No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle Review
Anyone who has played No More Heroes will have a hard time forgetting the amazing oddity that appeared on the Wii. Whether it was the goofy mini-games, saving by going to the toilet, or the otaku-wrestling fan protagonist, the game certainly made an impression. Now Travis Touchdown is once again working his way up the United Assassins Association rankings, and once again players are treated to a wholly unorthodox game. With a perfect blend of action, adventure, and weirdness, No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is another great game from Goichi Suda and developer Grasshopper.
If you’ve played Suda51 games before, you know what to expect as far as the story goes: hilarious dialogue that breaks the 4th wall, insane and memorable characters, and even a little bit of intrigue. The key players from the first game are back with a vengeance. Literally; Travis is making his way up the Assassins echelon in the name of revenge for his friend, Bishop. The story is even more quirky, cinematic, and entertaining than the first game, as Travis’ purpose gives him a stronger definition of character and leads to further reflection not only on his doings, but the UAA as a whole. Grasshopper has certainly succeeded in making a sequel with more grandeur and epic…ness, while retaining the unique style of the original. What’s even better is that most everything in the game is explained; Suda’s penchant for absolutely bizarre or abstract scenarios is at a minimum, so there is little that detracts from this plot of love, revenge, and beam katanas.
NMH2 is just as bloody as its predecessor, but that doesn't mean it can't have a good story.
Overall, the core of the gameplay has remain unchanged from the first No More Heroes game: Travis fights with beam katana slashes, wrestling moves, and bloody finishing strikes. And yes, it’s still oh-so-satisfying to dispatch hordes of enemies with a heavy katana swing. What has changed are a lot of the details, such as a new dual-wielding katana, the ability to activate Travis’ ultra-powerful dark mode at will, and new boss fight mechanics such as challenger fights and battles with multiple bosses. While these are all welcome additions, most of them are underused–the new boss fights are only seen once, and even then are underwhelming, while the new katanas simply do not feel distinctive from their one-sword conterparts. Furthermore, some bosses are beyond frustrating–one duel aboard Travis’ bike, the Schpeltiger, is particularly tedious as the bike’s controls are flimsy at best. That said, the combat in No More Heroes 2 is overall still a blast, and the bosses, though less memorable than the ones from the first game, are still a lot of fun to duel.
The town of Santa Destroy has seen a more significant overhaul from the original. Gone is the free-roaming exploration between fights; now it’s a simple matter of choosing your destination from a list, and appearing there instantly. It’s disappointing to see Santa Destroy reduced to a column of locations, but at the same time, it certainly streamlines one of the least interesting parts of the first game. Unfortunately, this also means that Travis’ beloved Schpeltiger is all but useless in NMH2–it appears in a couple of boss missions, but overall, it doesn’t add anything significant to the game. Additionally, Doctor Naomi’s importance has been severely downplayed, which thankfully means you don’t have to grind for money (except maybe once), but also that her lab quickly becomes a pointless destination on the map. Other locations include clothing store Airport 51 and revenge missions–short missions where your objective is to kill a group of enemies or take out the boss. These missions are purely peripheral, they’re still a good opportunity to keep your skills sharp and earn a few collectibles for Travis’ motel room.
Be prepared for some epic (if tedious) boss fights.
Mini-games are back, but they’ve been severely overhauled for this game. Now each mini-game (except for one) plays like a retro, 8-bit-esque game with short levels and simple controls, such as cooking burgers for hungry patrons, or exterminating bugs with a suction pack. Not only are these games hilarious and quirky in that perfect Suda51 fashion, but they’re actually pretty good games and fun to play. Since you aren’t forced to grind for money as much in this game, these mini-games are more of a fun diversion from the main game–the awkward imbalance of mini-games/main missions from the first game is long gone.
Travis’ controls are largely the same. Slash with A, physical attack with B, execute a finishing move with a wave of the Wii remote–fairly simple and easy to learn stuff. Rarely are the controls an issue, even in the old-school styled mini-games, where the controls are limited and generally constrained. In addition to Travis, there are two other characters you can play as (at specific times in the story). They fight in the same manner as Travis, but with small differences–Shinobu is fast and lithe, with both a jumping and distance attack, while the third character (no spoilers!) uses a dash mechanic and some incredibly swift strikes. Shinobu is a lot of fun to play as, and offers a new though somewhat familiar feel to fighting, which helps mix-up the gameplay lest it get too stale. Though the motion controls are limited to finishing blows, the Wii remote really does help pull you into the action of the game.
Though the game uses the same cell-shaded style as the first game–which once again looks great on the characters themselves–a lot of the graphics are simply messy. Environments are jagged and rough, and some of the animation is blurred or jittery. Essentially, the graphics do not look polished, to a notable extent. It’s definitely weird to see Travis and Slyvia, who look well detailed, amidst distractingly jagged buildings or landscapes. The music, however, perfectly complements the energetic, otaku attitude of Travis and the game as a whole, providing a great soundtrack for assassination. The voices are also very well done–each character has a clearly distinctive voice that is well acted. Though the music tends to get lost in the action of the game, it really does add to the experience of Travis’ fights.
Two beam katanas means Travis can pull off some flashy and deadly attacks.
The game is a lot shorter than you might think, considering Travis starts at rank #51 in the United Assassins Association. Finishing everything the game has to offer takes approximately twelve hours–not terribly long but still a healthy length for an action game like this. Of course, you can pad the length by replaying mini-games, and a hard mode unlocks after you finish the game (you can keep your weapons and skills in this hard mode). You can even spend time helping Travis’ cat, Jeane, lose weight, or just play video games on Travis’ TV. These small diversions are fun, but are still just side missions.
Sequels tend to be judged in the shadow of their preceding game, but No More Heroes 2 stands tall as a worthy sequel, with all the same charm of the original on a grander scale. Not all of the changes are necessarily for the better, and some feel superfluously tacked on, but Desperate Struggle is a wildly entertaining sequel to a wildly bizarre game with a combination of bloody and eccentric game elements. If you liked the first game, you’ll undoubtedly enjoy this one, and this game might be a little more accessible to new players.
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