Viewtiful Joe: A retrospective

As a massive fan of the Gamecube, I wanted to take a trip down memory lane with you and revisit one of its classics.

Viewtiful Joe!

Originally developed as part of a deal between Capcom and Nintendo, with the former committed to develop 5 games exclusive to the Gamecube. In the competition between the dominant PS2, powerful XBOX and (much maligned?) Gamecube, this was a big deal for Nintendo.

The five games were P.N.03; a futuristic third-person shooter; Dead Phoenix, a shoot 'em up; Resident Evil 4, a survival horror third-person shooter; Killer7, an action-adventure game with first-person shooter elements - and finally Viewtiful Joe.

All overseen by Resident Evil director Shinji Mikami and, except Killer7, developed by Capcom's Production Studio 4.

The Game: Viewtiful Joe is what happens when you take the classic 2D scrolling beat-em-ups, and throw them into a blender with a bunch of superhero comic books, a ton of pop and film culture references and throw in some acid.

After opening up as 2D side scrolling beat-em-up, it quickly evolves - and keeps on adapting and shifting - into a beat-em-up platformer with complex puzzles (kudos if you never needed to use a guide) and the combat evolves into a complex balancing act of dodging, learning enemy patterns, and using your time-related abilities (slow down time around Joe, speed up Joe, and zoom into Joe) to destroy every enemy in the way.

The game gives you ample choice in how you fight: Punch a tank’s shell straight back at it? Slow down a helicopter’s blades so it comes crashing down? Deliver a drop kick in slow-mo to a flaming dog?

If the Matrix was a japanese 2D beat-em-up, this would probably be it.

Graphics and visual style: One of the most stylish cel-shaded games of its generation. Incredible attention to detail, use of parallax, robots exploding into bits and pieces, smooth animations... Play this game today and you won’t be disappointed. It still holds up now and absolutely drips style from every frame. The Gamecube had some phenomenal cel-shaded games (Paper Mario, Wind Waker, XIII, to mention a few) and this stands alongside these classics as one of the best to apply this style.?

Difficulty: Whether games are getting easier or not is a debate for another day - but be warned. Viewtiful Joe wasn’t easy back then, and it hasn’t gotten any easier today.

While the first level and boss help you lean into the game’s mechanics, get familiar with the controls and confident - don’t get caught off guard. The game quickly ramps up the difficulty, to the point where multiple goes will be needed to get through one of the game’s chapters. The game is inspired by old-school gaming - don’t expect save/safe zones every couple of minutes and the ability to try sections over and over again. Lose all your lives? Go straight to Jail Expect to start the chapter all over again. The game encourages you to learn from each encounter and stage, and come back smarter from your last defeat.

The bosses will have you crunching your controller in your hands in frustration. Especially Fire Leo and the Captain Blue Kaiju fight!

Which - if you persevere through and eventually succeed on your 8th attempt - the high of finally besting the game is an incredible feeling, and extremely rewarding.

Longevity: You can speed run the entire story in under an hour. The world record is under 30 minutes. Yes, that can seem insanely short - and so you’d think the game is very short - but to get to that level, expect several hours to master the game the first time. Whether repeated attempts can be seen as a true and fair indication of the game’s length, or simply a cruel way to extend the short 7 chapters of the game - I certainly didn’t see it that way.

And when - after your 7+ hours of completing the main campaign - you won’t be entirely done. Unlockable character skins, and harder difficulties will be waiting for the most courageous. That said, if you’re not a masochist you might not see the value in playing the game through the hardest difficulty.

Extra modes - like a chapter select or survival mode, could have been good additions.

Summary:

The good: Dripping with style, fantastic presentation, great gameplay with depth, and tons of humour (the first time you pause the game - I challenge you not to laugh) The set pieces - taking down a squad of star destroyers by punching missiles at them(!) You’ll have a huge grin on your face.

The bad: The difficulty can be punishing by today’s standards. Prepare to repeat fighting the same boss 8+ times in a row. That’s not to everyone’s taste, but the game is so well designed, you’ll keep trying. 7th time failing? Have a cup of tea, dry your controller and palms, and get ready to try again.

Final thoughts: When’s the sequel for next gen consoles? Imagine Pixar + cel shading, with the power of new consoles. How about a battle royale where Joe takes on an entire army made up of hundreds of enemies? The on-screen carnage would be glorious.

I really hope Capcom’s listening.