Joe & Mac
Prehistoric run and gun game with multiple ports and sequels.
Joe & Mac, also known as Caveman Ninja or Caveman Ninja: Joe & Mac, is a 1991 run and gun platform game developed and published by Data East for arcades. The game stars the green-haired Joe and the blue-haired Mac, cavemen who battle through prehistoric levels to rescue kidnapped women. It was ported to multiple home systems, including the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, MS-DOS, Amiga, Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, Sega Genesis, and Zeebo, with variations in features and content across versions.
- publisher
- Data East (arcade, SNES, NES, Game Boy); Takara (Genesis, Japan only); Data East (Genesis, North America as 'Caveman Ninja'); Tectoy (Brazilian Mega Drive)
Lore & Background
The game was developed and published by Data East for arcades in 1991. Players control Joe or Mac, cavemen who use weapons such as boomerangs, bones, fire, flints, electricity, stone wheels, and clubs. The objective is to rescue a group of women kidnapped by a rival tribe. The game features a health system where health only decreases when taking damage, and a two-player mode where characters can damage each other in some versions. The arcade version and certain ports allow route selection after boss battles and multiple endings.
Reader's Guide
Joe & Mac is significant as a representative early-1990s arcade platformer that saw wide home conversion, with each port offering distinct features. The Super NES version introduced an overworld map and longer levels but removed some weapons and charging. The Genesis version was considered a close match to the arcade original. The NES and Game Boy versions lacked level selection and multiple endings. Reception varied: some critics praised graphics and multiplayer, while others criticized controls, collision detection, and repetitive gameplay. The game spawned sequels, including Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics and the arcade title Joe & Mac Returns. A remake, New Joe & Mac – Caveman Ninja, was released in November 2022 by Microids. A compilation, Joe & Mac Retro Collection, was announced in June 2025 for release in October 2026.
Did You Know?
- The Japanese version of the SNES game included a scene of cavemen dragging cavewomen by their hair, which was removed from the US release to avoid suggesting it was acceptable.
- The Genesis version was developed by Eden Entertainment Software and published by Data East in North America (under the title 'Caveman Ninja') in 1992 or 1993, not January 1994; the Japanese release was published by Taka
- A remake titled New Joe & Mac – Caveman Ninja was released by Microids in November 2022.
- Joe, not Mac, appears in the 1992 Game Boy puzzle game 'Franky, Joe & Dirk: On the Tiles' alongside characters from Dr. Franken and Dragon's Lair.
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