It's great, it's bad, it's enthralling, it's confusing, it's a goddamn Suda51 game. Granted, one that falls short in some aspects. No More Heroes III is a culmination of Suda51 emphasizing harder than ever what he was trying to say with the original No More Heroes. The idea that an endless life of slashing, killing, and achieving is nothing short of hell-on-earth. Which in turn, works in both the depiction of Travis' own character that's accumulated these past 15 years, and an ongoing video game franchise. This "hell-on-earth" is already a reality for once-beloved franchises.
You're asking why is a theme of absolute monotony being exhausted in a game directed by Suda51? I guess you didn't play a lot the games he actually directed. I guess you didn't walk for virtual miles just to be told to run back to where you came in Flower, Sun, and Rain. I guess you weren't demanded to climb through 10 huge towers and check each individual room for small clues in The Silver Case (not even including the similar tasks before that near-end chapter). I guess you weren't told to check-in on every single apartment door in a huge complex in Moonlight Syndrome.
I refrain from using the phrase "shitty on purpose" because I feel like that degrades the point a creator is trying to get across when their top priority of a game isn't pure enjoyment from beginning to end. Not that this game can't provide that for some folks (the score it has is honestly surprising here). I'm just interpreting some of the game's rather confusing design choices. I don't think it's just sheer incompetency, considering this company's output.
I loved deciphering the narrative, and was happy to see the final cleanse of the NMH sickness Suda has been dealing with, finally declaring his end of this relationship. I think a lot of it is very congruent if you take the time to dissect and analyze the scenes. Granted, there are aspects of the writing that feel short-sighted. As for the gameplay, it was pretty damn enthralling, and easily the most intricate the series has provided in regards to third-person hack-n-slash combat. It can be argued that it was designed more-so for the boss confrontations, which is also the best the series has ever been. The open world is charming in some ways, but also considerably rough.
I also appreciate Grasshopper refusing to conform to modern standards and accept its blotchy-ass textures in order to focus on the artistry. I won't deny how rickety some things look, but the game shines and glows at the points where it needs to, in my opinion. Music was aces too, but I am certainly sick and tired of listening to Beast Test.
All-in-all, there's things I love about this game, and things I question. But the heart I look for in a Grasshopper game is certainly still there and beating. And in the end, I also find it amusing that Travis Strikes Again ended up being the better and more worthwhile game.
You're asking why is a theme of absolute monotony being exhausted in a game directed by Suda51? I guess you didn't play a lot the games he actually directed. I guess you didn't walk for virtual miles just to be told to run back to where you came in Flower, Sun, and Rain. I guess you weren't demanded to climb through 10 huge towers and check each individual room for small clues in The Silver Case (not even including the similar tasks before that near-end chapter). I guess you weren't told to check-in on every single apartment door in a huge complex in Moonlight Syndrome.
I refrain from using the phrase "shitty on purpose" because I feel like that degrades the point a creator is trying to get across when their top priority of a game isn't pure enjoyment from beginning to end. Not that this game can't provide that for some folks (the score it has is honestly surprising here). I'm just interpreting some of the game's rather confusing design choices. I don't think it's just sheer incompetency, considering this company's output.
I loved deciphering the narrative, and was happy to see the final cleanse of the NMH sickness Suda has been dealing with, finally declaring his end of this relationship. I think a lot of it is very congruent if you take the time to dissect and analyze the scenes. Granted, there are aspects of the writing that feel short-sighted. As for the gameplay, it was pretty damn enthralling, and easily the most intricate the series has provided in regards to third-person hack-n-slash combat. It can be argued that it was designed more-so for the boss confrontations, which is also the best the series has ever been. The open world is charming in some ways, but also considerably rough.
I also appreciate Grasshopper refusing to conform to modern standards and accept its blotchy-ass textures in order to focus on the artistry. I won't deny how rickety some things look, but the game shines and glows at the points where it needs to, in my opinion. Music was aces too, but I am certainly sick and tired of listening to Beast Test.
All-in-all, there's things I love about this game, and things I question. But the heart I look for in a Grasshopper game is certainly still there and beating. And in the end, I also find it amusing that Travis Strikes Again ended up being the better and more worthwhile game.