Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes

Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes
Developer(s) Grasshopper Manufacture
Publisher(s) Grasshopper Manufacture
Director(s) Goichi Suda
Artist(s) Boneface
Yūsuke Kozaki
Composer(s) DJ Abo
DJ 1-2[1]
Series No More Heroes
Engine Unreal Engine 4
Platform(s) Nintendo Switch
Release
  • WW: January 18, 2019
[2][3]

Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes is an upcoming action-adventure video game developed and published by Grasshopper Manufacture for the Nintendo Switch, to be released on January 18, 2019.[2][3] Directed by Goichi "Suda51" Suda, the game is part of the No More Heroes franchise and features series protagonist Travis Touchdown fighting Badman, the father of Bad Girl, an assassin Travis previously killed. The two are drawn into a possessed video game console, and must fight through its various games. As the first title he has directed since the first No More Heroes, Suda has collaborated with several indie developers to feature elements from their games in Travis Strikes Again. While part of the No More Heroes series, Suda does not consider the game a direct sequel to the previous title No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, but a fresh start for the character Travis.

Gameplay

Travis Strikes Again is an action-adventure game played from a top-down perspective. As Travis, players are tasked with going through multiple video games and defeating the bugs in each game. The game supports two-player co-op, where the second player controls Badman.

Synopsis

Seven years after the events of No More Heroes 2,[4] a former professional baseball player turned assassin named the Badman seeks revenge on Travis Touchdown for murdering his daughter, Bad Girl. Travis himself - now nearly middle aged and weary of the UAA's ranking matches - has since isolated himself and now lives in a camper in a forest somewhere in the southern United States, where he spends his time playing video games. When Badman tracks down Travis and attacks him, the two are transported into the demonic "Death Drive MK-II", a video game console created by Dr. Juvenile that was canceled during development.[5] Travis is able to navigate the games within the Death Drive by using a Death Glove that he wears, allowing him to fight against Badman and other antagonists through six different games on the console. Travis and Badman race to defeat each boss character, gaining a Death Ball for each victory; the first that collects all six Death Balls will be granted one wish.[6][7][8][9]

Development

The logo of the game was designed by Kojiro Kondo of Black Belt Jones DC, who was also responsible for designing the original No More Heroes series logo.[10]

Following the release of No More Heroes 2, Goichi Suda had been looking for an opportunity to continue the series, but became busy with other projects, such as his involvement with Let It Die. In mid-2016, as work on Let It Die was concluding, he was invited to one of Nintendo's pre-release developer meetings for the then-upcoming Nintendo Switch. While the console was different from the Wii, it offered similar motion-based features through the Joy-Con, and he recognized he could revive No More Heroes for the system. He felt the game would fit in well among the planned Switch titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey.[5]

Suda considered the No More Heroes series as "fun slash 'em up kind of games", but with Travis Strikes Again, he wanted to play around with the history of video games and the idea of retro games, and "how Travis would interact with the individual rules and the individual vibe from each game".[11] The six games are new games developed for the title, some in homages to existing indie games, with at least one being a vector scan game.[6][7][11] When originally announced, some took Suda's comments to reflect that the levels would be set within actual indie games like Hotline Miami and Shovel Knight, but Suda later clarified that these games would be featured as "T-shirt collaborations", with Travis able to unlock and wear clothing items that promote these indie games, a concept he came up with while seeing various game expositions like PAX West.[12] One such title is Hyper Light Drifter, with Nintendo of America showcasing Travis's shirt alongside announcing the game's release on the Switch.[13] Suda wanted players to see Travis as a fan of indie games, not only to give recognition to the indie game scene, but due to his belief that Grasshopper is similar to an indie developer, and he wanted to show his support of the up-and-coming smaller studios.[4] He estimated that there will be at least 15 indie games represented in Travis Strikes Again, with titles to be revealed as part of the ongoing promotion.[14] The idea of crossing between games was partially influenced by the film Existenz.[5] UK artist Boneface will be contributing designs for the game's boss battles.[4]

There will also be sections of the game that use the standard gameplay approach as the other No More Heroes titles.[11] One goal of the game for Suda was to have it be completely playable on a single Joy-Con controller for the Nintendo Switch version, simplifying the controls compared to the second game.[8] Reporters from Eurogamer and Polygon have taken Suda's comments that the game may support multiplayer, since the Switch supports two Joy-Con. Suda was unable to speak on this under confidentiality at PAX West, but did tell reporters who asked about this that there are "two main characters, so draw your own conclusions, if you want".[8][15][4]

The game is being developed in Unreal Engine 4.[16] At the time of reveal, Robin Atkin Downes, the voice of Travis in the previous titles, had reportedly not been asked to reprise his role in Travis Strikes Again.[17]

Travis Strikes Again was teased during the January 2017 reveal conference of the Nintendo Switch. Suda was present for the live event, and appeared on stage to show a promotional image of Travis Touchdown wearing a shirt that said "Travis Strikes Again";[18] however, no mention of the No More Heroes series was made. Suda said in a later interview that this was a purposeful choice, as he wanted the tease to feature Travis himself as the central focus.[11] The game was formally announced as Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes in an August 2017 Nintendo Direct, along with further reveals at the PAX West event a few days later.[11] Suda noted that the title's ordering, placing the series' name after Travis Strikes Again, was to allude to the fact he does not consider this game a direct sequel but instead "the beginning of a new adventure, of a new series for Travis" but that still otherwise takes place in the No More Heroes universe.[8] Suda also stated that Travis Strikes Again serves as "something of a stepping stone on the road to No More Heroes 3", and hopes to make a true sequel if the game proves successful enough.[19]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.siliconera.com/2018/04/06/travis-strikes-no-heroes-35-40-complete-says-suda51/
  2. 1 2 Nintendo UK [@NintendoUK] (August 31, 2018). "Get ready to wander into the game world and embark on a rampage of epic proportions when #TravisStrikesAgain: #NoMoreHeroes launches exclusively on #NintendoSwitch on 18/01! @Grasshopper_EN @suda_51" (Tweet). Retrieved August 31, 2018 – via Twitter.
  3. 1 2 Nintendo of America [@NintendoAmerica] (August 31, 2018). "Get ready to wander into the game world and embark on a rampage of epic proportions when #TravisStrikesAgain: #NoMoreHeroes launches exclusively on #NintendoSwitch on Jan. 18!" (Tweet). Retrieved August 31, 2018 – via Twitter.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Kim, Matt (September 13, 2017). "Suda51 Wants to be Indie Gaming's Biggest Evangelist With Travis Strikes Again". US Gamer. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 Fillari, Alessandro (September 13, 2017). "Suda51 Talks His Love For The Switch, No More Heroes, And His Destiny To Be With Nintendo". GameSpot. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  6. 1 2 Dornbush, Jonathon (August 30, 2017). "No More Heroes for Switch Officially Revealed". IGN. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  7. 1 2 Kim, Matt (September 1, 2017). "No More Heroes: Travis Strikes Again Includes Collaboration With Shovel Knight Developers". US Gamer. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Matulef, Jeffrey (September 5, 2017). "Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes can be played entirely on one Joy-Con". Eurogamer. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  9. ↑ Makedonski, Brett (September 5, 2017). "When it comes to Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, I'm most interested in the bad guy". Destructoid. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  10. ↑ Brian (November 5, 2017). "Suda51 on Travis Strikes Again – development progress and team, the game's crazy backstory, more". Nintendo Everything. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Shea, Brian (September 4, 2017). "Suda51 Talks No More Heroes And Apologizing To The Interpreter From The Switch Reveal". Game Informer. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  12. ↑ Knezevic, Kevin (September 11, 2017). "Nintendo Switch Exclusive No More Heroes: Travis Strikes Again's Game Crossovers Don't Work Like You Think". GameSpot. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  13. ↑ Pereira, Chris (March 20, 2018). "Even More Switch Games Confirmed After Nintendo's Showcase Stream". GameSpot. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  14. ↑ Conduit, Jessica (September 15, 2017). "'Travis Strikes Again' puts 15 indie titles in one Suda51 game". Engadget. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  15. ↑ Gill, Patrick (September 5, 2017). "Suda51 hints at No More Heroes multiplayer on Switch". Polygon. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  16. ↑ Nintenmau5. "Suda51 Talks About The Gameplay For No More Heroes: Travis Strikes Again". MyNintendoNews. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  17. ↑ Fischer, Tyler (2 September 2017). "Robin Atkin Downes Will Not Reprise His Role as Travis in No More Heroes: Travis Strikes Again". DualShockers. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  18. ↑ "Travis Touchdown Is Back With A New No More Heroes On Nintendo Switch". Siliconera. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  19. ↑ Casey (September 6, 2017). "Suda51 Says He Would Like To Make No More Heroes 3 If Travis Strikes Again Does Well". Siliconera. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
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