Play Car Battler Joe Online

You upgrade your ride between chaotic car battles, swapping weapons and armor while chasing leads about your missing dad across a desert full of lunatics in armed vehicles. The hovercraft drifts like a dream, but sometimes you just wanna plow through enemies in a tank.

Developer: Natsume

Genre: Action RPG

Released: 2001

File size: 3.18 MB

Game Overview

Natsume released Car Battler Joe for the Game Boy Advance in 2001, a time when handheld games were starting to offer deeper, more complex experiences. It stood out by blending vehicle combat with light role-playing elements, creating a unique hybrid that felt ambitious for the platform.

You control Joe, a young battler driving an armed car across a vast desert, searching for your missing father. The core loop involves exploring the overworld screen by screen, engaging in real-time car battles against rival drivers, and upgrading your vehicle with new weapons, armor, and engines. The pacing is deliberate, with a steady difficulty curve that encourages careful customization of your car. It feels satisfying to slowly build a powerful machine capable of taking on the desert's many threats.