Travis' journey started with No More Heroes. In that game, he was an antithesis of the generic videogame protagonist and we saw him evolve as he came to understand his own mortality and the true meaning of paradise. This journey continued in No More Heroes 2, albeit in a much less unique way, with rage fueling his every action. In the real world, director Suda51 faces trials and tribulations as his success brought him into the elaborate yet cut-throat videogame industry.
9 years after No More Heroes' release, Suda returns to the writer/director position alongside Travis' return as the main character. They both return wiser, and as Travis used to be an antithesis to game protagonists, he is now a surrogate Suda51, detailing his experiences in the game industry while progressing the story of the actual game into what feels like a true sequel to No More Heroes 1. Travis' past starts to catch up to him in the form of Badman, who he needs to form an unlikely comradery with to resucitate Badgirl, one of Travis' opponents in the first game. They both venture into multiple game worlds through the Death Drive Mk2 and discover the life of the console's creator: Doctor Juvenile. The backdrop of this story is Suda's entire career as a game developer and the game itself is a reflection on everything that has brought him to this point.
Every game world represents a point in Suda's life, with references, callbacks and appearances of elements from his previous games sprinkled all throughout with the unique dialogue we've come to miss from Suda's work. Without spoiling, these games represent past success and how it can weigh you down, experiences with massive developers and how creativity can be lost in translation or maliciously robbed from an artist. It all comes down to Suda's career-long theme of killing the past. How can he make a comeback? How can he start anew with his creative endeavors? Well, by reflecting on the past that has weighed him down and kill it.
On the gameplay side of things, Travis Strikes Again retains some elements of the gameplay in the original No More Heroes but is completely different, with a top-down perspective and enemy placement reminiscent of Hotline Miami. It feels indie because it is indie, in that Suda scaled back completely for the development of Travis Strikes Again and he pays homage to the numerous, groundbreaking indie titles of the 2010s. Co-Op is the way to go in this game, as Badman and Travis slowly come to understand and like each other, so will the two players. Like every co-op, you must collaborate and eventually you both will achieve a flow of combat that reflects the character development in-game, which I think is genius. Going solo is also serviceable, albeit it could get dull depending on your tastes. Every level is tight, unique and represents an individual theme/element of Suda's past which you need to slash your way through in order to move on. Bitchin' music only elevates the experience more.
In the end, I can't really say much about Travis Strikes Again, yet I want to so much more. I'd rather leave most of these themes and ideas up to the people playing to discover and analyze. If I had to summarize my thoughts, I'd say Travis Strikes Again is an extremely tight experience that is never dull and sets out to be a love letter to fans of the series whilst representing the creator's struggles to put his long-lasting theme into effect in the real world. After 20 years of making games and after so many trials and tribulations, Suda must KILL THE PAST by himself in order to truly reinvent his art and start over...
No More Heroes III released yesterday... That itself proves Travis Strikes Again to be a success for Suda, who finally was able to rediscover his love for making videogames. Thank you, Suda and Grasshopper.
9 years after No More Heroes' release, Suda returns to the writer/director position alongside Travis' return as the main character. They both return wiser, and as Travis used to be an antithesis to game protagonists, he is now a surrogate Suda51, detailing his experiences in the game industry while progressing the story of the actual game into what feels like a true sequel to No More Heroes 1. Travis' past starts to catch up to him in the form of Badman, who he needs to form an unlikely comradery with to resucitate Badgirl, one of Travis' opponents in the first game. They both venture into multiple game worlds through the Death Drive Mk2 and discover the life of the console's creator: Doctor Juvenile. The backdrop of this story is Suda's entire career as a game developer and the game itself is a reflection on everything that has brought him to this point.
Every game world represents a point in Suda's life, with references, callbacks and appearances of elements from his previous games sprinkled all throughout with the unique dialogue we've come to miss from Suda's work. Without spoiling, these games represent past success and how it can weigh you down, experiences with massive developers and how creativity can be lost in translation or maliciously robbed from an artist. It all comes down to Suda's career-long theme of killing the past. How can he make a comeback? How can he start anew with his creative endeavors? Well, by reflecting on the past that has weighed him down and kill it.
On the gameplay side of things, Travis Strikes Again retains some elements of the gameplay in the original No More Heroes but is completely different, with a top-down perspective and enemy placement reminiscent of Hotline Miami. It feels indie because it is indie, in that Suda scaled back completely for the development of Travis Strikes Again and he pays homage to the numerous, groundbreaking indie titles of the 2010s. Co-Op is the way to go in this game, as Badman and Travis slowly come to understand and like each other, so will the two players. Like every co-op, you must collaborate and eventually you both will achieve a flow of combat that reflects the character development in-game, which I think is genius. Going solo is also serviceable, albeit it could get dull depending on your tastes. Every level is tight, unique and represents an individual theme/element of Suda's past which you need to slash your way through in order to move on. Bitchin' music only elevates the experience more.
In the end, I can't really say much about Travis Strikes Again, yet I want to so much more. I'd rather leave most of these themes and ideas up to the people playing to discover and analyze. If I had to summarize my thoughts, I'd say Travis Strikes Again is an extremely tight experience that is never dull and sets out to be a love letter to fans of the series whilst representing the creator's struggles to put his long-lasting theme into effect in the real world. After 20 years of making games and after so many trials and tribulations, Suda must KILL THE PAST by himself in order to truly reinvent his art and start over...
No More Heroes III released yesterday... That itself proves Travis Strikes Again to be a success for Suda, who finally was able to rediscover his love for making videogames. Thank you, Suda and Grasshopper.