No More Heroes

I've been playing No More Heroes and No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle for more than a decade now as they never cease to amaze me with their untethered style, violent action, and satisfying combat. With these HD ports on Switch, you can be damn sure I'll be playing them for the next decade as well.

No More Heroes is something very rare – a game that's actually better now than it was on its original bow, showing us just how little the gaming landscape has actually moved forward. It is certainly, avowedly not for everyone – and you get the impression that's just how director Suda51 likes it. Artier than most art games, more thoughtful than most think pieces, and cruder than crude oil, No More Heroes uses its own repetition to decisive, impressive effect. Glorious, gore-ious, gorgeous and gregarious, this madcap anime nightmare deserves your attention. If you missed it on Wii, buy it immediately. If you didn't, you most likely already have.

No More Heroes is a unique game, and it will not be for everyone. Some may find the repetitiveness of the game to be a bit too much and never get through it, but at the same time it's actually a very short game. Focusing on the main story will put you at around 8 hours of gameplay, and doing everything isn't going to add too much time onto that. You do end up spending more time living out Travis' daily life than you do in missions fighting, but the missions themselves are memorable enough to make up for the lack of time spent in them.

One of the Nintendo Wii's definitive classics has finally made its way over to the Nintendo Switch. Bolstered by smooth 60fps gameplay and swift load times, No More Heroes is better than ever. Travis Touchdown's ascent to the #1 ranked assassin is as hilarious as it is sincerely gripping, and the core combat never lets up - offering an engaging challenge that follows a tight difficulty curve. Santa Destroy as an open world is uneventful, but it features design sensibilities that aren't seen nowadays while almost serving as a parody of its era (without ever feeling grating). From gameplay to story, No More Heroes is nothing short of marvellous.

If you’ve never had the chance to experience No More Heroes before, this is as good an opportunity as any to get in and see what it’s all about. It holds up well enough to still be enjoyable, and if nothing else is a great opportunity for the series to finally reach a wider audience, and hopefully win over a new swath of fans in the process.

No More Heroes is a bit of a toss-up. On one hand, the combat, bosses, and writing are pretty good and I had a fun time there. But on the other though, the PC port is some incredibly lazy work.

This is a title game that can satisfy you completely if you are looking for a special hack and slash game with the unique style of Suda 51.

No More Heroes on the PC is a tough one to rate. On the one hand, the gameplay can feel dated due to the empty open world and the crass nature of it all, along with the roadblocks to slow your ascent to the top; those are the same elements that have made it endearing to those who enjoy the Suda51 game style. On the other hand, the lack of PC options, from graphical tweaking to no keyboard and mouse support, make this feel rather bare-bones. It's still playable, and those who pick it up will have fun, but it could have been so much better.

The No More Heroes games are a strange, wild ride. They may be repetitive, and potentially wearying if played back to back, but SUDA51’s unique take on the hack-and-slash genre is a frequently intriguing one. The limitations of these PC ports are clear, but hardly a dealbreaker for anyone who is intrigued by the games but missed them the first time around.

No More Heroes coming to the PC allows those who missed out on this hack’n slash classic the chance to finally experience it for the first time