This review contains spoilers
Travis Strikes Again was a game destined to be misunderstood. It was revealed on the stage of Nintendo's blowout Switch debut event. However, it was not the game most fans wanted. This was not No More Heroes 3. It didn't share the gameplay style nor did it follow up on much of anything from NMH2. It was not a game for the people looking for a chance to cut some heads off. At the risk of sounding extremely pretentious, Suda and Grasshopper instead made this game for the fans that probably dug a little deeper. For the fans that were listening.
In multiple layered ways, Travis Strikes Again is about the relationship between artist and fan. Sure, the general plot is about Travis and Bad Man (father of Bad Girl from the original NMH) exploring different fake video game worlds to beat bosses so they can get a wish granted from a magic video game console, but it's actually about Travis uncovering deeper layers of his world and figuring out more about the creator/developer of the Death Drive Mk II: Dr. Juvenile.
Travis talks about Dr. Juvenile like a fan would. He might even be a little too attached, speaking a few times about what kinda person he thinks Juvenile is, and how she feels about certain things. Over the course of the game, he starts to learn a lot about her, and thus gains the sort of authority you need to claim anything about anyone you don't personally know. Juvenile poured everything out into the games Travis is exploring, and through the worlds and characters and dialogue, he is conversing with her. Maybe he does know her. Travis Strikes Again is the investigation of a past, so that he may kill it.
Travis Strikes Again is also an autobiography. It is Goichi Suda, after years on the grind trying to get AAA video games made with big western publishers with even bigger money, finally coming back to his roots to make something personal. And with this process, a renewed conviction to make some motherfucking punk rock video games again. Smaller teams. Worse graphics. Less money. Happy employees. New pride. Grasshopper Manufacture. Travis Strikes Again, being about both Dr Juvenile and Goichi Suda, one and the same, puts you in the same position as Travis. If you're a receptive player, an attentive one, and a compassionate fan, you will also be learning about Suda, figuring out the events and emotions that led him to this point. Humbly revealing to you where he's at right now, but also proudly proclaiming "PUNK'S NOT DEAD".
Playing through this game for the first time in 2019 with my brother (also a huge Suda fan) was genuinely one of the best gaming experiences of my life. We were faced with incredible shock and awe as we learned the game's true identity, learned more about Suda, and exclaimed in extreme joy at that tease at the end. No More Heroes III. Travis Strikes Again inspired an enthusiasm in me to play the Kill the Past games, to dig deeper and deeper, to find new favorites.
The fact that I'm here writing about Travis Strikes Again two years and some months later means that I did all of that. I appreciate so much more of this game now, and my enthusiasm to play the KTP catalogue grew like a wildfire, spurring on newfound friends of mine to dig deep and find new favorites as well. This game is magic, in the very Grant Morrison sense. It's inspiration through art, and spectral conversation from creator to beholder.
It's a beautiful thing. I hope Grasshopper makes video games forever.
In multiple layered ways, Travis Strikes Again is about the relationship between artist and fan. Sure, the general plot is about Travis and Bad Man (father of Bad Girl from the original NMH) exploring different fake video game worlds to beat bosses so they can get a wish granted from a magic video game console, but it's actually about Travis uncovering deeper layers of his world and figuring out more about the creator/developer of the Death Drive Mk II: Dr. Juvenile.
Travis talks about Dr. Juvenile like a fan would. He might even be a little too attached, speaking a few times about what kinda person he thinks Juvenile is, and how she feels about certain things. Over the course of the game, he starts to learn a lot about her, and thus gains the sort of authority you need to claim anything about anyone you don't personally know. Juvenile poured everything out into the games Travis is exploring, and through the worlds and characters and dialogue, he is conversing with her. Maybe he does know her. Travis Strikes Again is the investigation of a past, so that he may kill it.
Travis Strikes Again is also an autobiography. It is Goichi Suda, after years on the grind trying to get AAA video games made with big western publishers with even bigger money, finally coming back to his roots to make something personal. And with this process, a renewed conviction to make some motherfucking punk rock video games again. Smaller teams. Worse graphics. Less money. Happy employees. New pride. Grasshopper Manufacture. Travis Strikes Again, being about both Dr Juvenile and Goichi Suda, one and the same, puts you in the same position as Travis. If you're a receptive player, an attentive one, and a compassionate fan, you will also be learning about Suda, figuring out the events and emotions that led him to this point. Humbly revealing to you where he's at right now, but also proudly proclaiming "PUNK'S NOT DEAD".
Playing through this game for the first time in 2019 with my brother (also a huge Suda fan) was genuinely one of the best gaming experiences of my life. We were faced with incredible shock and awe as we learned the game's true identity, learned more about Suda, and exclaimed in extreme joy at that tease at the end. No More Heroes III. Travis Strikes Again inspired an enthusiasm in me to play the Kill the Past games, to dig deeper and deeper, to find new favorites.
The fact that I'm here writing about Travis Strikes Again two years and some months later means that I did all of that. I appreciate so much more of this game now, and my enthusiasm to play the KTP catalogue grew like a wildfire, spurring on newfound friends of mine to dig deep and find new favorites as well. This game is magic, in the very Grant Morrison sense. It's inspiration through art, and spectral conversation from creator to beholder.
It's a beautiful thing. I hope Grasshopper makes video games forever.