A little over a year after the release of No More Heroes 3 on Nintendo Switch (find our review of the original version here), the crazy world of Travis and his friends is ready to return to all platforms available in our homes. Fifteen years have passed since the release of the first title of the saga on Wii And SOUTH51 has opted for a return to origins in this new chapter, with the mechanics that made the first one famous No More Heroes. Our story begins about twenty years earlier than the main storyline of the game, when Damon Riccitiello meets a young alien named FU. A beautiful friendship is born between them and Damon helps the extraterrestrial to build a spaceship to return to his home planet.
Now Damon is an adult and FU’s unexpected return as a conquering prince will trigger a deadly game to proclaim who is the best superhero in the entire galaxy. Here the beloved also enters the scene Travis Touchdownassassin and otaku, returned from his forced retirement to climb the ranks of galactic superheroes and defeat FU, so he can save the world. Are you ready to climb the charts once again? Find out what awaits you in this crazy new title in our review of No More Heroes 3!
- Title: No More Heroes 3
- Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X | S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
- Version analyzed: Xbox Series X | S (EU)
- Genre: Action, Adventure
- Players: 1
- Publisher: Marvelous Europe
- Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture
- Tongue: Italian (lyrics), Japanese and English (dubbing)
- Exit date: October 11, 2022 (on PC), October 14, 2022 (on console)
- Availability: retail, digital delivery
- DLC: nobody
- Note: the title is already available on Nintendo Switch from 27 August 2021
We reviewed No More Heroes 3 with an Xbox Series X | S code given to us free of charge by Marvelous Europe.
Let the deadly game begin!
The story of the game, completable in 12-15 hoursonce again retraces the events of Travis Touchdown, the friendly neighborhood killer, this time grappling with a deadly game against alien invaders, at stake: planet Earth. Each chapter will be structured as an episode of a series on Netflix (or should we say “Notflix”, the streaming service present within the universe of No More Heroes), so we will always have an opening theme, a final, a climax within the battles … and why not, even several shots of scene!
Each “episode” will always be divided into two phases: the first is the exploration phase of Santa Destroywhere we will have to face designated clashes to access the boss battle of the chapter and scrape together enough Utopi Coin (the virtual currency of the game) for pay the registration fee that will allow us to access the fight; the second phase, on the other hand, is entirely dedicated to boss fights, where for each victory we will climb the ranking by one place, until we can clash with the ruthless FU Prince.
Welcome to the garden of madness
The title looks like a classic action game, where fights are offered to us in pre-established “arenas” which offer considerable freedom of movement to the player.. Inside, we will be able to unleash all of Travis’ skills, which will be powerful axes in the machine if exploited at the right time. There are four main skills available: Death Rain that will rain bullets on enemies within a confined area, Death Kick who will throw our Travis at the enemy through a powerful flying kick, Death Slow which will slow down the time and movement of enemies within a restricted area e Death Force which will lead enemies to collide with each other. All four abilities can be used through the Death Glove by pressing the upper left spine plus one of the four action keys.
The fights are smooth, fast and fun, especially thanks to the presence of Travis’ particular finishing moves. In fact, every time we defeat an opponent, we will have the possibility (through the movement of the analogue predisposed for the visual) to activate a dramatic final move which, if completed, will reward us with a “spin” of a virtual slot machine. If we manage to get a good combination, we will be rewarded with a bonus effect of a few seconds, such as an invincibility phase or the activation of Travis’ particular mech suit. The challenges, however, will not be limited to being only on Earth, but also in space with clashes with mini bosses through shooting phases inside our trusty armor (enhanced just for the occasion). In this way, the developers have managed to offer a remarkable variety to the gameplay, without bothering the player too much with the monotony of the classic wave battles. The icing on the cake is the boss fight at the end of each chapter, where not only does the game show all its madness, but also how you manage to perfectly blend the aforementioned mechanics with that bit of strategy necessary to face each of the eleven bosses present.
Sushi all you can eat… but with very little grit
Unfortunately, the exploratory part that precedes each boss battle is unfortunately less satisfying. The open world map is divided into five macro areas or “islands” (if we want to define them that way), where our goal will be to raise money for the entry fee and complete the designated battles depicted on the map as small blue stars. At first glance it may seem like an excellent alternative to continuous boss fights, with a mechanic capable of enriching the gaming experience, but soon the idea that there has not been enough work behind it begins to materialize: the maps, despite being of a decent size, reveal themselves as huge empty expanses, filled only by deserts or palaces that follow one another, without a real soul. The only thing that pushes the player to cross it and visit the most remote points are only the various collectibles such as the cards of Deathman or the various shirts obtainable from the aliens.
Fortunately, the movements can also be carried out on Travis’ iconic bike, especially if we want to reach the various minigames scattered around the map. The latter, in addition to being a source of money in case of need, are probably the only successful point within the exploration. Our dear killer will be able to cut the grass in the paths, collect the garbage, defeat the pirates of the road, extract WESN from the quarries, take down crocodiles as big as Godzilla and even unblock the various toilets scattered around the map by unlocking new save points.
In addition to the collectibles and secondary activities on the map (such as the very few secondary missions) we will also find the numerous DonMai Sushisushi kiosks where Travis will be able to buy take-away dishes to recharge his parameters in battle or eat a dish on the spot to get a bonus that will last throughout the next fight. Last but not least, we find the motel No More Heroeswhere Travis can save the game, change his outfit, play gacha machines, upgrade his parameters or his Death Glove. But what would certainly have helped the title would have been a touch of more immersion in the world around it, which is mostly empty and devoid of any identity you want. In the end we are fighting to save him, at least we try to make it worth it, right?
Variety is the spice of life
The gaming experience is almost completely stable for the entire adventure with its 60 fps, which already delineates a big visual leap from the 30 fps available on the Nintendo home console.. The character models are made with care (even if affected by a delay in the loading of the textures during the cutscenes), unlike the models inherent to the explorable areas which, as on the Switch, still remain quite dated. Small flaw was also the lack of some keys in the tutorial, still visible as lines of programming code.
Point in favor is instead the attention to detail shown within the various visual styles available in the various fights and not. We find cutscenes reminiscent of the old VHS cassettes, mix of different styles of play such as the first person for horror phases or the classic iconic turn style of the most famous JRPG. This attention to detail reveals that variety is the strength of the title. Inevitable to mention also the possibility of play the full title for the first time with Japanese dubbingas well as an excellent soundtrack, capable of ranging between multiple genres available such as metal or classic anime theme songs.
No More Heroes 3 follows the adventures of the otaku assassin Travis Touchdown who, once again armed with his faithful Beam Katana, take on ten of the deadliest fighters in the galaxy. He will have to climb the ladder of galactic superheroes to stop the villain FU Prince and his alien subjects to conquer the earth. Rack up combos with Travis’ Beam Katana and immerse yourself in hack and slash action never seen before! This time, there is much more to see beyond Santa Destroy! Jump in the saddle of Travis’ new vehicle, the Demzamtigerand burn the asphalt in four new environments, each filled with battles and missions that will allow you to raise enough money to participate in the costly battles of the galactic leaderboard.
Buy No More Heroes 3 for PlayStation 5 following this link at the price of € 39.99. Available from October 14, 2022. Support Akiba Gamers by purchasing the game on Amazon through this box!
Who do we recommend No More Heroes 3 to?
No More Heroes 3 it is certainly a title to be considered as a must have for all fans of the saga, but taken as a whole it can certainly be appreciated for its mechanics and its humor even by fans of the genre. The game is a product designed as the great return of Travis Touchdown and given the excessively simple plot, we think it can be approached by any type of player, from the neophyte to the most skilled in the action genre, the latter could however run into the usual typical problems. of arena fighters, such as the lack of depth of controls and excessive simplicity.
- Fun from all points of view, from the plot to the gameplay
- Lots of variety and a mix of genres that is unlikely to be boring
- Fantastic soundtrack and Japanese dubbing…
- … But technically it looks a bit dated
- Bare environments and little immersion inside Santa Destroy
- Sometimes repetitive for those no longer accustomed to the genre
No More Heroes 3
An overly troubled climb in the rankings
No More Heroes 3 continues the long and troubled history of Travis Touchdown, but inheriting too much from the first chapter of the series. Introducing an open world again and the paid entry fee are great ideas, but they should have studied more carefully, modernizing them a little more. Technically it unfortunately fails to maintain the challenge with other games of the same genre, but the fun gameplay certainly makes it an excellent title to recover, thanks also to the possibility of using it in 4K / 60 FPS unlike its Switch version.
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