No More Heroes III

It’s ironic that the original game used to satirize the stagnation of video games industry, but now, No More Heroes 3 is afraid to leave familiar ground. Still, long-time fans will enjoy this new chapter of Travis Touchdown’s adventures. [Issue#255, p.54]

Travis Touchdown has grown in his “final installment” of No More Heroes. Because of this, the overall game has a different feel than previous entries and might be why it’s my favorite game in the franchise. Travis is a much more likeable character with some tangible realizations of action’s consequences. Paired with an interesting story, this makes No More Heroes 3 the best entry in the series. If you are a fan, No More Heroes 3 should definitely be added to your library.

No More Heroes 3 is a good game. But what affords the game personality is perhaps the same thing that keeps it from becoming something better than just good.

No More Heroes III is a violent action game, an open-world do-gooder sim, a dorky dad story and a tribute/parody of "popcorn classic blockbusters" all in one. [Issue #55 – October 2021, p. 67]

Some battles may not be as enjoyable as others but there’s so much fun to be had in most of them that it doesn’t matter. The story is interestingly bizarre, the characters are larger than life and the combat is a delight. Arguably the most important thing though is that it’s a worthy entry in the franchise that will no doubt be another cult classic in the world of gaming.

Since 2007, little has changed in the formula of No More Heroes. The third volume is no exception. No More Heroes III is rough, fast, bizarre and brutal. And that makes the game simultaneously great and frustrating.

Suda51 does what Suda51 does best with a wonderfully absurd adventure that plays well, looks and sounds great. The technical performance on the Nintendo Switch leaves something to be desired, though.

Even with the flaws that I mention, I feel the addictive combat and overall Suda51 wackiness far outweighs the negatives. I had a GREAT time with this game and look forward to more games by this developer in the future. This developer is such a great breath of fresh air with each one of their action titles. This title makes me want to go through and play the rest of the No More Heroes games.

No More Heroes III is a strange game, but absolutely worth your time. If you’ve ever watched an anime and wished you could play out the battles yourself, you will love this game. But if you haven’t had that specific experience and just enjoy a story-driven, chaotic hack-and-slash, you’ll have a great time as well.

For all its appealing idiosyncrasies, No More Heroes has lost some of its urgency and, with that, its potency. [Issue#363, p.116]

Everyone’s going in expecting madcap mayhem, and there’s often no one more stony-faced than someone sitting with their arms folded waiting to laugh. But if nothing else, Grasshopper Manufacture’s latest knows how to make you crack a smile.

No More Heroes III is a wild ride though a psychedelic warzone that begs to be experienced. The technical issues and slog of an open world drag it down at times, but it never stopped me from wanting to see it through. I really wish the game had been released on more powerful hardware as it is clear the team had bigger ambitions than the Switch could handle. Still if you have enjoyed previous entries then this is a no-brainer. Definitely a solid end to the trilogy and one of the most unique games you will play ever.

No More Heroes 3 brings together the best elements of the franchise to give us one of its greatest experiences, although it also maintains some of the flaws of its predecessors.

As a game in the series, No More Heroes 3 is the best one yet, with a tight story, great gameplay and excellent OST and voice acting. But with very bad graphics and dated open world gameplay, it falls way below the send off Travis Touchdown deserves.

Grasshopper jumbles together the conventions of the hack and slash with a slew of other ideas, and, if it all hangs together, it’s precisely because of the Hang: the relaxed air of logorrhea and pop cultural reference that wafts through it.

Against the backdrop of previous installments, No More Heroes III seems somewhat underwhelming, but it still brings a bloody mayhem dripping with absurdity. It's a lot of fun despite some setbacks (especially the technical side, ugh!), and it can easily be recommended to all adult Nintendo Switch owners. Don't say it's too weird, just try it.

No More Heroes III is the best installment in the franchise and an extremely fun experience.

None of us will ever be as questionably cool as neighborhood otaku a**hole Travis Touchdown, nor have a world that sings and flashes to his tune as we dance around swinging a laser katana. Nor will we be flooded by such an incredibly preserved imagination of cool 80’s and 90’s nostalgia. But we can pretend for a few minutes! That’s the fun of a video game like No More Heroes 3, right?

Travis has never looked so good or felt as slick to control, while Fu and his minions serve as memorable antagonists throughout. When I look back on the series I’ll always remember the outstanding, insane action, and this latest entry could well be the best it’s ever been.

Whatever No More Heroes III lacks in fresh ideas, it makes up for with sheer refinement. If this is the way Travis and his oddball action series goes out, I think it’s a fine enough finale.

No More Heroes III feels like a sequel to the first two games in every way, for all the good and bad that entails. It's creative, clever, charming, and delightfully weird. The combat system is simple but fun, and it doesn't overstay its welcome thanks to a wide variety of creative boss fights. However, everything outside of those elements feels a bit dull. Thankfully, like the first two games, No More Heroes III has enough interesting stuff going on to overshadow the flaws. Newcomers would probably be better off trying the cheaper No More Heroes titles on the Switch to see if Suda 51's specific eccentricities are to your taste.

No More Heroes 3 is bloody, violent, crude, insane and even confusing at moments and it’s an experience I found myself having a great time with right up to closing credits. Performance issues can’t weigh down what is a truly exciting rollercoaster ride of a game and arguably Travis Touchdown’s best outing to date.

All and all No More Heroes 3 gave me what I wanted, in another blood filled romp in the world of Santa Destroy. This entry is getting a little too close to Saints Row 3 in terms of wackiness, but that said I did like Saints Row 3. In the lead up to the release, Suda51 has said it might be a while before we see Travis again. With that said this was one hell of a ride even if there were bumps along the way, let’s hope we haven’t reached our Final Destination with our leather clad assassin.

No More Heroes III is a dizzying, introspective, macabre celebration and roast of nerd culture that has some of the deepest cuts ever put into a game. It doesn’t quite have the same satirical bite as the original, but it’s down for a good time. Fans of the franchise will be absolutely thrilled, and anyone looking for the polar opposite of ‘cookie cutter’ will find it here.

This fourth and final adventure from Travis Touchdown is both a passionate love letter and a sobering middle finger to nerdy escapism. It is therefore also the type of subversiveness that will not be appreciated by everyone. As it should.

No More Heroes III is a blast to play and a well-conceived sendoff to the series, one which stumbles on a technical level but delivers enough on the gameplay front to carry most players to the end credits of what may be the Switch's wildest exclusive to date.

No More Heroes 3 is the obvious product of an auteur’s vision and a team looking to bring a series back from the brink of vaporware. You may come in wanting a story that makes no sense while shattering the fourth wall. Plenty will flock to an action game that isn’t greedy with challenge and presents a bizarre kind of fun. Or maybe you just really want to cut some damn digital grass like the shovelware from the Wii era. Many parts of No More Heroes 3 are brilliant. Brilliant because their nonsensical parts create a joyous harmony that can only really be found in games. Sure, it might seem like SUDA51 is doing his damndest to not make a game. But I guess he failed because when you cut through it all, you’re left with a juicy good time.

As fun as it is to venture into a location called ‘Call of Battle’, a bombed out city with retro-FPS vibes, there’s nothing new it brings outside of aesthetics. Without any sort of detailed traversal or environmental interaction it all feels like you’re running around an overworld in an early 3D game from the late '90s. And with that one could argue that No More Heroes has always been about style over substance. The series’ unique blend of action and over-the-top self referential insanity is here, but one can’t help but wonder if that’s enough? Wonder how great a Suda51 joint could be if the mechanics and feel matched the virtuoso style on display.

For fans of the series though, it’s a no-brainer, you know what to expect here and you’re going to love it, for everyone else it might be hit or miss.

No More Heroes 3 is a special game with a soul of its own. It's not a perfect game, but the one you're not going to forget any time soon.

Like the best punk records, No More Heroes 3 is a grower. Its messy and unpolished gameplay can be completely offputting, but a scrappy, anarchic joy courses through it. For those with a love for gaming’s weirder side and nostalgia for a time where most games were endearingly unpolished, this will suit nicely. For many modern gamers, though, reaching the best sections will require more patience than it’s worth.

A better game than the earlier spin-off but Travis Touchdown’s time is clearly over, even if he is still able to provide some entertainingly odd boss battles.

While fans of the series will enjoy seeing the final No More Heroes story that ends SUDA51’s incredible run with Travis Touchdown, it’s impossible to ignore the game’s faults. It’s fun, but suffers from many issues that make this game seem like a work in progress. Poor movement and driving controls, a clunky camera, and dated graphics plague what could have been a much better game if SUDA51 was more willing to adapt to the capabilities of modern systems.

Straightforward action-adventure with excessive popculture references, it offers thrilling encounters but bores with a dull open-world.

No More Heroes is back with another extravagant adventure made for its fans. It is a good game that improves over the previous entries, but very poor on the technical side.

No More Heroes 3 mainly focuses on hack 'n slash gameplay and numerous side activities, and less on an in-depth narrative. Along the way, the game regularly plays with your expectations in a distinctive way and often makes you smile.

No More Heroes 3 can count on a funny story, absurd characters, an impeccable direction and very solid fights. At the same time, however, the promise of an open world worthy of this name is betrayed to say the least, with some of the worst levels ever seen in recent years.

No More Heroes 3 has moments of pure genius and a lot of fresh and brave gameplay ideas, but is technical disaster that even the hardcore fans can't stand.

No More Heroes 3 is a glorious sequence of boss fights, spectacular, fun and crazy, but surrounded by a really bland open world. If you're a fan of Travis it remains a recommended game, especially considering the previous games adopted a very similar structure, but everyone else would do well to wait for a price drop.

The strengths of No More Heroes 3 that are its crazy universe and its pleasurable fights manage to eclipse its faults, especially technical ones. One can only note the good will and the immense work of Suda51 and Grasshopper Manufacture to refine the recipe of their cult series. Never has the production of a No More Heroes been so neat, the fights so technical and the rhythm so well mastered. The copy is not without some erasures, however. We think of the open world so little alive and some bosses who deserved better treatment. Anyway, No More Heroes 3 is a very good title that will delight fans and perhaps allow others to take a first step into the garden of madness.

No More Heroes 3 is rough, imperfect, sometimes even unpolished, but also artistically insane and spirited and has great gameplay.

I'm glad we have No More Heroes 3. This is Suda51 to a tee: a wonderful and utterly ridiculous celebration of otaku culture and the series he's built up over the years. Travis' fourth-wall-breaking smart mouth makes me smile incessantly, despite how stupid it can be - and it can be very stupid indeed.

Quotation forthcoming.

No More Heroes 3 is exactly what fans of the series have been waiting for – an authentic sequel that continues the story of Travis Touchdown. If you loved the previous games, you’ll love this. However, it doesn’t offer anything new to improve on the series’ flaws,, meaning anyone who isn’t a devotee may want to try the original first to see if its quirky, sharp-tongued style is for them.

Another crazy circus of characters by Goichi Suda, but this time even the beam katana of Travis Touchdown can't save No More Heroes III from falling down to the bottom of the chart.

No More Heroes III is knowingly crass, extremely violent, and doesn't look close to a modern-era AAA action-adventure, which will put some (boring) people off. But beside that core of hacking and slashing is a warm heart, a kind soul, and the fun-loving spirit of a creator who clearly adores playing video games as much as he does making them. It's a game out of time, a game apart, and a game that anyone who finds repeat instalments of established series a bore and the incessant raft of remakes a chore absolutely has to play.

No More Heroes III is radical, punk and messy experience with a unique personality that will indeed please players who have been seduced by the first episodes on Wii - despite theirs flaws that are still those of this third game. 10 years have passed since No More Heroes 2, and as many games have successfully been walking on the same path, breaking codes and brilliantly combining content and form, it's surprising that Suda 51 did not give more scope to his title to sublime its personality.

Travis Touchdown’s latest adventure is an absolute joy for fans of the series. Not everything met my expectations, but what else would you expect from Suda51? Technical issues and an oversimplification of stable features hurt the experience, but not too much. No More Heroes 3’s punk soul and incredible combat shine bright through the cracks.

To be able to enjoy No More Heroes 3, then, you need to be able to not take the story seriously while still being fully invested in it and all that it has to offer, and you need to be willing to put up with the distinctly low budget jank that permeates the game without letting it get in the way of your enjoyment of all that the game does well.

I wish I could be a bigger fan of No More Heroes 3. There's a lot to like about it, from its enjoyable combat to its solid character design, and even the story setup is absolutely fascinating. Unfortunately for every given thing I liked, there was just as much that I disliked, and its visual fidelity holds it back for far too much of its runtime. If you’re like me, jumping into the third game in a series you’ve never touched before, there’s probably more than enough to turn you away. However, mega-fans of the series will likely find a lot to love.

It has its flaws, but there is absolutely no reason not to get on board with No More Heroes 3. It’s explosive, it’s sexy, it’s absurd, and it’s all created with a passion rarely seen outside of small-scale indie game development.

No More Heroes 3 is the joyride fans have been waiting for. It's an incredible return to form for Suda 51 and a bombastic celebration of one of the most iconic game series out there -- full of style, full of action, and full of wild characters that you won't forget any time soon. There may be some technical issues and graphical hiccups, but it's more than made up for by the absolutely wild aesthetic of the game that only Suda 51 could provide.

No More Heroes 3 is one of the best action games of the year and offers some well-rounded fun. The writing, gameplay, performance, music, and virtually everything else come together to deliver a must-play game for the Nintendo Switch, just as the original did back in 2007 on the Nintendo Wii. Fans of Suda51, No More Heroes, action games, and a hilariously good time need to give this one a try. If you weren’t a fan of developer Grasshopper Manufacture and Suda before, you will be after this one.

No More Heroes 3 is a love letter to gaming culture that lacks underlying mischief, opting instead for cozy familiarity.

If you stick with it, No More Heroes 3 is great fun, packed full of enjoyable gameplay and frantically memorable moments.

This action title has great combat and humor, and will be a great both for fans of the series and, surprisingly, newcomers.

No More Heroes 3 may be repetitive at times and doesn't have quite the best bosses in the series history, but players new and old will have an enjoyable time with the game. It's a wonderfully vivid and colorful game that only shows how wild Suda51 really is.

No More Heroes 3 marks the return of Travis Touchdown, this time fighting against a menace that comes from outer space. Madness, laughter and a good story full of references to obscure popular culture are assured in a game that only has a notorious weak point: a world that feels really empty.

We can appreciate flashy action and grindhouse exploitation nature of No More Heroes 3 for what it is, but it kept the camera on the boring parts a little long for our liking. Still, if you’re looking to continue the weird assassin adventures of Travis Touchdown, then the chores are also probably worth doing to see how the escapade unfolds.

No More Heroes 3 delivers on the things we would expect from Suda51: a kinetic and addictive combat system that ends up overshadowed by the creative liberties and eccentricities of its creator, leaving a fun but uneven gameplay experience. But the constant experimentation makes this a stimulating and surprising game.

The reality is that Suda51's new work for Nintendo Switch is the shadow of the No More Heroes it once was, where brilliant ideas, follies, memorable moments and the heinous combat system itself are watered down in a mediocre techno-playful context - and devoid of rhythm.

Fortunately, the fantastic gameplay, music, story, writing, and character design are all ways that No More Heroes 3 more than makes up for the game’s shortcomings. It has been well worth the wait for diehard fans and is easily recommendable to anyone who enjoys action games.

No More Heroes fans will absolutely adore No More Heroes 3 – it’s no doubt the best game in the series so far. And while it’s better to go into it with prior knowledge of the series, Switch gamers looking for an action-packed adventure that offers something entirely unique might also want to consider picking it up. Its open world might be a bit sparse, and the activities within it range in quality, but at least the combat is always brilliant. The ranked battles are the real draw here though, as well as the unpredictable gameplay elements they bring with them and the story scenes they’re sandwiched in between. They’ll suck you in and won’t let you go until the credits roll.

Technical struggles in the open world aside, No More Heroes III proves its worth as a brutally satisfying and subversive action game with magnificent boss fights and hilarity in spades.

Unfortunately, No More Heroes 3 misses the mark. This episode is sorely lacking in ambition and does less well than its predecessors released ten years ago. Too bad, because his combat system has taken off in the meantime. But its dated structure, its dubious artistic direction, its unspecified bosses and its writing frankly not at the level of the license come to spoil the party. This leaves a boring action game that does a lot to make it look cool, but never quite gets there.

When No More Heroes III is good, it’s really good, and I keep finding myself wishing other action games played like it from time to time. But when I really sit down and think about playing the game, it’s tough to remember any particular moment outside of the boss fights because they all blended together; my strongest memories are those of frustration as I desperately struggled to push through the bullshit to get to the stuff that was actually fun. Even the game’s style and technical performance are wildly inconsistent between the sublime combat and sterile overworld. It feels half-baked in the most literal sense, with one half being cooked to perfection, and the other half still cold from the freezer. I just can’t shake the feeling that I’m the one doing something wrong, because I’m just not sure how a game can be so incredibly good, and yet so very bad.

Really, should anyone be surprised that No More Heroes III is a good time? Suda51 and his gang may be known for games that are varying levels of weird, but you can hardly ever say that they’re boring at all. Travis might have been in relative exile for a while, but it feels like he hasn’t missed a beat. It’s time to fire up that beam katana back up, people. Far from a swing and a miss, it’s good to see Travis back in his element. This gets a solid recommend from me.

My time with No More Heroes 3 jumped between the short highs from entertaining bosses and cutscenes to long, ugly stretches in the world. Much of the design is dated, and I wanted to drop it after a few bosses to avoid the mundanity, but I’m happy I saw it to completion. There are many fun moments, and I love how unafraid it is to be strange or referential. Those who are already invested in the tale of Travis Touchdown should be right at home in this new No More Heroes. Still, I’d insist newcomers try out previous entries before diving into this Garden of Insanity.

If you had a mandate for all of the things a No More Heroes game shouldn't be, "boring" would be near the top of the list, but this sequel frequently is just that. No More Heroes 3 lacks the irreverent charm and personality of its predecessors. Combat picks up the slack, and there's a degree of vivid style to be found there, but the game falters in so many other areas. After an 11-year wait, maybe No More Heroes 3 was always destined to fall short of our expectations. But to end without so much as a touchdown is a mighty disappointment.

No More Heroes 3 is an amusing but extremely uneven sequel only likely to appeal to Suda 51 diehards – and even for that audience, it takes several steps backward from the likes of No More Heroes 1 and 2. Combat can occasionally find its flow, particularly during its entertaining boss battles, but poor technical performance and the barebones tedium between them make this a lackluster homecoming for Grasshopper Manufacture’s flagship series.

More than anything, such a strong and clear vision is what makes No More Heroes 3 work as well as it does. It’s beyond clear that Suda cares about this series from the bottom of his heart, and that love is what makes this game special. No More Heroes 3 is not just a good SUDA51 game, it's one of the best games of the year.

No More Heroes III is the best No More Heroes experience this far. A streamlined structure, some fantastic writing and direction from Goichi Suda and some of the tightest combat the series has ever seen makes No More Heroes III the best in the series. There’s some technical issues that we’ve come to see from the Switch, especially in the open world, but these are otherwise minor blemishes on a remarkable artistic achievement.

No More Heroes III has the faults of both its mainline predecessors – it’s a little more tedious than No More Heroes 2, and a little less meaningful than No More Heroes. It makes up for this, however, by being another inarguably impressive, balls-to-the-wall carnage-fest, a blood-spattered love letter to excess, and a Suda51 fan’s wet dream splashed across the Switch. The story it tells is cool. The game it plays is cool. Neither of these crucial aspects reach the heights of the series' Nintendo Wii origins, but nobody who truly gets No More Heroes could reasonably be disappointed with this third incarnation. The joke’s beginning to wear thin, but it’s all in the telling. And Suda51 can still spin a very fine yarn.

No More Heroes III is a hugely mixed bag with loads of fantastic boss fights, but an atrocious open world that lets it down.

After over a decade since a proper numbered sequel, No More Heroes III brings back the franchise in what could arguably be called its strongest entry yet, and one of the best overall games that Suda51 has helmed. No More Heroes III is unapologetically ridiculous and violent, even if the aliens bleed pixels most of the time.

No More Heroes 3 dazzlingly outshines its predecessors in many respects. The combat is vastly superior, the overworld map makes a triumphant return, and the art styles and music are so brilliantly executed to the point where I want to buy the entire dev team a round of drinks. In the team's eagerness to return to a clearly beloved franchise, I think a lot of fantastic storyline ideas came together in a way that didn't always fit perfectly, but No More Heroes 3 was never anything less than a total blast. If you've already played the other three games in the series and loved every second, I have no idea why you're still reading this article -- go get No More Heroes 3 already.

From the open world to engaging in part-time jobs, No More Heroes 3 does not only bring back some of the series’ most iconic aspects, but also manages to introduce new elements without making a mess out of it. With the improved battle system, this is the best action game that Grasshopper Manufacture has ever made. The only thing that drags the experience a bit down is the often rough story development and lack of character depth.

No More Heroes III is like two games in one, and if you’re happy enough to play mundane mini-games in an open world that’s awful to look at, you can break through to some compelling, exciting combat. A bizarre and always entertaining story is here, too, but this one really does feel like it’s made just for the fans.

No More Heroes 3 is composed of a fantastic combat system with stylish visual flair but, on a narrative level, falls flat in every way compared to its predecessors. However, you weren’t really coming into No More Heroes 3 for the story, were you? This is why after completing the adventure, I simply booted it up to play again. I guess the fights are just that good.

Propulsive, profane, and profound, No More Heroes III is more than happy serving its niche rather than watering itself down to expand its appeal. The game’s file size is 6.9GB, and that's probably not a coincidence. If you're curious about the series, start at the beginning. However, once you’re caught up, you’ll be glad that Suda51 returned to deliver us this Editors’ Choice pick Nintendo Switch game.

No More Heroes 3 is grindhouse cinema in video game form, with a story that resembles the Saiyan Arc from Dragon Ball Z if it were directed by Quentin Tarantino. It doesn't take the series in any new directions and it has poor visuals and performance issues, but it's still an absolute blast to play.

If someone hasn’t kept up with Travis over the years, I’m not quite sure No More Heroes 3 would be the game to introduce a newcomer to the saga. However, it does feel designed with those familiar with the series in mind. The character direction, humor, style, combat, minigames, and even free map all call back to things that made the last few games stand out. Past UAA members will likely relish this new opportunity to rise through the Galactic Rankings.

No More Heroes III shows no respect for the artistry or cultural context of the pop culture that it pilfers from.

No More Heroes 3 is kind of a mess – but it is a FUN mess. If you’re looking for some fun sword fights against aliens with designs too weird for Katamari Damacy, you might just find your sweet spot.

Despite the technical issues in the open world, No More Heroes 3 is not just the best Grasshopper Manufacture game, but one of the best and most fun games you can play on Nintendo Switch right now with its brilliant writing, superlative boss fights, and sublime soundtrack.

No More Heroes 3 shines with its fourth-wall-breaking self-awareness, zany characters and stunningly slick combat. It’s not afraid to be what it is, Suda 51 and his team delivering a great instalment to the franchise that welcomes us to the Garden of Insanity.

No More Heroes III is a glorious, gory mess, bursting with excitement and creativity from beginning to end. The game’s intensity does shift down a gear when exploring its dated open world, but its best moments shine bright enough to keep your heart and beam katana pumping through the slower bits. Suda51 has scored another bloody Touchdown.

No More Heroes III is a game of a different time. While its simple combat and its unique style still set it apart, its hidden age does more harm than good.

No More Heroes is finally back with its third part and it's a typical game for the franchise. The boss fights are insanely good, the humor is black and over-the-top and the whole game oozes with style. The return of the boring open world is a mystery however and not every joke is super-effective. If you can't wait to put yourself in the shoes of Travis Touchdown again, however, you can't miss No More Heroes III.

No More Heroes 3 is a fantastic sequel that fans deserve, delivering everything you’ve come to expect from the series and more.

I had a great time with No More Heroes III. The story, wacky characters, and stylish action all had me begging for more, but the open-world sections, graphical and performance issues and the constant on-screen effects do wear thin after lengthy play sessions and let the otherwise fantastic experience down. The game is an incredibly unique experience that is jam-packed with funny, strange moments that make it truly stand out from the crowd, and the solid combat and zany narrative elevates it to an adventure that is well worth playing. If you like your action games with a healthy dose of balls-to-the-wall weirdness, this one's for you.

No More Heroes 3 is absurd, silly, and ridiculously fun. With its slick aesthetic, accentuating the deep and smooth combat, Grasshopper Manufacture has managed to surpass previous entries in the franchise. Packed with a ton of mini-games, this diverse trip will take you to strange and wonderful places. Although the empty open-world areas are plagued with performance issues, it doesn’t take away from the ingenuity that is imbued within.

No More Heroes III is an impressive series evolution that doesn't lose touch with its roots. It's the most polished No More Heroes game to date, both in aesthetic and gameplay. While it loses some steam in its back half, without spoiling anything, Suda51 has enough surprises and unexpected twists in store to keep even the most ardent No More Heroes fan on their toes.

Go into No More Heroes 3 with an open mind and enjoy the ride.

Credit must go to Nintendo for supporting this project, though. Yes, it might be the “safest” game that Goichi Suda has produced in quite some time, and the energy is just not the same when he’s retreading old ideas rather than creating something new. But then Goichi Suda on a flat day is still more creative than 99 per cent of the auteurs out there, and No More Heroes III is still big, colourful, bold and filled with surrealistic humour. With the energy dialled right up to the maximum, it’s hard not to love something this brash.

No More Heroes 3 rarely feels stale and keeps players coming back for more with the over-the-top story that they have come to expect from the series. Fans were a little worried after the lacklustre spinoff, but No More Heroes 3 brings the series back to form.

No More Heroes III brings back gaming’s favorite passing assassin in a bombastic way, with the kind of inventive, fourth wall-breaking presentation one might expect. It’s flashier, bolder, and even funnier than its predecessors, and the gameplay feels just slightly modernized without sacrificing any of the series’ charm. The pacing might seem a bit halted in some places, and it could have worked best as a capstone to the series, but it’s clear that creator Suda51 and the rest of the designers are just as passionate about the Garden of Madness as ever.

If you're just focusing on graphics and performance or if you want everything to make sense, No More Heroes 3 might not be your game. But the quality of Suda51's new game consists of something else. It's the number of crazy ideas making you laugh out loud over and over again. It's the spectacular fighting action, the crazy characters and the many references to Japanese and western popular culture that makes No More Heroes 3 an enjoyable trip that's worth buying and a must-play for Suda fans.

No More Heroes III is just more of the same. This game feels a decade old and like it was made for its most hardcore fans. It has all the same charm, humor, and fun gameplay, but also the same issues, mainly the dreadfully boring open world and repetitive structure. Those who played both of the two previous mainline games will know exactly what to expect here in No More Heroes III. There isn’t much evolution between them and this, and maybe there doesn’t need to be. But I still wish that the game would have matured a bit more along with its audience after all these years.