Joystiq
Joystiq News
In 2010, Goichi Suda seemed unstoppable. The Japanese game developer, known by his nickname 'Suda51,' had just released No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, a vibrant clash of stylized decapitations and eccentric, oftentimes sexually-charged humor. The Wiimote-waggling hack-and-slash reviewed favorably, cementing Suda's status as a risk-taking auteur similar to American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. The next few games he released, however, didn't fare so well. , and were all criticized for their groan-inducing jokes and general lack of polish. The excitement around Suda and his once-promising studio, Grasshopper Manufacture, slowly fizzled out.
The punk-rock developer isn't finished, though. Two years ago, Grasshopper released , a free-to-play dungeon crawler that blended Suda's unmistakable style with some procedural level design and light, Dark Souls-inspired combat. The game wasn't perfect, but the roguelike elements and freemium price-tag made it easier to overlook the so-so level design and occasionally cumbersome battles.
Now, Suda is back with a No More Heroes spin-off called . It's launching on Nintendo Switch next month and is, unsurprisingly, pretty weird. But maybe in a good way?
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