78. Joe & Mac (SNES)Shortly after its initial arcade run, Joe & Mac saw a slew of console, computer, and handheld ports. The SNES variant seems to be the most common. And, oddly enough, it's the only one to be released in Data East's native land of Japan. Once again, we have an action-platformer, starring two cavemen (and thus one or two players), attempting to rescue their lady friends from a cabal of weird fiends including, but not limited to, evil cavemen from an opposing tribe, dinosaurs, prehistoric mammals, and Satan himself. The subtitle Caveman Ninja was dropped for this particular release, which is fitting because the game contains a grand total of zero ninjas.
The striking visuals translated perfectly to Nintendo's hardware. The game's inundated with plenty of color and dynamic backgrounds. The sprite work is fantastic, with most characters sporting an array of humorous facial expressions. Music is okay, and just okay. "Caveman tunes" are perhaps the hardest to compose. Controls are generally sufficient, though the Valis-style "super-jumps" (initiated by holding up along with the jump button) are never appreciated. Though the SNES port retains the core mechanics and aesthetics of the original arcade release, it's been heavily reworked and consolized. First and foremost, there's a world map, straight out of Super Mario World. This adds but a veneer of depth, as Joe & Mac is still predicated on linear gameplay. Occasional forks on the world map lead to bonus rounds, which can only be accessed by keys found hidden in the standard stages. Each bonus round is loaded with an excessive number of health-restoration items, and typically nothing else.
There are some quality of life improvements as well. First and foremost, health no longer ticks down on a timer (hallelujah); this nonsense has been swapped out for a standard health bar. Sorry Wonder Boy, but these cavemen don't suddenly drop dead of starvation. The default weapon is no longer a crappy arcing projectile, but no projectile at all! Sounds like a downgrade, but the first weapon upgrade is obtained early, and weapons are retained upon death. Speaking of death, the SNES port sees the caveman "respawn" as opposed to kicking the player(s) back to a checkpoint, which feels a bit surreal and "backwards" compared to most arcade-to-console conversions. But most importantly is the change in difficulty. SNES Joe & Mac feels fair and balanced. Bosses are no longer bullet-sponges, and the screen is no longer cluttered with stock enemies. The game simply flows much better overall, with the challenge feeling more legitimate.
I rated the arcade Joe & Mac as "fair" though I'm willing to call this one "good." Just barely. The game certainly doesn't do anything special, but there's also nothing grossly offensive about it. Those small modifications manage to drag this one out of mediocrity into that "worth a playthrough" category. You could do better, but you could also certainly do a lot worse.