter,” which earns him rank 11 by the United Assassins Association, a governing body of assassins. Realizing that he has the opportunity to make it to the top, he sets out to secure himself the coveted position of number one assassin in the UAA.

And after killing the tenth-ranked assassin, Sylvia reveals that if Travis stops killing, he’ll be targeted by other aspiring assassins. Travis, now convinced there’s no way out, goes on to kill every other assassin except for number eight, Shinobu, whom he spares because he wants her to get stronger. During the 5th ranked battle, he meets Henry, a mysterious Irish man who wields a beam katana similar to Travis’ own.

Who said being an Otaku would be easy. It’s a long way to the top, but this all-American Otaku won’t stop until he’s the #1 assassin, baby! Next to the killing of victims, you can burn rubber through the coastal city of Santa Destroy on Travis’ motorbike, the Schpeltiger! But most of the time, you are doing weird jobs like mowing grass, collecting garbage, or doing some random assassinations jobs to get enough money for the next ranked fight. While doing so, you can collect a bunch of wrestling cards and a mask in each level, which unlocks a devastating arsenal of pro-wrestling moves—from Power Bombs to Brain Busters.

Quirky No More Auto?

If I had to compare it to another game, it would probably be the weird little brother of Grand Theft Auto, complementing GTA. Suda51 created a free-roaming world, allowing Travis to move around on foot or his modified scooter, the “Schpeltiger.” The main-gameplay is open-ended, with the condition that the player must kill the top ten assassins to make the storyline progress. There are numerous part-time job side quests to earn money which can be spent on weapons, training sessions, clothes, and videotapes. Money is also required to compete in a Ranking fight. Each ranked battle features an assassin at the end, which Travis has to beat to progress in the story. Before reaching the assassin, you’ll have to fight through its henchman/woman, which is found in distinct locations, ranging from a school to a film studio and stadium.

“It’s a must-play for everyone that likes top-notch humor and a not everyday beat ’em up action-adventure about assassins, even though it gets a little repetitive in longer sessions.”

Controls were handled through the Wii Remote and Nunchuk attachment in the original version, which made your beam katana’s charging feature something you did not want to do in front of your parents. Both in handheld mode and docked mode, it felt like an upgraded version of the Wii Version. I encountered some weird glitches (a few), but most of the playthrough (halfway or so) went on like a breeze. It felt natural to play the game in handheld mode, and the game really aged well.

No More Upgrades

To make your game progress easier, you can upgrade Travis’s beam katana and replace it with a better version throughout the game by visiting Dr. Naomi. By pressing either the X or Y button, you can easily switch between high and low attacks, breaking through your enemies’ blocking. In addition to attacks with the beam katana, Travis can kick and punch. When enemies are stunned, he can throw them with several professional wrestling maneuvers, done by manipulating both control sticks in a quick time event.

Next to beating the crap out of your opponents, Travis has a secondary mode, “Dark Side,” that is accessed when three icons line up in a slot machine after a successful death blow. Travis gains a super-powerful move in this mode, depending on what symbols are lined up, ranging from a speed increase to instantly killing every enemy on the screen. It’s a fun gimmick, but not something you must rely on. Especially when you are taking up the free fight mission in which you have to kill every enemy without getting hit.

Violence

In one interview, Suda wanted to make No More Heroes “as violent, or even more violent than Manhunt 2,” a game that received an AO rating from the ESRB in its original form. At the March 2007 Game Developers Conference, a trailer featured Travis Touchdown using the beam katana to decapitate or cut enemies in half, with copious amounts of blood being spilled. Later, videos featured clouds of black pixels and objects resembling coins spurting from enemies instead of blood. The Nintendo Switch version is mainly pixels and coins – and I love it. It’s this art style that mixes the gore with a cell-shaded world of Suda51’s imagination – and we have seen that it’s limitless.

Conclusion

So to conclude – I was surprised by the surprise launch of both No More Heroes 1 and 2, but I was happy to see that Suda51 had the confidence to bring a ballsy title in the remastered form to the Nintendo Switch, making it the best version of No Mo More Heroes on a console till date. It’s a must-play for everyone that likes top-notch humor and a not everyday beat ’em up action-adventure about assassins, even though it gets a little repetitive in longer sessions.

8.5/10

Tested on the Nintendo Switch.