No More Heroes III

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No More Heroes III
NMH3 NTSC Cover.jpg
North American box art by comic artist Darick Robertson featuring FU and Travis Touchdown
Developer(s)Grasshopper Manufacture
Publisher(s)
Director(s)
Producer(s)
  • Kazuyuki Kumagai
  • Nobutaka Ichiki
Designer(s)Goichi Suda
Artist(s)
Writer(s)Goichi Suda
Composer(s)
SeriesNo More Heroes
EngineUnreal Engine 4
Platform(s)Nintendo Switch
Release
  • WW: August 27, 2021
Genre(s)Action-adventure, hack and slash
Mode(s)Single-player

No More Heroes III[a] is a 2021 action-adventure hack-and-slash video game developed and published by Grasshopper Manufacture for Nintendo Switch. It is the fourth installment in the No More Heroes series and is the third mainline entry in the series. After an eleven-year hiatus since No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, the game stars professional assassin Travis Touchdown and follows his return to the fictional city of Santa Destroy, as he must defend the world from a powerful army of alien invaders led by the galactic overlord prince FU and his nine soldiers who adopt the façade of galactic superheroes.[1]

Development of the game began around the completion of the spinoff title Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes in early 2019, which served as a prequel. The series' creator and director Goichi Suda had received many fan requests to make a third entry in the series after the release of the second game, but development on a new entry would be postponed for many years due to Grasshopper Manufacture working on other projects such as Lollipop Chainsaw and Let It Die. Upon the studio being shown the Nintendo Switch, Suda was inspired to return to the series, believing the games would be a fit for the console's audience, and allow for a return to the series' staple motion control combat via the Joy-Con controllers. Much like previous entries in the series, the game pays homage to and parodies pop culture media, taking inspiration from works such as Rocky III, Kamen Rider, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the filmography of Takashi Miike. Suda has described the game as the conclusion of Travis Touchdown's story.[2]

No More Heroes III was announced at E3 2019 with a planned 2020 release, before being delayed into 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic slowing down development. Upon its release on August 27, 2021, the game was met with generally positive reviews, with critics largely praising the game for its presentation, story, writing, boss battles, and overall combat. However, the game received criticism for its technical performance, as well as its open world structure and pacing, which has been criticized as being repetitive and tedious.

Gameplay[]

See also: Common gameplay elements in the No More Heroes series
Travis Touchdown fighting one of the game's bosses, Mr. Blackhole. Particles from successful attacks funnel into the Tension Gauge seen in the bottom right corner.

No More Heroes III is a third-person action-adventure hack and slash game where the player assumes the role of the professional assassin Travis Touchdown, who must climb to the top of the Galactic Superhero Rankings. The game marks a return to the series' open world format last seen in the first game and has the player explore a man-made metropolitan archipelago, taking on various side activities such as part-time job minigames, and defense missions where the player must battle waves of enemies.[3] Unlike past games, the open world is split into five unique islands, one of which includes the series' staple fictional city of "Santa Destroy". The player can traverse around and between the islands with Travis' new modified motorcycle; the "Demzamtiger", though travel between objectives can also be expedited via a fast travel system.[4] To progress in the game, the player must accrue enough money from missions to pay an entry-fee to a ranked battle. The player must then face off against one of the Rankings' top contenders in a unique boss battle.[5]

Combat plays out as a hack-and-slash game in real-time. Similar to the previous mainline games, the combat is predominantly centered around Travis' signature "Beam Katana"; a sword with a blade composed of energy. The player can perform various light and heavy combos with the sword. Successful strikes power up the player's "Tension Gauge" whereas taking damage depletes it, higher tension leads to longer and more damaging combos. When an enemy has had their health sufficiently depleted, the player is given a directional prompt to execute a "Killer Slash"; an unstoppable attack with large range that does heavy damage to adjacent enemies. Upon successful executions of enemies, the player activates the "Slash Reel"; a slot machine which gives the random chance of a currency bonus or a power-up. At times the player may lock swords with melee-based enemies, upon which they must perform rotation motions to counter the enemy. The Beam Katana runs on power represented by a battery that gets depleted during attacks, when fully exhausted the player is left vulnerable and must manually recharge it. The player is able to perform a variety of professional-wrestling techniques on stunned or diverted enemies to deal greater damage and instantly recharge the Beam Katana's battery. Defensive maneuvers exist in the form of blocking and dodging; if the player times a dodge correctly against an incoming attack a Perfect Dodge is executed, causing enemies to enter a slow-motion state and leaving them susceptible to a flurry of attacks. If the player falls in battle, they are given a random chance of a stat boost upon retrying.

New additions to the series' staple combat mechanics include the "Death Glove" carried over from Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes. The Death Glove allows the player to perform a teleporting dropkick. An additional three unique skills are obtained that can aid in combat, which include the ability to perform psychokinetic throws, the ability to set up a sentry that automatically fire projectiles at enemies in a radius, and the ability to set down a field that slows down enemies within the radius. All skills operate on a cooldown timer. If the player rolls a jackpot on the Slash Reel, represented by triple sevens, the player is able to activate one of two "Full Armor" modes, which boost the player's attack options and allows them to fire projectiles.[6] A different form of the Full Armor is employed for shooting defense missions; a new side activity which take the form of shoot 'em up mecha battles where the player must defend the planet from large scale aliens.[3]

The player can return to Travis' motel in between missions to upgrade various stats such as their health and weaponry, which compared to previous entries, now utilizes a unique form of currency. Scrap parts derived from battle missions can be sold off for additional currency or used at the motel to construct Death Glove chips that provide various unique stat modifiers, and the player can also order consumable items in the form of sushi that give players stat boosts in battle, such as increased damage or reducing the Death Glove's cooldown timer. At the motel, the player can also play minigames with Travis' cat, customize his wearable attire, collect capsule toys from a gashapon machine, engage in a combat tutorial room, or use a time machine to revisit past bosses.[4][7]

Plot[]

Eight years before the first game's events, a young boy named Damon Ricotello goes to the woods at night to launch a toy rocket when he encounters an injured small alien larva named FU. Damon decides to take care of FU while hiding him from government agents, the two becoming friends while searching for a way to return FU to his planet. After discovering a piece of alien technology at FU's crash site, Damon is imbued with alien powers and assists FU in building a space ship. They say goodbye to each other and FU departs, promising to return in 20 years.

Twenty years later (two years after the events of Travis Strikes Again), an adult Damon is now the CEO of Utopinia — an urban renewal company — utilizing FU's alien abilities and technology to become rich and powerful. An adult FU returns to Earth in a large spaceship and reveals to Damon that he became a prince after returning to his home world, earning the royal title of Jess-Baptiste VI, only to be exiled to an intergalactic prison for destroying a neighboring planet out of boredom. He announces their intention to team up with Damon and take over Earth by employing the popular trend of superheroism. Travis Touchdown, the formerly top ranked assassin who had returned to Santa Destroy following years of self-imposed exile, awakes to his city being invaded and fends off waves of aliens together with fellow assassins Shinobu and Bad Girl. He successfully stops the invasion by killing its commander Mr. Blackhole, the first of FU's companions.

After executing the President of the United States on live television, FU announces the establishment of the Galactic Superhero Rankings; a ranked ladder with himself at the top, serving as an open invitation to the strongest fighters to determine the fate of the planet. Still aggrieved by Blackhole's death, FU accosts Travis and his friends at the No More Heroes motel. In the ensuing skirmish, FU incapacitates Travis before dismembering Shinobu and killing Badman when he arrived to her aid. The battle leaves Shinobu in a critical coma and Bad Girl devastated over her father's death, compelling Travis to enter the rankings to fight his way to number one and stop FU. Sylvia Christel, Travis' wife and Damon's secretary, assists him in setting up the ranked battles. During Travis' ascent, he encounters an assassin named Native Dancer, who infiltrates the ranks and claims to be from the future. Though uninterested in Native Dancer's story, Travis instinctually spares him during their battle. Later, Travis then fights a grown-up Kimmy Howell (whom Travis spared in the second game) when she kills the seventh ranked alien; Travis reluctantly kills her.

Travis also spares the life of the fifth ranked fighter Midori Midorikawa after they are intercepted by Travis' friend Kamui Uehara, who reveals that she joined the rankings after a misunderstanding and that the two are in a relationship. During a battle with mass-produced versions of Destroyman, Travis befriends the superhero and wrestling champion "Notorious", who assists Travis in training. While Travis climbs the ranks, Damon acts on his own to kill Travis, first by hiring a contract killer who is killed in an accident, then by receiving a device that will allow him to kill one person who he chooses. Eventually, FU decides to deal with Travis and kills off his two remaining companions so Travis can face him. After making his way to the second rank, Travis is ambushed at the motel by his brother, Henry Cooldown, who still resents Travis for events that followed their shared traumatic upbringing. After Travis defeats and seemingly kills Henry, he is ambushed and murdered by Henry while using the toilet.

After dying, Travis is sent to the world of "Deathman", a video game that he grew up with, whose protagonist brings Travis back to life with help from Takashi Miike. Joined by the recovered Shinobu and Bad Girl alongside Kamui, Notorious and Native Dancer, Travis heads to Damon Tower to fight FU, forcing him back to his larval form with everyone's efforts. FU decides to flee back to his planet, only for Damon to detonate an explosive placed on the ship and kill him. Damon explains that he himself masterminded the alien attack as part of his plan to kill Travis for punching him. Damon transforms Damon Tower into a planet destroying mecha, but Travis successfully defeats it after summoning an Arsenal from Daemon X Machina. Travis and Damon finish their fight on a derelict battlefield in the style of Super Smash Bros, where Travis strikes Damon so hard he is completely vaporized.

In a post-credits scene, Travis and his friends give Badman a burial at sea before they are attacked by an alien armada led by FU's father, King Jess-Baptiste V. They are saved by future versions of Travis and Sylvia's children Jeane and Hunter, who also confirm their relation to Native Dancer as Travis' grandson Scott. They explain that Henry kills Travis in the future and teams up with an alien force to destroy the planet, asking an aghast Travis to join them to help them change the future.

Development[]

See also: Development of Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes
No More Heroes III and Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes both mark Goichi Suda's return to the role of game designer and director in over a decade.

Prior to development, Grasshopper Manufacture developed and released Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, which was Goichi Suda's first title in a directorial role since the original No More Heroes game. While the title was made in part as a tribute to indie games, Suda had expressed long-term intentions for the title to be a stepping stone on the path to a proper numbered entry.[8] The ending of Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes included a playable portion where Travis was controlled in third-person, similarly to previous No More Heroes titles, with a comment from Travis suggesting that development on a mainline sequel had properly commenced. Suda explained in an interview following the release of the game that the playable segment was a prototype they used in development, and that the intention behind its inclusion was to evoke a similar feeling that viewers get from the post-credits teasers in Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. Suda also confirmed that he would be attending E3, and suggested he would be making an announcement at the event.[9]

Suda had previously explained that the foes which Travis would go up against in the game would be "Avengers-scale" threats, using the recurring supervillain Thanos as a point of comparison. He also made note that Travis' "Death Glove" from Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes would make a return, in a bid to make Travis' skill set more distinct as a video game protagonist, and that the skills he accumulated throughout the game would come into play.[10] In the reveal trailer, Travis uses the Death Glove to don powered armor, utilizing the signature catchphrase of Kamen Rider. Travis is once again voiced by Robin Atkin Downes, while Paula Tiso reprises her role as his wife, Sylvia Christel, who has abandoned the assassin world and is now an internet celebrity and influencer. At the time of reveal, Suda wouldn't confirm whether series mainstay Shinobu Jacobs would return, though he stressed that he wanted Kimberly Brooks to reprise the role in the event that she does.[11][12] Suda later confirmed that Kimmy Howell from No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle would be returning and had been redesigned by Ōkami and Bayonetta character designer Mari Shimazaki.[13] It was also confirmed that series recurring boss character Destroyman would make a return in multiple variations, designed by Skan Srisuwan of Studio HIVE.[14] Travis' twin brother and rival Henry Cooldown appears in the game redesigned by The Silver Case and Flower, Sun, and Rain illustrator Takashi Miyamoto, and is voiced by Mark Allan Stewart; having been recast after previously being portrayed by Quinton Flynn.[15] Kamui Uehara from The 25th Ward: The Silver Case and Travis Strikes Again appears in the game as NT Kamui, redesigned by Goodnight Punpun writer and illustrator Inio Asano.[16] Asano, who had met the series' lead character designer Yūsuke Kozaki at his sister's wedding, had expressed interest in working on video games, and was offered a guest designer role by Kozaki for No More Heroes III.[17] A new character introduced in No More Heroes III is a mysterious ninja named Native Dancer, designed by Borderlands series art director Scott Kester[18]

Development of the title began around the time of completion of Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, with the core team of that game transitioning over to No More Heroes III, alongside the recruitment of external talent and former Grasshopper Manufacture staff, rounding out the development team at roughly 100 people. Unreal Engine 4 is once again being used as the development engine. Suda will be assuming the role as director, writer and designer, with Ren Yamazaki and Nobutaka Ichiki - co-director of Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes and lead director of No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle respectively - returning to the franchise as co-directors. While confirming that the game will be able to be played on a regular controller, Suda has stated the game is being heavily designed around the Joy-Con's capabilities, both in and out of combat. He also confirmed that the open world, which was absent from No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, was expected to make a return, along with side activities.[11][19][12]

As of November 2019, the game was estimated to be 35-45% complete. In detailing the open world, Suda emphasized that the size of the open world would be modest compared to productions by larger scale studios such as Ubisoft and Rockstar Games, though he also confirmed that while the game's budget isn't the biggest a Grasshopper Manufacture game has had, it is the biggest No More Heroes game in terms of scope and design. Suda also expressed intentions of providing extra side activities that would be something "greater [and] different than your standard minigame."[20] Compared to Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes which was largely designed around Suda wishing to commemorate indie games and Grasshopper Manufacture's history, the development team designed No More Heroes III heavily around fan feedback and what they believe fans look for in a No More Heroes game.[21]

Music[]

The soundtrack of the game is written and produced by Nobuaki Kaneko, drummer of Japanese alternative metal band Rize. While having had experience composing music for film before, No More Heroes III is his first time making music for a video game, and described the experience as requiring a different mindset, having to emphasize consistent tension and making sure tracks can loop. The process would involve sending Suda a variety of different tracks, and letting him decide if they are suited for any of the game's specific moments. The experience making music for the game inspired Kaneko to create his own band; Red Orca. The band's debut single "Orca Force", which released October 2019, was originally made for No More Heroes III, and an alternate version of the track called "Dead Orca Force" is featured in the game as a boss track.[22][23][24] Kazuhiro Abo, lead composer of Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, is also providing additional music contributions for the game.[25] Other composers are also providing for the soundtrack such as Tony Astro, Natsu Fuji, Baku Furukawa, SEKITOVA and the rapper duo Okumura for the sushi joint theme composed by Abo.[26][27] When it comes to choosing the composers for the upcoming game, Abo stated that he looks into a passionate composer with a nice personality who can make unique tracks with great quality, rather than based on their fame.[28]

Promotion and Release[]

No More Heroes III was announced at E3 2019 as part of the Nintendo Direct showcase, featuring a reveal trailer of Travis battling alien invaders.[29] Leading up to the reveal Suda advised people to tune into E3, tweeting concept art of FU and new versions of the Santa Destroy insignia, one which served as a homage to the Joy Division album Unknown Pleasures.[30][31][32] A new story trailer, which started out as a fake title called Goddamn Superhero, premiered at The Game Awards 2019, with CG co-production by animation studios Shirogumi and Kamikaze Douga.[33] During the 2020 New Game Plus Expo event, Suda humorously presented new gameplay combat footage of No More Heroes III partially obscured by his superimposed body giving out a mock interview unrelated to the upcoming title, discussing his plans to play other Nintendo Switch games during the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine.[34]

On September 9, 2020, the game was delayed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Darick Robertson, the illustrator best known for comics such as The Boys and Transmetropolitan, was announced to be providing illustrations to promote the game, including the game's cover artwork.[35] No More Heroes III headlined the Nintendo Direct Mini Partners Showcase on October 28, 2020, which showed off an unobscured representation of gameplay, as well as confirming the return of Badman from Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, and Shinobu Jacobs. The trailer was followed by the announcement of ports of No More Heroes and No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle that would release the same day for the Nintendo Switch.[36]

The game was featured on the February 2021 Nintendo Direct showcase, showing new footage of bosses and the return of side missions, as well as confirming the game's release date. A selection of the game's main cast and voice actors was confirmed at this time, including the return of Bad Girl and Henry Cooldown.[37] Marvelous, who are publishing the game in Japan, announced a No More Heroes III dedicated livestream event for April 8, 2021, hosted by Suda, Mafia Kajita, and Shishiro Botan from Hololive. Several side missions, locales and cutscenes were previewed during the event, and a new series digest trailer premiered which recapped the story and showed updated game play. A Japan-exclusive "Killion Dollar Trilogy" was also announced which bundles all three No More Heroes games with packaging art by Yusuke Kozaki, the Japanese website was updated to feature new game play details, and retailer exclusive purchase bonuses were confirmed, including exclusive in-game shirt designs.[38][39] During E3 2021, the game was demoed live for the first time using an early build of the game in a 25 minute segment as part of Nintendo's Treehouse presentation. The demo showed off multiple parts of the game including combat with regular enemies, playing with Travis' cat, Jeane, upgrades and a boss fight with Gold Joe. In game t-shirts utilizing save data from previous entries were also announced.[40]

Reception[]

No More Heroes III received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.[41]

In a positive review, Ian Walker of Kotaku wrote "more than establishing a core meaning or truth to cut through the absurdity of reality, No More Heroes 3 is all about imparting a feeling. Those emotions, by design, will be different for everyone who takes the Jodorowsky-like pill Grasshopper has manufactured into the form of a video game."[52]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Japanese: ノーモア★ヒーローズIII, Hepburn: Nō Moa Hīrōzu Surī

References[]

  1. ^ No More Heroes 3 - The Return. Nintendo. 12 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ No More Heroes III-official-GhM [@nmh3_ghm] (27 August 2021). "For ALL of fans... Here is a special message about our "No More Heroes 3" release from SUDA51 @suda_51 ! We sincerely hope YOU enjoy "No More Heroes 3". #NMH3 #NoMoreHeroes3 #TravisTouchdown #GrasshopperManufacture t.co/LvMgO6Ikce" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "MISSION｜No More Heroes 3（ノーモア★ヒーローズ３）Official site". Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "フリーマップ｜No More Heroes 3（ノーモア★ヒーローズ３）Official site". Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  5. ^ "INTRODUCTION｜No More Heroes 3（ノーモア★ヒーローズ３）Official site". Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  6. ^ "爽快スラッシュアクション｜No More Heroes 3（ノーモア★ヒーローズ３）Official site". Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  7. ^ "PRODUCTS｜No More Heroes 3（ノーモア★ヒーローズ３）Official site". Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  8. ^ Casey (September 6, 2017). "Suda51 Says He Would Like To Make No More Heroes 3 If Travis Strikes Again Does Well". Siliconera. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  9. ^ David Caballero (25 January 2019). "SUDA51 habla de la demo de No More Heroes 3 y avisa: "Iré al E3"". Gamereactor. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  10. ^ Tom Regan (14 December 2018). "Suda51 Says 'No More Heroes 3' Will be "Bigger..Bloodier" and Like The Avengers". Fandom News and Stories. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b Suriel Vasquez (12 June 2019). "Suda51 Tells Us What To Expect From No More Heroes III". Gameinformer. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b CJ Andriessen (12 June 2019). "Suda51 talks fan input, the return of Shinobu, and the assassin he wishes could return in No More Heroes 3". Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  13. ^ 須田剛一によるトークイベント「トラヴィス・マンデー・ナイトロ」. IGN Japan. 28 August 2019. Archived from the original on 2 July 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ Sal Romano (23 October 2019). "No More Heroes III – Kimmy Howell and Destroyman artworks". Gematasu. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  15. ^ SUDA51/須田剛一 [@suda_51] (17 February 2021). "Travis' twin brother & ultimate rival, Henry Cooldown - by Silver 2425 character designer Takashi Miyamoto (@TakDusk). #NMH3 t.co/OklhRC51BF" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021 – via Twitter.
  16. ^ SUDA51/須田剛一 [@suda_51] (9 April 2021). "復活のカムイ。 浅野いにおさん、NMH3に降臨！ Kamui descends upon NMH3! By: Inio Asano @asano_inio #NMH3 t.co/KdYh1bR5u4" (Tweet) (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 20 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021 – via Twitter.
  17. ^ コザキユースケYusuke Kozaki [@kymg] (15 April 2021). "浅野いにおさんはたまたまうちの妹の結婚式でお知り合いになった時、ゲーム関係のお仕事をしたいとのお話を聞いていたのでNMH3へお誘いできました✌" (Tweet) (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 18 June 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ "Native Dancer bio". No More Heroes III. Marvelous. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  19. ^ Brand New No More Heroes 3 Details! - Suda 51 Interview. GameXplain. 11 June 2019. Archived from the original on 30 June 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021 – via YouTube.
  20. ^ Nathan Birch (4 November 2019). "Suda 51 Interview: No More Heroes 3 Boss Fuses Thanos, Venom, Joker, Open World Confirmed". Wccftech. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  21. ^ TJ Denzer (14 January 2020). "Suda51 talks No More Heroes 3, expectations, & experimentation". Shacknews. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  22. ^ @Grasshopper_EN (January 30, 2020). "It's Kaneko-san's first time making a game soundtrack, though he's made movie soundtracks before. They're different though; games need to maintain tension and loop, etc. He made TONS of tracks, and told Grasshopper to throw away what they don't want to use!#GhM #DOMMUNE" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. ^ @Grasshopper_EN (January 30, 2020). "Suda51's 1st impression after hearing the songs Kaneko-san sent: "They're all awesome!" Creating music for NMH also inspired Kaneko-san to form a band, too. His band's debut song: Orca Force! (It's playing now!)#GhM #DOMMUNE" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  24. ^ @Grasshopper_EN (January 30, 2020). "The music & game development is happening in parallel, so Kaneko-san makes a song, passes it to Grasshopper, who figure out where they want to use it. Suda51: "Dead Orca Force's gotta be a boss fight."#GhM #DOMMUNE" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  25. ^ @Grasshopper_EN (January 30, 2020). "DJ ABO is going to be helping out with the music for NMH3! And the other artists performing here tonight? Just maybe... #GhM #DOMMUNE" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  26. ^ MΣΣBΣΣ a.k.a KAZUHIRO ABO( [@meebee_abo] (16 July 2021). "Whoa! They used this song for the teaser!!! I sure did write this sushi song! And it's rapped by my dear rapper brothers Okumura.! @RPCFPOkumura