Creekgrin
I said I was going to write this up soon, but I never actually did! Got a little distracted having the novel coronavirus and playing Death Stranding, which was my next one.
In the meantime, I blasted through No More Heroes in a few days. My first Suda 51 game, and one I hadn’t played since the original Wii release, where I made it to rank 6 before giving it back to my friend. (My Dad was very distressed that I was playing such a ‘violent and sexual’ game.)
Needless to say my experience this time was very different, not just because I moved out years ago but also because I’ve played a lot of combat-heavy character action games since then. I really like the idea that Travis would get wrapped up in this mess not just because he wants to get laid, but he also wants his own video game anime adventure. He views himself through the lens of wrestling and anime and arcade games, in the same way someone playing the game might see themselves in him.
The combat works, and after I learned when I needed to parry I started REALLY getting into it. But as satisfying as the combat is everything else on the plate is what makes it stick. Picking up trash, and finding Lovikov balls, and kicking dumpsters for T-Shirts. Like Deadly Premonition earlier, only the combination of all of these separate elements makes it work. No one part is THAT exceptional, but together, it all makes Santa Destroy a place I was hesitant to leave. I stuck around and did assassination missions until I had enough cash for the “real” ending! Both last bosses are decent combat tests but they also show that Travis can’t separate his personal and assassin identities. The garden of madness left a lasting impression on my brain, too.
Next up was Death Stranding, which I just finished last night. There’s a lot of thoughts to assemble there, that’s for sure.
