DaRmaZat The 1990s were no strangers to a bit of slapstick humor, and this was naturally reflected in the games released during that era. A case in point is the Joe & Mac series, which first appeared in arcades in 1991 before making its way to the SNES. Now, all three quirky SNES classics return in the Joe & Mac Retro Collection for modern platforms. To help offset the prehistoric gameplay and typical arcade-level difficulty, the collection adds a number of handy features. Can our two caveman buddies still rock in the modern gaming era? You bet they can!
The first side-scroller in the trio, Joe & Mac, released in 1991, immediately sets the lighthearted tone that runs throughout this straightforward series. The tribe’s women have been kidnapped by a bunch of rogue Neanderthals, and who else but our favorite cavemen are going to sort this out? After taking out plenty of rival cavemen, pesky dinosaurs, carnivorous plants, and all sorts of other nuisances, you reach an arena-style boss fight at the end of each level. Defeat the boss, and you’ve rescued yet another lovely lady. After a spontaneous kiss, you can move on to the next level.
Combat revolves around a club, which you can swap for long-range weapons by picking up icons such as the boomerang, bones, fire breath, lightning balls, and stone wheels. The game certainly shows its age, with some downright unfair deaths, but the controls are responsive. Despite somewhat clunky combat that demands quick reflexes, along with the precision required for its platforming challenges, it remains a pretty entertaining action-platformer. And just like all the other games in this collection, you can enjoy it with a friend in local co-op.
In the second title, you play as a little monkey who isn’t afraid to show off his red backside every now and then. Congo’s Caper was originally released in Japan in 1992 under the name Tatakae Genshijin 2: Rūkī no Bōken as a spin-off of Joe & Mac, without sharing any characters with the duo. The story begins when two ordinary chimpanzees are transformed into the half-human Congo and Congette by magical rubies. Shortly after their transformation, Congette is kidnapped by a flying Little Devil, prompting Congo to give chase immediately. He must then fight his way through the jungle to rescue his girlfriend from the clutches of this demonic henchman.
Personally, I found this to be the weakest of the three games, mainly because of its less responsive controls. I also missed the deadpan caveman humor of Joe & Mac itself, with its titular duo being the real stars of this collection.
Finally, Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics, released in 1993, also starts with something resembling a story, serving purely as an excuse for more punching and platforming, of course. The rival cavemen gang led by the evil Gork sneaks into the tribe’s tent camp during the night and steals the chief’s golden crown. It is up to you to get it back! Graphically, the game builds on its predecessor with more detailed visuals and varied environments, and the combat system has received some adjustments as well.
Your basic weapon is still a stone club, which you can now upgrade into a spiked club or a stone axe or hammer. Long-range attacks are tied to food and temporary pick-ups in this installment. Eat a piece of meat, and you can spit bones for a while. Eat a hot pepper, and you spit fireballs. Drink water, and you spit water bubbles. And so on. One slightly confusing aspect is that you sometimes have to press the D-pad to pick up items, while at other times you simply have to walk over them. This game also features some downright bizarre deaths, such as a little bridge whose unstable steps can kill you instantly, even without you actually falling to your death.
As for the series’ retro music, I can’t shake the feeling that it would fit right in on a Super Mario game soundtrack. The collection also features a Boss Rush mode in which you face bosses from all three games back to back, alongside three manual save slots, a rewind option, an adjustable aspect ratio, and the option to enable or disable the CRT filter. It is handy that you can turn off the input overlay as well, keeping the screen completely free of modern UI elements.
Retro fans will appreciate that the Bonus section includes not only an image gallery and music player, but also a virtual unboxing of every regional SNES version of the three games, complete with the original manuals and game cartridges that you can rotate manually!
Final Thoughts
Anyone who played at least one of these games in arcades or on the SNES and thinks back to Joe & Mac will undoubtedly remember it as a game full of mindless brawling, but also quite a challenge, particularly when it came to quick reflexes and precision platforming. With its colorful visuals and tunes that fit perfectly with an adventurous jungle setting, the Joe & Mac Retro Collection does absolutely no disservice to the wacky fun the original games already delivered. It simply adds a few modern conveniences to make that experience more accessible to players young and old!
Additional Information
Release Date: October 29, 2026
Reviewed On: PC. Download code provided by the publisher and PR agency.
Developer: Red Art Studios
Publisher: Red Art Games
Relevant links: Available via Steam.
