As you all know, around two weeks ago I played through No More Heroes for the first time. With the second game already out, it only made sense to keep on going and jump right into No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle.
No More Heroes 2 picks up a few years after Travis's first outing. Travis has been out of the assassination game, and in the mean time, the UAA has grown enormously with all of Santa Destroy becoming obsessed with the brutal sport. As a result, Travis finds himself at the bottom of the assassin list once again, but this time at a much lower spot: number 51. This is not learned, of course, until after Travis kills Skelter Helter, brother of Helter-Skelter from the first game's opening cinematic. Skelter sought revenge on Travis, and before dying informed him that he would pay his dues. Shortly after, Travis's friend Bishop is murdered, giving Travis the motivation to climb to the top of the assassin list once again for revenge.
Given the plot, it's no surprise that No More Heroes 2 takes itself a bit more serious than the first game. The dialog is less light-hearted, with most of the game's humor no longer coming from Travis's dialog, but rather situations within the game. Overall, it feels as if the game might take itself a bit too serious, though it's not horribly detrimental to the experience.
The game's structure has been changed significantly for this second adventure. Players will now need to complete a number of 2D, NES-style games in order to earn money. These games replace the original jobs that Travis performed in the first game, some of which are represented here in 2D. For instance, the coconut collecting mini-game is now a 2D scrolling platformer that requires players to hit the trees and catch a coconut as it falls all while progressing to the exit within a particular time limit. This is representative of one of the more complex mini-games, as well as one of the better ones.
I didn't find these new 2D mini-games to be much of an improvement from the 3D mini-games in the first title. Most of them are pretty rudimentary, and few of them are enjoyable in the context of the game. On their own they are fairly enjoyable, but are a large departure from the typical gameplay, and definitely pull players out of the No More Heroes world and experience.
Furthermore, players can no longer traverse the streets of Santa Destroy with Travis's motorcycle. Most frustrating is that players do have the opportunity to ride the motorcycle in an unrelated portion of the game, and the horrendous controls featured in the first have been vastly improved here. It was a very subtle aspect of the first game, but not driving around Santa Destroy really makes the No More Heroes 2 feel a bit hollow. Though it could get frustrating in the first at times, it seems as if a better course of action would've been to improve that portion of the game rather than just removing it.
In turn, the build-up to most ranked battles is practically null. Players can now go from ranked battle to ranked battle, without paying an entrance fee; meaning that there is no need to pace yourself when climbing the assassin ladder.
The levels that house the assassin's are now very generic, not giving players even the slightest indication of what they're in for. These levels also tend to be very short, with the exception of the last several assassinations. On average, they are only a few rooms, and then players are squaring off with the next assassin.
As a whole, the assassins in Desperate Struggle are just not as interesting as the assassins from the first game. Almost every fight in the first was completely unique. A new strategy needed to be formed in order to win, and each battle was never the same. This time around, players can use a very aggresive technique and easily succeed in most fights without dying once.
The massive improvements to the battle mechanics help greatly in completing the assassination battles. Players can now more easily pull off moves, and there is less left up to chance. Every move offers players precision control, and all of the controls are extremely responsive. All of my complaints from the first game have been addressed in this regard.
Playing through the game, it feels as if it's much easier than the first. I'm not sure if that's a result of the new controls, my own skills from having played so much of the series, or because the game is actually easier. Regardless, it has hindered some of my enjoyment with the game to a point. At times the first game was overwhelmingly difficult, but success brought a great sense of satisfaction. I rarely felt that while progressing through Desperate Struggle.
One nice feature of the sequel is the ability to play as new characters during certain points in the game. Both Shinobu and Henry are playable, and both have their own unique feel. Unfortunately, platforming with Shinobu is absolutely horrid given the imprecise controls, but otherwise is a fun diversion from always playing as Travis. Henry feels much smoother and is a blast to play with, thanks to his dashing ability, speed, and projectile attack.
Both characters play an interesting role in the story as well, and give an interesting twist to the overall arc. If a No More Heroes 3 is to exist, I hope that Grasshopper features even more characters, all with unique abilities.
In many ways, Desperate Struggle is a better game than the first, but oddly it doesn't feel better as whole. This is not to say that it's worse, but it definitely feels different, especially since I went into No More Heroes 2 expecting a lot. After completing the first, it was obvious what needed to be fixed, and it seems as though Suda and company addressed all of these problems. The issue is that they didn't approach all of them in the right way.
The result is a game that doesn't feel as unique, humorous, or vibrant as the first. I found myself missing all of the build-up to the ranked battles and the challenge they offered. Overall, it just doesn't have the same grab that the first one did, and that may be largely a result of it being sequel and me playing it so closely to the first.
Regardless of this, I still enjoyed Desperate Struggle very much. The mechanics in this game are so vastly improved, it breaths new life into the experience. The story was also enjoyable, even though it does seem to take itself a bit too seriously. All fans of the first should grab this game; it's definitely a worthy sequel. Those who couldn't get past the challenge level and tedium of the first should also pick this up, as it improves on all of those sore points tremendously.
Comments