He destroys planets as a hobby, and earth is next on his to-do list. Meanwhile, the loveable visitor, who goes by FU or more formally, Jess Baptiste VI, has become the supreme leader of the Galactic Superhero Corps. Damon Riccitiello (referencing the former EA head who said that game developers not thinking about monetization were “fucking idiots”) has used the powers endowed by the extraterrestrial to become a spineless tycoon obsessed with saving his own ass. Two decades later, we find that both the boy and the alien have grown into complete assholes. Before the adorable creature boards his rocket to head home, there’s the requisite mawkish affirmation and a promise of reunification in twenty years. Here, Suda and company mock the melodramatic plotline of a young boy helping his alien friend return to his home planet. Following the faux-retro game foreshadowing of Touchdown’s journey, the game settles for an anime-style skewering of E.T. Pleasingly, the references come at a quick pace in No More Heroes III. But punk has few allegiances, and delightfully, almost everything can be a target of ridicule in the game.

Like previous entries, No More Heroes III is a tribute to pop culture, referencing everything from games, anime, tokusatsu, wrestling, and beloved films. But instead of merely showing a cinematic of a make-believe retro title, it’s a playable game within a game, one of many that fill the series’ playtime. The game opens with returning protagonist Travis Touchdown reminiscing about a retro game called Deathman. Similarly, the first twenty minutes of No More Heroes III demonstrates more creativity than many triple-A, endlessly focus-tested franchises. Each is magnificently multifaceted, resists straightforward descriptions, and has more personality than most developers’ entire body of work. The studio’s early output, with titles like The Silver Case, killer7, and Flower, Sun, and Rain all share a defiance toward conformity. It’s a phrase rightfully associated with the director as well as his company, Grasshopper Manufacture. Nine months before the release of the original No More Heroes, Goichi Suda hosted a lecture at the 2007 Game Developers Conference entitled, “Punk’s Not Dead”. Price: $49.99 via digital download, $44.99 launch discount price

Platform: PC, previously on Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

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