No More Heroes III
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No More Heroes III
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that No More Heroes III is an action adventure game exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. This is a violent and gory game about fighting aliens on Earth. Using a beam katana (a high-tech sword that resembles a thick lightsaber), you can hack and slash against enemies, which are mostly aliens and robots and there's blood splatter, dismemberment, and some cases, beheading. There's no nudity but the game includes women who wear revealing outfits (short skirts, tight crop-tops) and the camera zooms in on these areas at times. The main character also makes sexual references and gestures, and the game's villain says someone has some "balls" for fighting back. Strong profanity and toilet humor can be heard throughout this game. Finally, the main character can be seen drinking wine, but doesn't appear drunk.
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What’s It About?
In NO MORE HEROES III, Travis Touchdown is back as an assassin who is betrayed by FU, a young alien he nurtured but returned to Earth 20 years later to destroy everyone and everything. To protect the planet, and make it to the top of the Galactic Superhero Rankings, Touchdown vows to stop the evil Prince FU (a.k.a. Jess-Baptiste VI) and his ten alien assassins. Yes, he treats the take over the world like an over-the-top TV game show, looking for contestants who challenge Prince FU's dominance. Played from a third-person perspective, you'll wield a beam katana to slice and dice aliens and robotic enemies along with martial arts and wrestling moves, and, for the first time in the series, Travis' Death Glove, which unlocksa variety of skills, moves, and chained attacks. The Death Glove can also be customized with varying chip combinations, allowing you to experiment what works best for you against enemies (and tougher boss fighters). Players will also earn money ("UtopiCoins") by taking on various missions around town, which is needed to enter ranked battles; an invitation to the next fight is sent only once the required fees have been transferred via ATM bank machine.
Is It Any Good?
If you're a fan of this 14 year-old cult franchise, you'll no doubt like this sensationalized action in this mature sequel. No More Heroes III isn't without its faults, but the ridiculous premise and dialog, tight controls and fast, stylized action should satisfy mature Nintendo Switch players looking for more of the same. It delivers the goods, especially with the addition of The Death Glove retro computer terminals, and using chips to customize what they can do during battles. In fact, the Nintendo Switch controls work well for Travis Touchdown to run around the environment, engaging in skirmishes, locking on to targets and then after a serious beating, triggering a finishing move to end the round in dramatic fashion (and capped with a snarky response). At any time, you can open the Status screen to view all your character's information at a glance and arcade cabinets called Power Up Machines let you level up your attributes and choose special attacks. These include moves such as a Dash Attack for faster and more nimble hits during combat, or a Charge Attack, which powers up your beam katana for a super-charged strike.
Boss battles are challenging and fun, as you often need to take the environment into account. After you win, a Results screen shows Clear Time, Damage Taken, and other various stats. There are some issues with No More Heroes III, though -- it can be somewhat repetitive in combat (even with being able to customize your moves), and there are frequent load screens and graphics that are outdated by today's standards (though colorful and artsy graphics, for sure). Never taking itself seriously, No More Heroes III is kitschy action game that definitely has an audience. Those who've enjoyed previous games in the series will find this last entrance in the series a fun, frenetic, and climactic conclusion.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in video games. Is the impact of the violence in No More Heroes III affected by the ffact that you're fighting aliens instead of people? Would the impact be intensified if you were fighting humans, even though there's lots of blood spilled? Does the small screen of the Switch mean kids can better hide this content from parents (if not docked into a TV)? Do parents assume it's family-friendly since most Nintendo Switch content is suitable for players of all ages?
Does the focus on revealing or sexualized content add something to the story, or does it seem gratuitous and unnecessary? Why do you think the developers chose to include this in No More Heroes III for the female characters?
Game Details
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: GRASSHOPPER MANUFACTURE INC.
- Release date: August 27, 2021
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Sports and Martial Arts, Adventures, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires, Space and Aliens
- ESRB rating: M for Blood and gore, sexual themes, strong language, intense violence.
- Last updated: September 30, 2021
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