No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle

68%
Game Brain Score Based on 436 reviews
  • story
  • music
  • gameplay
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle Game Cover
The sequel to the well received No More Heroes arrives, meaning we now have a grand total of three adult games on the Wii! But can it's quirky humour and excessive gore win your heart over a second time?
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In "No More Heromes 2: Desperate Struggle," players control Travis Touchdown once again, this time seeking revenge against powerful assassins to clear his name. The game features over-the-top action and humor, with a variety of weapons and finishing moves. With a new open world and improved combat system, players can explore and battle their way to the top of the ranks in Santa Destroy.

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

Reviews

68%
Audience ScoreBased on 436 reviews
story27 positive mentions
grinding20 negative mentions
  • The game features improved combat mechanics and smoother gameplay compared to the first installment.
  • The soundtrack is fantastic, with a diverse range of tracks that enhance the overall experience.
  • The character designs and humor remain engaging, making for a fun and entertaining experience.
  • The port is plagued with frequent crashes and bugs, making it frustrating to play.
  • There is a lack of graphical options and no support for keyboard and mouse controls.
  • Many achievements are broken or unobtainable, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.
  • story112 mentions

    The story in "No More Heroes 2" is described as grander and more chaotic than its predecessor, but ultimately shallow and lacking in depth, with fewer twists and turns. While it features engaging character arcs and memorable boss designs, many reviewers feel it fails to deliver a cohesive narrative, often relying on choppy exposition and leaving plot points unresolved. Overall, the story is seen as entertaining but not as compelling or well-structured as the first game, with some players appreciating its humor and unique style despite its shortcomings.

    • “The story is good and fitting for a No More Heroes game and even includes a few pop-culture references which are a nice touch to the whole thing.”
    • “With that said, No More Heroes 2 does provide a quite compelling story arc, while also tying the first game thematically.”
    • “The story, while it may not be everyone's cup of tea, does land more than it misses, specifically near the end with the fights after playing as Shinobu.”
    • “The story, although much grander and even a little more chaotic and fun, is unfortunately shallow, with not many twists and turns as before.”
    • “The game starts off as a revenge story, with Santa Destroy covered in snow, but then quickly becomes the first game all over again once the snow melts, and the revenge plot ends up feeling useless at best.”
    • “The story is half-baked (like a lot of things in this game); a lot of characters are killed off-screen or appear out of nowhere, making it very hard to follow sometimes.”
  • music57 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its diversity and quality, often considering it a standout feature that enhances the overall experience. While some tracks are described as exceptional, there are criticisms regarding certain areas lacking music or having less favorable tunes, particularly in specific locations like the fashion store. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a significant improvement over the previous installment, contributing to the game's engaging atmosphere and gameplay.

    • “The music is top of the line and every song fits every single scenario it's placed in perfectly.”
    • “The soundtrack (as usual with Suda51 games) is amazing and in my opinion better than the first.”
    • “I love the soundtrack that this game provides and it’s personally my favorite thing about it.”
    • “The fashion store's music is absolutely, unbearably awful.”
    • “Music would cut out in certain fighting areas and it'd be kind of quiet.”
    • “This game is what happens when you spend half of your budget on the soundtrack.”
  • gameplay54 mentions

    The gameplay in "No More Heroes 2" has received mixed reviews, with many praising its refined combat mechanics and fluidity compared to the original, while others criticize it for feeling repetitive and lacking depth in certain areas. Players appreciate the variety introduced by new weapons and character options, but some find the boss fights inconsistent and the side content unfulfilling. Overall, while the core gameplay remains enjoyable and retains the series' signature style, it suffers from pacing issues and a sense of grindiness in some segments.

    • “But it's a great game, the gameplay overall is great and once you get the hang of it enough to start doing complicated tech, you really feel like the most badass otaku around.”
    • “Incredible gameplay, soundtrack, bosses, levels and nearly everything about it is as close to perfect as a hack and slash can get.”
    • “The gameplay feels smoother, almost giving a Devil May Cry kind of speedy style to your attacks, and while the first game's combat was pretty good, NMH2's combat feels really good in the sense of it being more polished and ironed-out.”
    • “Instead, it feels like a set of inconsistent mechanics without any context to the point where the game becomes a routine boss rush mixed with a bunch of meaningless and poorly designed gameplay segments.”
    • “While there's lots of improvements to the core gameplay loop over the original, it's unfortunately a 'one step forward, two steps back' situation.”
    • “The story goes nowhere, the gameplay loses novelty quickly, some of the bosses are cool but are overwhelmingly gimmicky.”
  • graphics36 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some praising the unique art style that blends punk rock and anime influences, while others criticize the lack of graphical options, frequent bugs, and performance issues such as frame drops and crashes. Although there are improvements in visual quality compared to the original, many players feel that the port is lazy, lacking essential features like proper controller support and customizable settings. Overall, while the aesthetic is appreciated, technical shortcomings detract from the experience.

    • “The graphics are really cool in this game - like really pretty cool.”
    • “Graphically superior with a refined style, but the new camera angle was difficult to get used to, although combat does feel a lot more satisfying.”
    • “The game offers some nice graphics and a really beautiful aesthetic, although some ugly glitches here and there, it is pleasant all the same.”
    • “Frame drops, limited graphical settings, constant crashing, broken achievements, low quality cutscenes, settings not saving after quitting to the title screen, shops displaying items you've already bought, only for you to buy them again and realize it's not an upgrade, it's just a bug, and you've wasted 20 minutes money grinding, and over a million of your money on literally nothing, and no proper controller support nor keyboard and mouse support.”
    • “This game has no proper in-game graphic options, it's capped at 60 fps, the textures are lazily upscaled so there is tons of artifacting, horrendous pop-in, and no Steam input.”
    • “However, this port is also lazy at the same time as it’s just directly ported from the Switch version with no additional graphical options to take advantage of being available on PC.”
  • humor22 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as irreverent and experimental, often pushing boundaries with self-parody and colorful jokes that reflect a more edgy era. While some humor may feel dated, it is generally well-received for its bizarre and hilarious moments, including funny side missions and character interactions. Overall, the game successfully blends dark themes with a unique comedic style, making it a memorable experience despite some narrative shortcomings.

    • “This is a very fun hack and slash game with a lot of humor that you definitely wouldn't expect for a game that came out originally on the Nintendo Wii.”
    • “In short, this game is so fun and fondly remembered because it's unafraid to take chances with experimental ideas, and its sense of humor is so completely irreverent of basically everything that it even makes sure to dismiss and parody its own self, every single chance it gets, and totally succeeds at it.”
    • “I would recommend this game just for all the inside jokes and funny side missions.”
  • grinding20 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and unfulfilling compared to the previous installment. While some mini-games offer a decent way to earn money, the overall experience is marred by bugs, crashes, and a lack of engaging side content. Although grinding is less emphasized than in the first game, it still feels repetitive and frustrating, detracting from the enjoyment of the gameplay.

    • “Grinding for money is extremely unfun.”
    • “The main line missions are generally grindy, and there isn't anything interesting or unique about them compared to the first game.”
    • “This game is tedious.”
  • stability12 mentions

    The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant bugs, crashes, and visual glitches, particularly in the PC port. While some users experienced a relatively smooth gameplay experience, others faced frequent freezes and issues with achievements. Overall, the port is considered unpolished and disappointing, leading some to recommend purchasing it only on sale.

    • “The game runs smoothly without any crashes or glitches.”
    • “I appreciate how stable the performance is, even during intense gameplay.”
    • “Also runs great on the Steam Deck!”
    • “I beat it multiple times except this port barely works, is very buggy, crashes, & freezes a lot as well.”
    • “I have spent 1 hour actually playing the game and the other 2 hours is me troubleshooting, trying to find out why I crashed and playing up until I can save.”
    • “In regards to the PC port, well... it could've been much better and it's slightly disappointing considering how buggy it is, so I recommend buying on sale like I did.”
  • optimization8 mentions

    The optimization of this port is widely criticized, with users reporting significant stuttering, crashes, and a lack of support for higher resolutions and frame rates. While some players can achieve smooth performance at 60 fps with specific settings, many experience worse issues than in previous versions, leading to a generally negative perception of the game's optimization.

    • “As for performance, it runs smooth as butter if locked to 60 fps with the NVIDIA control panel or AMD's equivalent.”
    • “This port is sadly poorly optimized compared to every other version of NMH2.”
    • “Why is there even worse stuttering in this port than the original, and I have V-Sync enabled through NVIDIA?”
    • “What can I say... random crashes, stuttering, no support for higher resolutions or FPS, and finally negligence... months on end with no proper patches truly a miserable port.”
  • character development7 mentions

    Character development in the game is mixed; while the character designs are praised for their creativity and appeal, some bosses lack the depth and personality that made previous iterations more engaging. This absence of development for certain characters detracts from the overall experience, despite enjoyable gameplay moments.

    • “The character designs are great, as is the music.”
    • “This is a nice addition to her character development and is also my favorite design-wise.”
    • “This is what made the original No More Heroes bosses interesting; they had some sort of character development that gave them personality.”
    • “Some bosses lack character development compared to the previous game.”
    • “There are definitely times in this game where it can feel like filler, such as rank fight number 4, which has you kill 100+ goons to start the gameplay level, followed by fighting through 40+ more before reaching the boss fight. However, all of the character designs and their boss fights are still enjoyable, with the exception of the final boss.”
  • emotional5 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its heartbreaking and bittersweet narrative, evoking strong feelings that can lead to tears. Reviewers highlight the ending as particularly beautiful and heartfelt, blending romance, humor, and melancholy, making it an emotional rollercoaster experience.

    • “The ending is truly romantically beautiful, sweet, funny, and heartfelt.”
    • “Beautifully bittersweet and melancholic, made me cry in the club 😢”
    • “It would genuinely be easier to give a play-by-play of this game because it's an emotional rollercoaster in the worst way.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    The game offers less replayability compared to its predecessor, No More Heroes 1, but compensates with an outstanding soundtrack, a reduction in money grinding, a greater variety of playable characters and weapons, and a more streamlined experience without unnecessary open-world elements.

    • “Less replayability compared to No More Heroes 1.”
    • “This game has an unbelievably amazing soundtrack, less money grinding, more playable characters, no unnecessary open world, more weapon variety, and less padding.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is a mixed bag, with notable improvements in character designs and some standout music and scenery that enhance the experience. However, the overall feeling is marred by a rushed execution and excessive oversexualization, which detracts from the enjoyment for some players. While certain boss fights, particularly the 5th and 2nd graded ones, are praised for their design and atmosphere, others are perceived as lacking.

    • “The designs of Travis, Sylvia, and especially Shinobu have seen significant improvements, and some music themes and sceneries were exceptionally good. I am in love with Margaret (5th fight); her design, atmosphere, and music were just great.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

83% average critic score

Buy No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle

Play time

8hMedian play time
8hAverage play time
8hMain story
14hCompletionist
8-8hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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