Throughout the games, the player controls the character
Travis Touchdown. The first game has a
free roaming world, allowing Travis to move around on foot or on his modified scooter, the "Schpeltiger". The gameplay is open-ended, with the condition that the player must kill the top ten assassins to make the storyline progress. There are numerous part-time job side quests to earn money which can be spent on weapons, training sessions, clothes and videotapes. In several of the games, money is also required to compete in a Ranking fight with one of the top assassins. In
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, the open world is replaced by a map screen, and the minigames that Travis can do to gain money and become stronger are
8-bit style games, in genres including action, puzzle, and racing. While recent ports and entries contain more traditional control options, the mainline games are heavily designed to support motion control combat. On the Wii, control is handled through the
Wii Remote and
Nunchuk attachment, with the Remote controlling his weapon, the
beam katana, and the Nunchuk moving Travis. Most attacks are performed using the "A" button, with certain other moves, including the "death blow" and sword lock struggles, executed by performing on-screen prompts and directional motions. Further, since the beam katanas run on batteries, they must be charged from time to time by pressing the "1" button on the remote and shaking it. Travis's beam katana can also be upgraded and replaced throughout the game by visiting Dr. Naomi. While the katana does not follow the exact position of the remote, it is able to distinguish between a "high" and "low" position which varies the character's stance and the attacks done. In addition to attacks with the beam katana Travis can kick and punch, and when enemies are stunned he can throw them with a number of
professional wrestling maneuvers, done by manipulating both the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. Upon successfully killing enemies, Travis has a chance to activate a "dark side mode", represented by a random roll of a
slot machine. If the slots are lined up he will receive a temporary
power-up based on the slot, which can range from attacks being able to instantly set up death blows, to sending out a shockwave that kills all enemies in the area. Starting from
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, the series introduced additional playable characters such as Shinobu Jacobs and Henry Cooldown, who control differently from Travis. The game also expanded Travis' move repertoire by allowing him to switch beam katanas in combat and introducing the "Ecstasy Gauge", which rewards the player with passive boosts when successfully dealing uncontested damage, as well as offering a unique dark side mode on command. Introduced in
Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, is the ability to equip "Skill Chips" (named after
Gundam models) that allow the player to utilize an array of special attacks, ranging from a scattergun-type blast to an orbital laser. ==Games==