Heroes were no longer the perfect use of Nintendo Wii technology

The massive success of the Wii saw many third-party developers rush to release games for the system as quickly as possible. Most of these titles were very simple mini-game collections that used the Wii’s unique features as little as possible, but very few managed to follow this formula successfully. One of the most successful third-party developers for the Wii is Goichi Suda (better known as Suda51), who left his job working on the Fire Pro Wrestling series to join his studio Grasshopper Manufacturing.

Grasshopper Productions was a small Japanese-based studio, known at the time for Michigan: Report from Hell, a low-budget PS2 title that sold well, and Killer7, a GameCube title with some support from Nintendo that was well-reviewed but failed to connect. expectations. In the year In 2007, No More Heroes was released on the Wii and quickly became Suda’s biggest success as a director, and the game that put his studio on the map.

What exactly made No More Heroes such a cult hit in the endless sea of ​​memorable Wii titles? Its own unique combat for beginners. Most people who first saw the Wii controller and motion control mechanics immediately thought of a lightsaber. The Wii has never seen a Star Wars game that uses a lightsaber on its way, no extra heroes are probably close. Second is how charming the characters Suda has created are. The main character Travis Touchdown is such a strange and lovable person; Whether it was his love of ‘Mo’ anime or his obsession with pro wrestling, he immediately made an impact on the players.

The game revolves around Travis trying to get the #1 ranking in the United Ascension Association and dating Sylvia, a woman who works as his guide in the UAA ranks. The game itself has several well-crafted, linear levels that lead up to a boss fight with UA’s top 10 ranked members. Between these parts, Travis must earn a certain amount of money to challenge the next opponent. This can be done by killing a priority target within a certain time frame or by taking on special challenges like cutting grass and collecting coconuts. This balance between casual and serious episodes is an example of what makes No More Heroes so popular.

By swinging the Wii Remote in a variety of ways, you can attack an opponent low or high, mixing up the strength of your swing to open up opponents in position. The Katana has a battery that runs low depending on usage and can be recharged either by removing the battery or charging it manually with a quick pointing motion of the Wii Remote.

One of the most memorable things about No More Heroes is its use of Wii mechanics. The wag mechanics associated with reloading the beam katana are just one example. The tilt function in the Wii Remote is mostly tied to mini-games. The Wii speaker is also used for in-game phone conversations between Travis and Sylvia.

Both No Heroes 1 and 2 have been ported to the PS3. While these ports greatly improved the game’s performance, most of the Wii’s positive aspects were lost. That satisfying last swing before finishing off an opponent just wasn’t the same when strapped to a thumb stick and not a glorious coup de grace with your Wii Remote. The PS3, in fairness, added PlayStation Move support later.

In the year After Travis Strikes Again, a Switch mini-game collection released in 2019, Nintendo has signed on for a third game in the series to be released in 2021, with other systems coming later this year.

No Heroes Live is a game story that has exceeded all expectations and become a cult favorite. Goichi Suda’s continued works show that there is still room for creativity in the video game industry, and that doing things a little differently can still result in a successful IP.