No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise

No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise is a port of a very original action game, released at the turn of 2007 and 2008 on the Nintendo Wii console. It is also another work of Goichi Suda (better known under the pseudonym Suda 51) and the team at Grasshopper Manufacture. The creators have also created Killer 7, a unique mix of FPP/TPP shooter and horror game.

The main character of No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise is Travis Touchdown, a fan of anime, who leads the life of a contract killer. Initially, he was ranked number eleven on the list of the best killers, but by performing subsequent tasks and eliminating competitors, he rises higher and higher in the bloody ranking. The storyline of the game was written in such a way as to make the story seem ridiculous, especially through the use of dialogues, among which conversations with bosses make particularly good impression.

Travis' basic weapon is an energy blade called Beam Katana, reminiscent of lightsabers from the universe of Star Wars. In the Wii version, full control of the blade was provided by the wireless Wiimote, which enabled us to make cuts and thrusts, as well as block enemy attacks, while Nunchuk was used to move around the game's open world. The ports for the next-gen consoles are traditional in this respect - to control the protagonist we use ordinary gamepads.

The game is observed from TPP, and the whole plot is set in a futuristic American city, called Santa Destroy. In the metropolitan area we can of course move freely, including behind the wheel of Schpeltiger, a powerful motorcycle belonging to Travis. Our starting point is a motel room, where we rest, change clothes and contact other characters. Between missions we can participate in various interesting mini-games and work, thus earning money.

The greatest advantage of No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise are, however, demanding duels with bosses. Each of them fights using a different style, forcing the player to use different tactics. However, the creators have prepared several mechanics to facilitate the game. For example, a series of successful actions lead to the liberation of Travis' dark persona - the so-called Dark Side - which can deal much more damage for a specified period of time.

The next-gen port of No More Heroes has been enriched with new gameplay modes and mini-games, diversifying the fun. The creators have also refined the visuals (higher resolution, more details). The change can be seen first of all during a tour of the city. Earlier, there were complaints about limited traffic, texture loading times and stuttering animation. In Heroes Paradise all these problems disappeared.

Last updated on 24 November 2009