As reported over on Eurogamer, ex-Capcom director Hideki Kamiya, never one to shy away from speaking his mind, has spoken of his desire to create sequels for 00s classics, Okami and Viewtiful Joe.
Both titles are known for their gorgeous animation and visual styles. Okami is an immediately visually arresting game to this day; I recall the first time I saw it in action, at E3 in 2005. I was standing in front of a screen checking out the stunning action in the game, and turned to see another admirer beside me, silently enjoying the game’s demo; it turned out to be none other than Simpsons creator Matt Groening, which I took as a huge sign that Capcom were onto a winner with their beautiful action RPG.
Okami’s mechanics are somewhat like a classic 3D Zelda game, though rendered in the style of Studio Ghibli anime movies, whereas Viewtiful Joe is a hyper-stylised, hilarious take on Japanese tokusatsu or perhaps even Super Sentai shows.
Sadly, neither game set the world on fire from a commercial point of view, upon their initial GameCube and/or PS2 releases, but they’re fondly remembered cult classics. The beautiful, cel-shaded, action-RPG wonder of Okami was given a second chance (and a well-deserved visual upgrade) on newer platforms than the PS2 and Wii, which it was first released on, when Okami HD was released in the West in 2011 on PS3, PC and Xbox One, before also making the jump to PS2 and Switch too.
Sequels & Spiritual Successors
Though Viewtiful Joe got a direct sequel, a less well-received spin-off named Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble, and a spiritual successor for the DS (Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble), there hasn’t been a new entry in the series since 2005. Given that the commercial performance of the series was mostly a disappointment, it’s not really surprising that it was abandoned. Okami had a spiritual sequel named Okamiden on the DS, but that was the second and last new entry in the series, which was released back in 2010 in Japan, and early 2011 in the West.
However, given that both series have their dedicated fanbases (check out legendary, still active wrestler Samoa Joe’s profile banner on X, for one example of a well-known fan of Viewtiful Joe’s OTT beat ’em up action) it’s perhaps no surprise that fans of each beloved series, not to mention their director himself, are expressing a desire to see more from both Okami and Viewtiful Joe, especially given the technological leaps that have occurred since they last graced our screens.
However, it’s not as easy as it may seem; Kamiya himself has, albeit quite light-heartedly, pleaded with Capcom to work together with him to create true sequels to Okami and Viewtiful Joe.
Thanks to Eurogamer, we know that he mentions (in a video alongside fellow ex-Capcom artist and director, Ikumi Nakamura) that “creators have the duty to create sequels fans are wanting to see,” before also stating that even though it’s been some time since Okami was made, he still feels like he hasn’t fulfilled his duty with the series.
Going on to ask Capcom that they work together on this, he then mentions something that’ll no doubt prick up the ears of many fans, as he says, “same sentiments for Viewtiful Joe 3; I’d be more than happy.” Of course, Capcom owns the rights to both series, and Kamiya hasn’t worked there for some time; he does acknowledge that he doesn’t have anything to do with their decision-making.
Yet surely someone of Kamiya’s level of creativity and success, not to mention how highly regarded he is by Capcom fans, holds some sway? We can at least hope that just this mention of both beloved franchises catches the attention of someone at Capcom; how cool would it be to see Okami and Viewtiful Joe return in new, modern installments?
We can but hope, but it’s good to know that Kamiya himself has both Okami and Viewtiful Joe still in mind after all this time. It seems that the ball is in your court, Capcom; let’s bring these franchises back and finish their respective stories!
