Viewtiful Joe, a Capcom gem by Hideki Kamiya. Snappy 2D action, cel-shaded tokusatsu look and VFX powers that slow or speed up the action. Crazy characters and deliciously hard levels. A genuine wonder, set apart in the catalogue.
Your verdict
Category
Action Adventure1 player12+
Description
Six-inch Joe battles Rainbow City enemies in this Clover Studio GameCube Viewtiful Joe. Published by Capcom, released in Japan in June 2004. 2D side-scrolling beat'em up with VFX time slowing and speeding powers, spectacular bosses.
Viewtiful Joe review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
A flamboyant tribute to superhero cinema, the game blends razor-sharp cel-shading, saturated colours and film-reel effects into a jubilant tokusatsu style. Slow-downs and speed-ups warp the image into a non-stop spectacle. This graphic audacity, unique and electric, keeps its freshness intact.
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Slowing, speeding up or zooming the action at will to amplify your blows and solve traps: these VFX powers reinvent the beat-em-up as a mischievous game of timing. The comic-book cel-shaded style hasn't aged a day, and the muscular difficulty rewards mastery. Demanding and inventive, this concentrate of ideas stays a breath of originality in the hands.
The Japanese edition of Viewtiful Joe is the original pressing of Clover Studio's game via Capcom. Collector value comes from the JP version being the original before international adjustments and from Clover Studio disappearing shortly after.
Memorable bosses
Colorful and built for spectacle, the bosses of this stylized beat'em up are undone by manipulating time: slow-motion to dodge, Mach Speed to strike. From the shark Gran Bruce to the fiery Fire Leo, each demands marrying reflexes with cinematic powers. Their over-the-top comic-book design and theatrical staging make these duels as funny as they are hard-hitting.
A cult cover
Planted in a superhero pose, Joe in his scarlet-red suit tears across a comic-book backdrop, the logo snapping like an onomatopoeia. Punchy cel-shading and action framing instantly convey the comics spirit and tongue-in-cheek tone of the beat 'em up. Loud and stylish, it proudly flaunts its tribute to paper heroes.
Is Viewtiful Joe still worth playing in 2026?
A wholly original cel shaded beat'em up by Hideki Kamiya and Clover Studio, Viewtiful Joe offers a unique VFX powers system that lets you slow down, speed up or zoom to solve puzzles and fights. The art direction paying tribute to Tokusatsu superheroes works wonders and the unforgiving difficulty rewards mastery. Visually timeless thanks to cel shading, the title keeps all of its singularity and remains an absolutely essential classic of the GameCube catalogue worth discovering today still here for any newcomer.
