Having heard constantly about how amazing Viewtiful Joe is, I can’t really say I was that impressed with it. I mean, during the time of its release it was given such praise and admiration from game critics that it seemed like it was going to be the next big franchise. But in reality its just a good game with some original ideas that work well. I suppose in this day and age where originality and quality are fairly rare I suppose it was a big find for critics, but for people that play a lot of games or are looking for something truly great, well I can’t help but feel a bit cheated. I suppose I am making this out to be fairly bad, and really I shouldn’t. Viewtiful Joe is a good game; it has a lot of vibe to it and so cheesy that it’s hard not to love it for that. But Viewtiful Joe, I feel just doesn’t always express itself well enough to players.
Honestly I think that’s the biggest problem I have with it, is that it really expects you to just get it. Several properties of your moves or techniques are either not explained well enough or are just to brief to really understand it. For instance, when you crouch punch you will hit the enemy in the air if it lands successfully, however this same punch is also used to hit obstacles in the air, and you are expected to do this with in the second episode just after being told about the mechanics of your fast forward technique. This leads to a lot of confusion about how to actually get past a barrel right after you were just told about the fast forward technique because its a wooden barrel and you can set yourself on fire with it. Naturally I thought to get past the wooden barrel by constantly hitting it till I was set on fire and then it would burn up. Course this was not the case, and because I was not told about the properties of my crouch punch before hand I honestly had no idea what to do. And that’s whats kinda wrong with this game, there are just certain parts through the game where you legitimately were never told something about a tech or ability you have, and don’t know how to get past an area because you will only do this learned ability one other time at most. Just in terms of puzzles and brain teasers, Viewtiful Joe is kinda of an one hit wonder, the most any given puzzle boils down to is simply fast forwarding or more than likely slowing down time. Which isn’t something I am mad at the game about, because the heart of this game is using these mechanics to create some really intense fights or scenes that look just Viewtiful. But this can often become a problem too, mainly because a lot of the boss fights themselves can strangely be repetitive and tedious. It doesn’t exactly present itself has a big problem, because this game requires you to learn when to use the timing of your heshin techniques just right so you can maximum your Viewtifulness, but if you are just out there to beat a boss it can simply get down to doing two basic moves you know work for like half an hour because of how long these fights can take if you don’t know your way around. And more often than not its the case the first time through, as you’re not given much of a chance to figure out what works well or what doesn’t with these bosses. There aren’t a lot of big tells when you can hit a boss for maximum hurtatude. The game greatly benefits from replaying the game, and thankfully its short enough to be able to constantly replay it, but boy is it a lot more confusing fighting and scoring the first time around.
I suppose that’s the charm of Viewtiful Joe though, its a game that is very much meant to be played again and again so you can learn the combat system and make yourself Viewtiful while doing it. The combat is honestly a blast to play too, thanks to the heshin techniques you learn. There is just something so satisfying seeing enemies getting beaten up in fast motion, dodging them in slow motion, and then going in for a close up for the much harder hits. The last boss battle was a great way to end the game as well, with much of it feeling like a bigger than life battle compared to the other bosses you face, although its a little more on the nose when you pilot a big giant mech the size of the moon. The story certainly won’t win many awards, but at the least its cheesy enough to be endearing. The music and sound effects are satisfying to hear to throughout, especially when you hear the enemies crying out in slow motion. Really though, Viewtiful joe is just a different kind of game, and that’s a good thing.
Final Thoughts:
Viewtiful Joe is a very demanding game at times that requires a lot of skill and know how about the game itself in order to fully be enjoyable. The combat system takes a lot of practice and some getting use to, but soon enough battling in fast forwards and slow motions feels more natural and even more satisfying when pulling off techniques correctly. The game can still be somewhat tedious when you don’t know exactly what to do or how to defeat an enemy quickly, but half the joy of the game is learning how to take down enemies fast and looking Viewtiful while doing it! Overall, Viewtiful Joe is a very refreshing experience that many gamers looking for a little more action in there life should look into.
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