Joe & Mac was a classic video game that was released in arcades, as well as the SNES, and Sega Genesis, and was eventually made available on the Nintendo Switch. It was a run and gun platformer that had players take on the role of one of two cavemen named Joe and Mac. Joe and Mac would battle various dinosaurs and evil cavemen with their clubs, fire, stone wheels, boomerangs, electricity, and bones. This was all done so the prehistoric duo could rescue a group of cavewomen who were kidnapped.

It was a bizarre, charming, and wildly fun game with great cooperative multiplayer. However, it only ever spawned one sequel, Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics. The sequel was also rather fun and even added some light RPG elements. The two cavemen have made some cameo appearances here and there, but otherwise, that’s been about it. It seemed like the IP would have taken off as more of a series, but it simply just didn’t. It’s unfortunate, because Joe & Mac absolutely deserved to become more of an ongoing series.

The gameplay is super fun, with unique levels and creative boss fights. The various “weapons” allowed players to find their own preferred ways of taking on different enemies. The visuals were also fantastic for the time. With the game being so good, you would think that the developers would want to capitalize on it and make more.

It’s interesting to think about how the gameplay mechanics could have evolved if the series continued. Obviously, there would be more weapons to use, spicing the combat up a bit. There are a lot more dinosaurs that we know about that would make for incredible enemies to battle against. New mechanics could have been implemented, like leveling up each weapon and interacting with the environment in different ways.

With the vibrant colors and detailed backgrounds, the visuals only getting better with each iteration would eventually lead to something beautiful. Look at how the likes of Kirby evolved between the original game and Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Joe & Mac could have reached the same level of evolution and given gamers an experience as tremendous as that.

Joe & Mac has the potential to be gaming mascots. They could have found their way into Super Smash Bros., been featured on merchandise, and become household names. Unfortunately, they never got the recognition they deserved and have become somewhat forgotten with time.

With the original video game being made playable on the Nintendo Switch, there is a shred of hope that the beloved duo of cavemen could make an actual return with a new game of some sort. However, it’s not very likely given the amount of time that has passed since they starred in video games. There definitely needs to be more justice for Joe & Mac.

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