Viewtiful Joe/Gameplay

Viewtiful Joe is a challenging game if you don't understand it’s unique gameplay mechanics. This page will go over some of the basic gameplay systems.

Health
Joe's health, called Life, appears at the top left of the screen as a series of hearts. As you progress you can increase the maximum number of hearts by purchasing L.I.V upgrades from the Power Up! store. When you take damage you will lose a half of a heart or more. If you lose all of your hearts you will lose a life and start over from the start of the zone.

Movement and Jumping
Press left or right on the d-pad or analog stick to move in that direction. Joe can jump pretty high. Hold the jump button a little longer for a high jump (about 5 character heights), tap it lightly for a lower one (about 3 character heights). If you are standing on a narrow platform, you can press jump while holding down to fall through it. Viewtiful Joe can double jump, but he loses this ability if he powers down to normal Joe.

Basic Combat
Like any other beat-em-up, combat boils down to defense/evasion and offense/attacking. However Viewtiful Joe has it's own particularities that make it a little different. So let's start by going over the most basic defensive and offensive techniques in the game.

Dodging
The most basic defensive technique is the dodge, the first thing the game teaches you to do. To perform a dodge, simply press up to hop over low attacks or down to crouch under high attacks, earning a few V-Points in the process. The real kicker is that many enemies will become dazed when you dodge enough of their attacks this way. Dazed enemies take double damage and also reward you with V-Points when struck. Being dazed also makes them vulnerable to a Rock-On Combo, the most important melee fighting skill. If you don't know how to use Rock-On combos effectively, you will struggle through the entire game. To use Rock-On you need to activate VFX Slow.

Basic Attacks
At the start of the game Joe already has a few Kung Fu skills under his belt. Simply mashing punch will unleash a 4 hit combo ending with a finisher. The same can be done with kicks. The punch finisher cannot be canceled by another punch, and the same goes for the kicks. However, any punch attack can be canceled into a kick at any time and vice-versa, so you can extend your combos by alternating between punches and kicks. You can also cancel a ground attack into and air attack on hit by pressing up before the next attack. Press down and punch to perform an uppercut that launches opponents straight into the air. You can then jump up and continue the combo in midair if you choose, but your aerial offensive options are pretty limited if you haven't unlocked the Air Joe ability.

V-Point Scoring System
By performing certain actions, Joe can earn V-Points. V-Points act as both a form of currency and a way to track the player's score. You can earn V-Points in many ways, including striking enemies and objects, dodging attacks, deflecting projectiles, and breaking things. You also can pick up V-Points directly in the form of V-Coins, which can be dropped by enemies, found in boxes, or won from slot machines. By far the best way to earn V-Points is by using the Rock-On combo, which we will discuss in the VFX Powers section since it is a feature of the VFX Power Slow. Additionally, V-Point bonuses are rewarded when you do well during Missions.

Missions and Grades
At certain points, you will walk into an area and graphics will show up on screen to signify that you have entered a Mission. You must complete the mission objectives to continue the game. Upon completing the mission, you will be given a Grade based on your performance during the mission. Grade scores are ranked accordingly: V for Viewtiful, A for Awesome, B for Bad, C for Crappy, D for Doh! The grade you receive is always based on 3 criteria: If you complete a mission without taking any damage, you will receive the No Damage bonus for 2000 extra V-Points.
 * V-Point: The number of V-Points you earned during the mission.
 * Defense: The amount of times you took damage during the mission.
 * Time: The amount of time it took for you to complete the mission objectives.

VFX
This is where this game really starts to differentiate itself from other games of this type. Near the start of the game, Captain Blue gives Joe the V-Watch, allowing him to transform into Viewtiful Joe who can use special "VFX Powers". These powers not only allow Joe to perform incredible feats of strength and agility, but effect the environment in various ways as well. From the beginning of the game, you start with no VFX powers but get them gradually until Level 2.

The VFX Gauge
VFX Powers are tied to the VFX gauge at the top of the screen. The gauge begins to deplete whenever one or more VFX Powers are active, and refills when no VFX Powers are active. If the gauge completely depletes, Viewtiful Joe will turn back into normal Joe. In this state, his attack power and defense are halved, and he cannot use any VFX Powers, double jump or use any special attacks. Fortunately, he will automatically turn back into Viewtiful Joe once the VFX gauge reaches a certain threshold.

Slow
The first VFX power. Joe can use this from the moment he first turns into Viewtiful Joe. This power slows down everything on screen. While using Slow, Joe's attack power is doubled and he gains enhanced reflexes which allow him to dodge gunfire and lasers with ease. This power also slows down propellers, forcing flying platforms and enemies to the ground. It also exaggerates explosions from rockets and bombs. Most importantly, it allows Joe to perform the insanely powerful Rock-On combo. The following is a list of techniques enabled by Slow:
 * Rock-On:To begin a Rock-On combo, simply land an attack on a dazed enemy while using VFX Slow. Every hit you land during this time will increase the V-Point multiplier at the top of the screen. Any enemy you hit while Rock-On is active is sent flying in the direction you hit him, careening into other enemies and objects, damaging them as well. Punching an enemy will send him flying straight, kicking them or hitting them with Red Hot Cyclone will send them diagonally, and the uppercut will send them straight up. Rock-On remains active until Joe either deactivates Slow, or runs out of VFX. This is the most important attack ability in the game because it not only allows you to wreak havoc on enemies, but it also results in huge V-Point bonuses when used effectively.
 * Guard Break:Certain enemies have some sort of force field that protects them from normal and Mach Speed attacks. You can overwhelm the force field by striking them with consecutive attack while using VFX Slow. Once you land enough attacks, the force field breaks, causing the enemy to go into a special 'Guard Break' animation. Guard broken enemies are susceptible to Rock-On as if they have been dazed, but they recover faster so act quickly.
 * V-Dodge:While using Slow, if the player fails to dodge an attack manually, Joe will automatically perform an invincible, Matrix-like dodge to avoid the attack that would have normally ruined his day. However this 'V-Dodge' uses up a huge chunk of the VFX gauge, usually enough to turn you back into regular Joe. Because of that major flaw, its not something you want to rely on.
 * Deflect:Using Slow allows Joe to perceive attacks that normally would be too fast to see, like bullets. If Joe activates Slow when an enemy shoots at him, he can slow the bullet down enough to deflect it back to the enemy with an attack. Deflecting bullets instantly dazes some enemies, making this an easy way to start a devastating Rock-On combo.

Mach Speed
The second VFX power. This power allows Joe to go into overdrive, able to move at super speed, attack with rapid-fire strikes and send afterimages of himself to attack objects in the foreground and background. It speeds up propellers, raising up flying platforms and enemies. It can be used with Slow to move at "normal" speed while everything else is slowed down. The following is a list of techniques enabled by Mach Speed:
 * Afterimage:When Joe attacks while using Mach Speed, if there are multiple targets on screen, he automatically sends out afterimages to attack them. In this way he can attack several enemies simultaneously. These afterimages even attack objects in the background. This is the only way to get certain items in the game. The Mach Speed Level 2 and 3 upgrades allow him to send out more afterimages with this technique.
 * Ignite:If Joe lands consecutive attacks in Mach Speed, the friction will eventually cause him to ignite, surrounding himself with an aura of flames. All his attacks gain a fire effect in this state, burning any enemy he strikes. He also becomes completely immune to fire based attacks while in this state, and can even WALK IN BURNING HOT LAVA COMPLETELY UNHARMED!

Zoom
The final VFX power. This power zooms the camera in on Joe and he gains access to several powerful special moves, including the strongest attack in the game. It can even freeze certain enemies in their tracks. The following is a list of techniques enabled when using Zoom:
 * Intimidation:Using Zoom in the presence of certain enemies instantly stops them in their tracks, dazzled by Joe’s sheer awesomeness.
 * Red Hot One Hundred:Press punch while using Zoom-In to perform the Red Hot One Hundred, the previously mentioned strongest attack in the game. This move does ridiculous damage, especially if combined with VFX Slow. This attack decimates regular enemies sure enough, but it also can put a serious hurtin’ on even the late stage bosses. Once you master this move you can take down just about any foe. And if you manage to land this attack with Rock-On active, Lord have mercy on the poor soul on the receiving end.
 * Red Hot Roundhouse:Press kick while Zoom-In is active to pull off a cool 360 spinning kick. This move is more for defense than attacking, and is useful when you are under attack on all sides, making it possible to easily deflect multiple projectiles simultaneously when used in conjunction with Slow.
 * Red Hot Cyclone:Press jump with Zoom-In active to perform a rising drill attack that can connect multiple times. You can use this move in Rock-On mode get truly absurd V-Point bonuses in certain situations, as it can hit the same enemy multiple times without doing a lot of damage, while still increasing the multiplier several times over.
 * Red Thunder:Activate Zoom-In while descending from a jump the unleash a stomp attack that produces a shockwave when you land. The stomp itself is fairly weak even Slow. However you can use slow to exaggerate the shockwave, turning it into a deadly wave of death that does massive damage to enemies like the Helicopters and breaks shields of any enemies who try to block it.

Items
Joe can pick up various items to give himself a boost.

V-Reels
V-Reels can be collected to increase the length of the VFX Gauge for the rest of the current episode. At the start of each episode, the VFX Gauge will reset to its base level, with only the main section available and the 5 extra sections locked. Each episode contains 250 reels total. For every 50 V-Reels you collect, one section of the gauge will unlock. Finding all the V-Reels in an episode will earn you a bonus at the end of the episode.

Burgers
Burgers restore Joe's health. Burgers and Fries restore even more.

V-Coins
V-Coins are equivalent to V-Points, the currency or the game as well as a major component of the scoring system. Use V-Points to purchase new abilities and upgrades at the Power Up! store.

Bottles
Pick up Blue Bottle to instantly restore some of the VFX gauge. If you find a rare Red Bottle, you’ll have unlimited VFX for a limited time.

Difficulty
There are several difficulties that are unlockable and playable in the game, each with their own differences that slightly alter the style of gameplay.
 * Kids: The easiest mode. Enemies have low HP and attack power.
 * Adult: Standard difficultly mode. Enemies have moderate HP and attack power.
 * V-Rated: Hard mode. Enemies hit hard and have more HP. Also tougher enemies appear sooner and more often than in Adult mode.
 * Ultra V-Rated: Very hard mode. Enemies pack a wallop and have high HP. Powerful enemies appear early and often. Most significantly, red death marks do not appear to warn the player of incoming attacks, so watching the enemies becomes vital to survival.