In 1991, Data East tried to hop on the mascot platformer game with a quirky little title called Joe & Mac. The title lets you play as one of the two brothers in a prehistoric adventure that has you fighting dinosaurs and other monsters. It’s a fun game that has quite a bit of a cult following. So it makes sense that a remake would come eventually in this new era of 16-bit remakes for new consoles. Enter New Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja!

New Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja is a fresh remake of the 1991 classic game developed by Mr. Nutz studio and published by Microids. The team has claimed they hope to make this game more than just a remake of the arcade version. How do they plan to do so? Let’s break it down!

What exactly is Joe & Mac?

First, how does the original Joe & Mac work in gameplay and story? The story centers around two righteous cave dudes named Joe & Mac! Young readers, this was released in the 90s. So trying to market these two as radical was heavy on this one. All the slang I’m about to use is in the opening cutscene. So don’t bully the messenger. 

Anyhow, these two tubular cave dudes have all their cave babes stolen by Neanderthals. So it’s your job to fight them and the dinosaurs to get them all back! God, I feel old typing that all out.

The gameplay is a 2D platforming adventure where you must defeat enemies and a boss to progress to each level. It can be played in single-player or co-op with a friend. You get 5 hits and 3 lives to make it as far as you can in the game. As you move, you’ll find food to heal and 1-ups to add to your life counter. You will also find weapons that will change once picked up. These include the Boomerang, Axe, Thunder, Dinosaur Teeth, Stone Wheel, Bone, Fire, and Doppelganger. Pro tip, the doppelganger is the best by far. So if you manage to find it, avoid all other weapons for the rest of the game!

Pretty simple, right? Joe & Mac didn’t reinvent the wheel for action platform games at the time. But it did have a distinct and fun art style paired with a solid soundtrack and some well-designed bosses to make for a great time. Especially if you found a buddy to play co-op with. 

What do they plan to change in the remake?

Details are scarce on what will change in New Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja. The significant change is a whole new art style to match modern graphics. Which, frankly, looks fantastic! It has an excellent cell-shaded look while feeling respectful to the original 16-bit designs. It’s exactly the type of modern change I like to see done, where the color and personality are kept but uplifted to look modern. 

As for features and modes, the only thing we know is it will have an original adventure mode with brand-new levels. Whether that means it’s the old areas redone or new ones added in hasn’t been clarified. I’m hoping it’s a mixture of both. A lot of levels in the original are still really fun. And it would be great to see them in a modern style. But it would make the game feel like its own beast to make some new worlds to play around in as well.

When is it releasing and how can I buy it?

New Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja will release in November 2022. No exact date has been announced at the time of publishing this article. It will release on PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Steam. 

The game will have a physical release in Europe for Nintendo Switch and PS4/5. Dubbed The T-Rex Edition, it will include the game, sticker sheets, trading cards, and a 3D Keychain. No word on an American release for the physical copies yet. So if you want to import, you can off Amazon. I’ll be keeping an eye on this game. I’m curious to see if this remake lands in the better or weaker pile of 16-bit remakes we’ve gotten lately.