Joe & Mac Retro Collection – A Stone Age Adventure Review
Joe & Mac Retro Collection
Joe & Mac Retro Collection is based on Data East 1991 platform video game with the same name. First off, I wanted to thank Red Art Games for PS5 Key in a tweet, that they needed content creators. Retro Collection offers 3 games for SNES not other ports such as first game Joe & Mac. Spinoff Congo Caper along with Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics. The collection includes Boss Rush mode, music gallery and unboxing, which has all three box art games from Europe, Japan along with USA. First Joe & Mac game follows two cavemen journey throughout prehistoric land to rescue cavewomen along with facing a mad scientist. The game offers two player couch co-op, player one will have to control joe. While player 2 controls Mac, in gameplay, Joe primary weapon is a club.
In the course of the game, Joe and Mac get powerups like fireball, rolling wheels and boomerang to defeat enemies. After defeating bosses, a rescued cavewoman gives a player kiss on the cheek. There is bonus stage that went cracking open dino eggs, each player has 3 lives and limited continues. Players have to rack up points for extra life or collect them throughout levels. While Congo Caper, the gameplay completely different than its Joe and Mac. You take control of Congo who is a half monkey human hybrid to save his girlfriend from a demon. In Caper, there is a slot machine mechanic for getting special items. Also, picking diamonds for points.
Swinging to the next level and facing bosses. Note: Congo Caper plays similar to Joe & Mac, so there is not much to say. Last but not least is Joe and Mac 2 Lost in the Tropics. Joe and Mac have to get their village crown back from Grok. The sequel plays differently from the first game but has new content. There are shops, where you can get items for your adventure. Buy gifts and travel through village to talk to people. Same gameplay as its predecessor but updated graphics. Joe & Mac Retro Collection is not a bad complication but some of the titles fall flat. For example, Congo Caper and Lost in the Tropics didn’t have weapon switching mechanic.
Thoughts on Retro Collection
I felt that those two were downgraded from the first game. Control is simply tedious including rolling, running and more. How can I forget about levels, some part went I tried to jump, it doesn’t land. Sometimes hit detection is really off to went fighting rogue cavemen and had to hit them multiple times. Boss fights from first game were fairly easy but Congo Caper was difficult. Personally, I haven’t played co-op multiplayer but wished they had online because I don’t have friends to play locally. It would be nice to have both online and didn’t have it for Zombies Ate My Neighbors & Ghoul Patrol compilation. We live in a digital age and online gaming has been booming.
Anyways that’s another story for another time. Levels are very challenge and felt really fair for a first playthrough. I really do miss SNES era of platforming games back in the early 1990s. Joe & Mac does have some colorful backgrounds and prehistoric soundtrack to match it. You have to watch out for sleeping dinosaurs and hope they don’t eat you. There are different bosses but some have palette swaps along with same attack pattern. When getting hit, it reminds me of Cuphead, went you turn into an angel and return to the land of the living. Joe and Mac do have a password system, if you end up having a game over and start all over again.
Data East made some arcade classics like Fighter’s History, WindJammers and Bad Dudes Vs Dragon Ninja. Even they didn’t have arcade port for this collection and focus on Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Sadly, Data East has been closed down on June 25, 2003, and will be missed. Modern players will have a taste of prehistoric era of platformers like this one. There are some issues in the game but I had a blast with first game. I am sure that people enjoyed second game and Caper but it was not my cup of tea. Joe & Mac will go down as one of my favorite SNES platformers of all time. I do have a skill issue in completing the game but it was a good experience.
Closing
Hoping to explore more retro gaming compilation on this website or probably produce a article about it. Joe & Mac Retro Collection is available now on PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Xbox and Steam. What are your thoughts on Joe & Mach Retro Collection, let me know in the comment below. Thank you for reading this blogpost and tune into the next from yours truly.
Anjim Plays is a award-winning streamer from Washington DC, who is a advocate of blerd and gaming culture. I am willing to help others and work with brands.
