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Suda 51 and the Grasshopper team are known for quirky, unconventional, and often downright strange titles. Previous efforts such as Contact for the DS and Killer7 for the Gamecube and PlayStation 2 have garnered critical acclaim but little commercial success. Perhaps in an effort to buck the latter trend, Suda’s latest game is a slam-bang action satire that wastes no time drawing you into its twisted world of violence and ridiculous fashion sense.

“I know a lot of gamers out there don’t have a lot of patience.”

No More Heroes launches into its narrative like it was shot from a cannon. A lightning fast opening scene that seems suspiciously like a wisely shortened opening gameplay sequence introduces you to Travis Touchdown, a hopelessly nerdy anime and wrestling fan. He’s utterly amoral and kind of a jerk, but somehow manages to be one of the most likeable new characters in a long time. Travis buys a beam katana, which is really a lightsaber right down to the sound effects, on eBay and proceeds to kill someone with it who turns out to be one of the top assassins on the planet. This puts him in the running to be the best assassin in the world, so he begins offing the top ten killers one by one, goaded on by the mysterious and slightly disturbing Sylvia Christel.

What follows is an epically violent and surprisingly smart odyssey through the world of Santa Destroy, a beachside town that seems to be a rough parody of San Diego, if San Diego were populated by Mafiosos, corrupt businessmen armed with laser swords, and super powered assassins who rent out PETCO Park to sing Burt Bacharach sound-alikes. The city is open and free to be explored, GTA style, either on foot or using Travis’ souped-up motorcycle. It may seem sparse at first, but after a few assassinations the city is alive with things to do. Between ranked battles, Travis can improve his physical attributes via simple mini-games, buy new equipment and clothing, and take odd jobs to earn extra cash.

Cash is key, as each new top ten killer requires a contract be bought from Sylvia’s agency, and they don’t come cheap. Travis will not only do freelance smalltime assassinations, but also perform such tasks as collecting coconuts, rescuing lost kittens, killing radioactive scorpions, washing graffiti off buildings, and mowing lawns. The absurdity of these mundane tasks juxtaposed with the free-wheeling violence of the action sequences is yet another layer to the game’s sense of humor, and thankfully each mini-game is fun, reasonably short, and pays well.

Lashings of the old Ultraviolence

The meat of No More Heroes is combat using Travis’ beam katanas. The controls strike an exceptional balance between traditional button pressing and incorporation of Wii remote motions. Regular attacks, dodges, and lock-ons are performed using buttons, but upon depleting an enemy’s lifebar, an arrow appears onscreen. Slashing the remote in the indicated direction results in Travis performing a finishing move, this invariably reduces the foe to a spurting geyser of blood and coins. A stunned enemy can be subjected to a variety of wrestling maneuvers, all performed with various twists and flicks of the remote and Nunchuk in concert.

The end result is a supremely satisfying combat experience. The finishing moves feel powerful and final; thanks to the virtual punctuation mark the Wii control flick lends them. It’s easy to drop into a comfortable rhythm during combat, dodging, parrying and beheading with graceful ease. No More Heroes is one of the few third-party Wii games to integrate waggle with a traditional control scheme without making it feel gimmicky or forced. Controlling Travis always feels natural and intuitive.

Aim for the Top

No More Heroes would be a noteworthy game simply due to its over the top visual style and rock-solid controls, but the game’s appeal and genius go far beyond that. Upon confronting the 10 assassin bosses; the writing truly comes alive, and the unique design of each boss fight subtly reinforces the theme of each adversary. There is real social commentary in this title, and each of the bosses can be seen to represent a societal issue or problem, often of the peculiarly American persuasion. The fact that it is typically buried beneath an inventive set piece battle keeps it from being sledgehammer obvious, and yet the satire is right in your face at all times.

The real triumph of Suda 51’s surreal, occasionally obscene romp is that behind all the cynicism, satire, and gory ultraviolence lies a true joy of creation that is too rarely seen in gaming. In playing No More Heroes, one gets the impression that the development team truly enjoyed making it, that no idea was thrown out for being too ridiculous or far-fetched, and that it is intensely aware of its own absurdity at all times. The excellent fourth-wall shattering ending is proof enough of that.

There’s really nothing quite like No More Heroes on the Wii, or indeed just about any other system. This can be said about most of Suda 51’s games, but for perhaps the first time, he has made a game truly accessible to just about anyone while retaining the layers and nuance seen in titles like Killer7. As a game, No More Heroes is a delight. If you’re also in on the joke, it’s astounding.

Review by: Matt Keil
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