Travis Strikes Again is a game that I appreciated way more than I personally enjoyed. It's a loving tribute to not just indie games but indie developers, Suda51's previous projects, and gaming as a whole. You truly feel that love in its sleek presentation as it takes you through the worlds of several fictional video games that are both subtle and obvious homages to existing titles.
However, I felt that the core gameplay itself left a lot to be desired, especially coming hot off the heels of the previous two games in this series. I know fans of this entry will roll their eyes reading this, but... it is pretty repetitive. While yes, they do try to spice things up with 'chip sets," which provide rechargeable special attacks with different powers and bonuses, it's not quite enough to sustain interest over 10+ hours of gameplay. Perhaps co-op makes this more palatable, but it felt like a step down nonetheless.
Story-wise, there wasn't much going on here for me since NMH1 was the first Suda51 title I played less than a week ago, and so much of this adventure relies on you following his work throughout the years. While, yes, there were some funny moments and lines of dialogue, as expected, even without context, it was still a shame to be out of the loop for so much of this.
It's a charming tribute to countless things that mean so much to so many in the gaming world, and you really feel the love that went into the presentation of Travis Strikes Again, and if it wasn't for that, there wouldn't have been much incentive here to see the credits.
Still, it got me pumped for No More Heroes 3 so mission accomplished either way I guess!
5/10
However, I felt that the core gameplay itself left a lot to be desired, especially coming hot off the heels of the previous two games in this series. I know fans of this entry will roll their eyes reading this, but... it is pretty repetitive. While yes, they do try to spice things up with 'chip sets," which provide rechargeable special attacks with different powers and bonuses, it's not quite enough to sustain interest over 10+ hours of gameplay. Perhaps co-op makes this more palatable, but it felt like a step down nonetheless.
Story-wise, there wasn't much going on here for me since NMH1 was the first Suda51 title I played less than a week ago, and so much of this adventure relies on you following his work throughout the years. While, yes, there were some funny moments and lines of dialogue, as expected, even without context, it was still a shame to be out of the loop for so much of this.
It's a charming tribute to countless things that mean so much to so many in the gaming world, and you really feel the love that went into the presentation of Travis Strikes Again, and if it wasn't for that, there wouldn't have been much incentive here to see the credits.
Still, it got me pumped for No More Heroes 3 so mission accomplished either way I guess!
5/10
Reviewed on Mar 15, 2023