No More Heroes is a cult classic hack-and-slash action game that’s been ported to the Switch and PC in recent years. These ports only further prove that the series is still worth getting into. The strong art direction and tone of the game completes the experience when combined with its fun gameplay loop.

However, even with the strong and dedicated fanbase, the series isn’t for everybody. There are a few things you should know before going into it that can help you determine if it’s the game for you. Plus, we’ve included a few tips to guide you as you play.

10 The Game Earns Its “M” For Mature Rating

No More Heroes is rated M by the ESRB (PEGI 18) for very good reason. The game is hyper-violent and doesn’t shy away from showing you any gruesome imagery. If you’re squeamish or would rather not play through a game like this, that’s perfectly understandable.

The dialogue and setting are also rather vulgar and shouldn’t be something you play with any kids or younger siblings around. This is just a fair warning and something that should be noted.

9 The Humor Isn’t For Everyone

The series hardly takes itself seriously and if it falls into your ballpark of humor, you’ll be laughing throughout most of the games. Travis Touchdown is an otaku that’s one of the best assassins in the world, hoping to take down the top 10 to become the best.

The premise is silly and basic but is executed nicely with a lot of really heavy satire. More often than not, No More Heroes is doing something to annoy the player intentionally and poke fun at other games or mocking something else in its own off-kilter manner. If you can tolerate Travis and find humor in his character and portrayal, then you’ll enjoy what the game has to offer… but he’s not exactly a hero, yet.

8 Exploration Isn’t The Best

Although the hack-and-slash gameplay is fun and keeps you entertained… the same can’t be said about the exploration. The open world has some weird design choices that can take you out of the experience. There isn’t much incentive to explore and the act of exploring isn’t too fun in itself.

However, you’re not playing the game for the exploration. The open world ties everything together, but it is not going to be what keeps you enthralled or gives you the urge to pick the controller back up.

7 The Control Scheme

The original version of No More Heroes took full advantage of the Wii motion controls for its hack-and-slash combat. With it being ported to both Nintendo Switch and PC, you must know about any major control scheme changes that came with the ports.

For the Switch, it’s nothing too major. You can still use the Joy-Cons and get a similar experience. Alternatively, you can use a pro controller and replace the motion controls with the flick of the analog stick and buttons — less cool, but manageable. On PC, there are some serious issues with controller compatibility and it’s a coin toss whether your controller will work or not. Also, There is no mouse and keyboard support.

6 You Live (And Die) For The Boss Fights

Combat in No More Heroes is praised for being fun and unique but the average foe won’t give you a run for your money or showcase why that is. As you progress through the story, you’ll soon come to realize that No More Heroes is at its best when you’re fighting one of its many amazing bosses.

The bosses in this game are just fantastic. They keep you on your toes and deliver some classic performances with their introductions. Some of the bosses even have some surprising level of depth to their character.

5 You Should Take Your Time

No More Heroes is home to a lot of wacky side content that’s either really fun, really funny, or both. The battles are at the core of your experience with No More Heroes, but this stuff really brings it all together for one big weird package.

You can train at the gym, find some wrestling masks to learn moves, mow the lawn, watch movies on your TV, punch a tree to collect coconuts, and experience other content that makes for a good time and a good story to tell your friends after you play.

4 Lovikov Balls Are Worth Looking For

No More Heroes features a collectible called Lovikov Balls, and they’re scattered around the game world. By bringing them to a man named Randall Lovikov, you’ll unlock new techniques. Finding these collectibles accomplishes a few things:

There are 49 of these items scattered around Santa Destroy, so it might be best to pull up a map if you want to skip some of the guesswork. It is worth taking some time out of your playthrough to hunt for them.

3 Save Your Money

You could spend a lot of time grinding for money in No More Heroes but that’s not exactly the best way to go about it. To make your life a bit less miserable and help you get to the good stuff, there are a few words of advice.

Don’t worry about buying clothes, they’re purely cosmetic and shouldn’t be prioritized. Sure, buy them if you like them, but don’t go too crazy if you don’t want to put forth the effort to get your money back. Try to save the money grind for the end of the game and move on with only what’s necessary. You’ll have plenty of better opportunities to earn money with the missions you unlock later in the game.

2 Dark Step is Very Useful

The Dark Step is something that you should take full advantage of in combat and get the hang of as soon as possible. However, it’s never too clear how you should execute it. This move allows Travis to circle around an enemy, with time slowing down similar to Bayonetta’s Witch Time, and allows you to get some extra hits in.

On the Wii, you just had to simply wiggle your controller around and that would be good enough. However, it’s a bit more difficult to do it on current ports with pro controllers. One common trick is to move your analog stick in the same direction as Travis’s hand after he blocks an attack. Practice this a few times and get the timing down, and then you’ll be good to go.

1 There is a “True” Ending

No More Heroes has two endings, and one of them is considered the far superior true ending. This ending is impressive and ends the game nicely, but… there’s a lot of grinding involved.

For starters, go back and collect the Lovikov balls. It just makes things easier. After that, collect every Beam Katana in the game. This is going to involve some money grinding but it’ll be alleviated by your access to plenty of missions that can land you a bunch of money per run. After that, defeat the final boss (Spoilers: Not the final boss) and you’ll experience the true ending.

NEXT: Octopath Traveler Is A Great Example Of Why True Endings Should Not Be Hidden In Games