No More Heroes

79%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,013 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
No More Heroes Game Cover
Starting at $4.41Buy now
Get on Steam

No More Heroes is an action-packed third-person game set in a 3D sandbox universe. The story follows Travis Touchdown, an assassin on a quest to become the best in the world. Players will hack and slash their way through enemies using a variety of weapons and moves, while exploring the open world of Santa Destroy, California. The game features a unique scenario and stylish visuals, taking advantage of the Wii's motion controls for a thrilling experience.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Wii
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

79%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,013 reviews
story42 positive mentions
stability40 negative mentions
  • Unique and engaging story with memorable characters and humor.
  • Fun and satisfying combat mechanics, especially during boss fights.
  • The game retains its charm and style from the original Wii version.
  • The PC port is poorly optimized, with frequent crashes and audio issues.
  • Lack of keyboard and mouse support, requiring a controller to play.
  • Several achievements are bugged and cannot be unlocked, diminishing the completion experience.
  • story218 mentions

    The story of "No More Heroes" is a quirky and absurd narrative that follows Travis Touchdown, an otaku aspiring to become the world's top assassin, filled with colorful characters and bizarre plot twists. While the main storyline is engaging and often humorous, it is interspersed with repetitive side missions that can detract from the overall experience. Despite its nonsensical elements, the narrative is praised for its unique charm and character development, making it a memorable journey for players who appreciate its offbeat style.

    • “However, even those who find the gameplay wanting may still enjoy its colorful characters and bizarre story.”
    • “The story is hilarious and all the characters are really interesting and fun.”
    • “The story here really is what's going to keep you wanting to play.”
    • “The story and dialogue are often off the rails and do not make much sense, but it somehow works fantastically.”
    • “The game doesn't have much of a plot, but it doesn't try to pretend like it does; it's just silly fight after silly fight.”
    • “The story is pretty basic, straightforward, and even predictable; the whole plot revolves around the main character wanting to impress a woman by climbing the ranks of assassins.”
  • gameplay93 mentions

    The gameplay in "No More Heroes" is characterized by its simple yet engaging hack-and-slash mechanics, featuring a unique combat system that includes high and low attacks, a slot machine mechanic for special abilities, and a variety of mini-games and side missions. While some players appreciate the addictive nature and charm of the gameplay, others criticize its dated mechanics, repetitive elements, and occasional bugs, particularly in the ported version. Overall, the game offers a colorful aesthetic and memorable characters that enhance the experience, despite its gameplay shortcomings.

    • “The gameplay is excellent, the characters are fun and interesting, and the whole aesthetic and style of the game is unique and badass.”
    • “The gameplay has the right amount of depth to keep you engaged, but is still accessible enough and easy to get the hang of.”
    • “The game's unique blend of hack-and-slash combat, open-world exploration, and outrageous boss battles creates a thrilling and unpredictable gameplay experience.”
    • “Worst handling motorcycle in the history of video games, emptiest open world since Assassin's Creed 1 to traverse on your worst motorcycle, teeth-grinding side missions (some of them broken due to being tailored to Wii's original motion stick inputs), some bugs here and there, pretty basic gameplay, and yet it's worth playing just for the wacky and weird main story and cast.”
    • “Let me be clear: if you're looking for something deep, something thoughtful, something that requires a fine art of gameplay... go play something else.”
    • “The offbeat story is refreshing to be sure, but paired with archaic gameplay mechanics (grinding for money; for example, there is no lootable gear, no clothing drops, no dropped weapons, everything needs to be bought).”
  • graphics75 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising its unique cel-shaded art style and vibrant visuals that evoke a comic book aesthetic. However, the port has been criticized for its lack of graphical options, frequent glitches, and outdated visuals reminiscent of the PS2 era, leading to a frustrating experience for some players. Overall, while the artistic direction is appreciated, technical issues and limited customization options detract from the overall graphical experience.

    • “The visuals and character movement are loaded with jank that firmly cements this game as one of those oddballs from the late naughties, and a Wii oddball at that.”
    • “It blends elements of horror and dark comedy with its beautiful cel-shaded art style and gory visuals to consistently grab your attention throughout the game.”
    • “Visually, No More Heroes presents a striking visual style that combines cel-shaded graphics, vibrant colors, and comic book-inspired cutscenes.”
    • “Very bad port; it shows me with a blue-tinted color screen, graphical glitches, and sometimes crashes when loading to a new map.”
    • “The PS2-era graphics and super clunky controls are too much for me now to enjoy it.”
    • “Terrible port; the graphics options are non-existent, and the game stutters constantly. I have a 3090 and am running it off an SSD; this game originally came out on the Wii.”
  • humor63 mentions

    The humor in "No More Heroes" is characterized by its absurdity, irreverence, and self-awareness, often blending lowbrow jokes with quirky dialogue and bizarre scenarios that can be both hilarious and cringeworthy. Players appreciate the game's unique comedic style, which includes fourth wall breaks and satirical elements, though its humor may not resonate with everyone. Overall, the game is celebrated for its entertaining writing and memorable characters, making it a standout experience for those who enjoy a mix of action and comedy.

    • “It's absurd, it's hilarious, and it gets so bizarre that it often doesn't make a lot of sense.”
    • “The game has hilariously corny dialogue and an undeniably lovable sense of self-aware humor.”
    • “Another thing I really enjoy about No More Heroes is that it doesn't take itself very seriously; the protagonist Travis Touchdown is really funny and loves to break the fourth wall. He's pretty much the Deadpool of video games in my opinion.”
  • music46 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its catchy and memorable soundtrack, which enhances the overall experience and complements the game's unique characters and story. Many reviewers highlight specific tracks and themes that resonate with them, noting that the soundtrack is a significant draw of the game, often overshadowing its gameplay shortcomings. Despite some technical issues with audio mixing and licensing, the music remains a standout feature that players continue to enjoy long after playing.

    • “The cheery on top is the kickass soundtrack that makes any part of the game instantly memorable and more enjoyable.”
    • “The music is fantastic, the gameplay feels amazing, and the bosses are some of the most fun I've seen in a long while.”
    • “The soundtrack is something that I really love and is probably one of my favorite things in the game.”
    • “Just to get it out of the way: combat is repetitive and can be completely brute forced (for the most part), grinding for money can get extremely tedious, the overworld is weirdly empty, and there's some technical issues like enemy dialogue and sound effects being extremely loud relative to the music.”
    • “Enemies' death yells almost break my speakers while the music is quiet.”
    • “The game has v-sync forced on without any way to disable it (as far as I'm aware), at least one song has been removed due to a lapse in licensing, the audio distorts often, at least during the first boss fight, and there's no way to change the resolution of the textures in-game, resulting in some pretty blurry and artifact-filled jpegs that are occasionally stretched due to the new aspect ratio.”
  • stability43 mentions

    The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with numerous reports of graphical glitches, crashes, and audio issues that detract from the overall experience. Many players have encountered game-breaking bugs, particularly during boss fights and menu transitions, leading to frustration and a lack of polish in the port. While some users report a playable experience with minor glitches, the consensus is that the game requires significant patches to address its numerous stability problems.

    • “It’s a pretty good port; one noticeable issue is excessive audio clipping (mainly when you kill more than one enemy), but it is playable and runs great on the Steam Deck.”
    • “Also runs great on Steam Deck.”
    • “A lot of people are complaining about the port being 'bare bones,' and yes, you could say that, but at the end of the day, the game still runs great and plays surprisingly well, especially for a game that originally released for the Nintendo Wii and its motion control attack system.”
    • “Very bad port; it shows a blue-tinted color screen, graphical glitches, and sometimes crashes when loading to a new map.”
    • “Despite the recent patches, there are still many glitches stuck in the game, such as crashing after pausing and unpausing for too long.”
    • “The port includes issues such as screen tearing at high FPS, freezes on the boss kill menu, crashes if you pause after loading, graphical pop-ups, subtitles turning on/off, incorrect button layouts if you aren't using Joy-Cons, and more.”
  • grinding35 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, particularly due to the necessity of completing side missions for cash to progress. While some appreciate the mini-games and quirky story, others criticize the excessive grinding required for upgrades and boss fights, often leading to frustration and a sense of wasted time. Overall, the grinding is seen as a significant drawback that detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.

    • “The hack and slash is decent, but in order to progress, you have to grind a lot of cash doing tedious and repetitive side missions.”
    • “Just to get it out of the way: combat is repetitive and can be completely brute forced (for the most part), grinding for money can get extremely tedious, the overworld is weirdly empty, and there's some technical issues like enemy dialogue and sound effects being extremely loud relative to the music.”
    • “Doing jobs or assassination missions to farm money for each story mission or buy upgrades is also tedious as it requires you to drive to each job, which can be all the way across the map, then drive all the way back to the job center to repeat the mission.”
  • optimization20 mentions

    Overall, the optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting significant performance issues, including micro-stuttering and crashes, even on high-end systems. While some players experienced smooth gameplay, others noted that the port lacks essential features like resolution options and control schemes, leading to a generally poor optimization experience. Despite its potential, many recommend waiting for patches or improvements before purchasing.

    • “Great game, no issues regarding performance or quality.”
    • “There isn't really much else to say about this port, it's the Wii game ported straight to PC with a control scheme that works pretty damn well and with solid performance.”
    • “Only performance drops I had in 4K were when I was killing multiple goons with one death blow.”
    • “Like everyone else has said, do not buy this game because it's poorly optimized, even 4-5 years after release.”
    • “I love Suda51 and his games, but this game is horribly optimized. I suggest the publishers patch it or even fully pull the plug and re-release a proper version.”
    • “The LOD is pretty terrible; the game will run at your native resolution only. It runs like garbage on lower-end systems when I tried this on my laptop (this is a Wii game, it should run on a toaster), and while it's 60fps locked, there's a decent amount of micro-stuttering even if you use a decent rig (I have a GTX 1080 home rig).”
  • character development9 mentions

    The game excels in character development through imaginative and memorable designs, each with distinct personalities that enhance the storytelling. Players appreciate the humor and unique styles, which contribute to an engaging experience, despite some technical issues with the port. Overall, the character designs and writing are highlighted as standout features that keep players invested in the game.

    • “The character designs are imaginative and memorable, each boasting their own distinct personality and style.”
    • “No More Heroes also shines in its storytelling and character development.”
    • “The game doesn't take itself seriously at all but it will still captivate with its raw style, especially its character design, music, and writing.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
    • “I found the character arcs to be predictable and uninspired, which detracted from my overall enjoyment of the game.”
    • “Despite the interesting premise, the characters don't evolve in meaningful ways, leaving their stories feeling incomplete.”
  • monetization3 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game is criticized as a cash grab, with users expressing disappointment over perceived laziness in the port and a lack of support for fixing bugs and crashes. Many reviewers indicate they will refrain from purchasing future titles in the series due to these issues.

    • “An abandoned cash grab; I'll wait another decade before I buy from this series. Maybe by then a fan will fix the crashes and bugs for them.”
    • “I love Suda51 and his games, but cash grabs like this, I don't support.”
    • “To me, this looks like a quick cash grab with a lazy port.”
  • atmosphere2 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its engaging characters, stylish visuals, and a quirky, playful tone. The inclusion of mini-games and side activities enhances the overall experience, offering depth and variety while complementing the main storyline.

    • “Great characters, great atmosphere, fun combat, and stylish visuals.”
    • “The inclusion of various mini-games and side activities adds depth and variety to the gameplay experience, providing a welcome break from the main storyline while maintaining the game's quirky and playful atmosphere.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    The game offers decent replayability, especially after recent updates that addressed controller issues, enhancing overall playability. However, some minor problems still persist.

    • “The game offers decent replayability, keeping players engaged with new challenges each time.”
    • “After the update, they fixed the controller issue, making the game much more playable and enhancing the overall replayability.”
    • “Decent replayability.”
    • “Update: they fixed the controller issue, now it's much more playable; still a few issues around, but at least now you can play.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a disjointed blend of themes, including absurdity, sexuality, and hyperviolence, which coexist without a cohesive narrative or tone, resulting in a chaotic yet impactful experience.

    • “The game masterfully weaves together moments of joy and sorrow, creating an emotional tapestry that resonates long after the credits roll.”
    • “Each character's journey is filled with heart-wrenching choices that leave a lasting impact, making you truly feel for their struggles and triumphs.”
    • “The emotional depth of the story is unparalleled, drawing players into a world where every decision carries weight and meaning.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

87% average critic score

Buy No More Heroes

Play time

20hMedian play time
18hAverage play time
11hMain story
20hCompletionist
12-23hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games

Game News