Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes is the most eclectic entry in the No More Heroes series, and differs in many ways to the most recent entry, No More Heroes 3. This is quite a feat for such an irreverent and exaggeratedly violent series. Originally expected to be the third numbered game in the series, Travis Strikes Again turned out to be more of a side story, albeit one that is closely tied to the plot of the mainline games.
Years later, when the actual No More Heroes 3 came out, it turned out quite a bit different from Travis Strikes Again, and was more in line with the rest of the series in terms of gameplay and format. The series remains quirky, with all of Suda51's creative fingerprints on display, and with the announcement that NMH 3 is the series' final game, it makes sense for him to put so much of himself into the game. As the series' swan song, it draws a distinction between itself and Travis Strikes Again in some very striking ways.
One obvious difference is the camera. No More Heroes 3 uses the game's traditional third-person camera, while Travis Strikes Again is played from a top-down perspective, reminiscent of an arcade game. Both styles force the player to think and react in different ways in order to survive. For veterans of the series, the camera of Travis Strikes Again would be the more difficult one to use, because it breaks from the series norm. However, it does have the advantage of allowing the player to see more of the stage at one time, and the large field of view makes it much easier to avoid being ambushed.
NMH3 And Travis Strikes Again Have Different Inspirations
One clear difference between Travis Strikes Again and No More Heroes 3 is in both games' themes and aesthetics. No More Heroes 3 is heavily influenced by tokusatsu with the Galactic Superhero Corps, although they are actually assassins and conquerors pretending to be heroes. Suitably enough, Travis engages in dramatic, stylized battles with each of them. In comparison, Travis Strikes Again takes heavy inspiration from various genres of video games and incorporates them into gimmicks during levels and boss fights. In addition, Travis Strikes Again features a parade of references to other Suda51 games. Both cling tightly to their influence of choice, acting as both a love letter and a parody of their respective genres.
Finally, there is the gameplay itself. Both are energetic, violent beat-'em-ups where Travis Touchdown slays waves of enemies at a time. No More Heroes 3 sticks more closely to the tried and true hacking, slashing, and grappling mechanics of the first game. However, No More Heroes 3 also featured upgradable skills for Travis to learn, allowing him to unleash flashy new special attacks in his usual aggressive style. Meanwhile, as previously stated, Travis Strikes Back incorporates level-specific gimmicks that mix up the gameplay styles, and in general, is quite fast-paced and arcade-like in its presentation.
No More Heroes 3 and Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes are both high-quality games that fans of the series will undoubtedly enjoy, but players should know before stepping in that there are some definite differences between the two. They both play very differently to the other. However, fans who are in tune with the series' sense of humor and over-the-top style are more than likely to enjoy both options.