Joe & Mac Retro Collection is a brand new title featuring three games from the prehistoric ‘90s series. The game is being developed by award-winning Red Art Games’ internal studio and will seek funding via a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. The campaign kicks off on the 10th June 2025, but caveman gamers can register their interest from today. There will be options to purchase both digital and physical packs as well as other goodies.
The series, known in the West for its Super Nintendo outings published by Data East, was changed from its Japanese counterpart due to censorship issues back in the day. The new Joe & Mac Retro Collection will feature both versions of the three games included. The collection will be available on Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam. A new trailer showcasing the game has been released alongside the news of the Kickstarter.
The three games included in Joe & Mac Retro Collection are Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja, Congo’s Caper, and Joe & Mac: Lost in the Tropics. There will be local co-op for the Joe & Mac games, as well as CRT filters to give that retro feel, save states for those wanting an easier life, and a rewind function for anyone struggling to progress. There will also be adjustable aspect ratios and an uncensored version of each game for region comparisons.
Completionists may argue that the collection is missing the arcade exclusive Joe & Mac Returns, released in 1994, which mixed up the gameplay from side-scrolling to single-screen action. Joe & Mac was also released on Amiga and GameBoy, and these aren’t included, although it’s with the SNES versions that fans will have most of their memories. There was also the reboot title, New Joe & Mac, released more recently, which dropped the classic pixel art for more modern cartoony graphics.
- Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja (ジョーとマック 戦え原始人) is a Run & Gun platformer that follows the titular Joe & Mac as they fight through 12 hellish levels using prehistoric (but not just) tools and weapons. While the game was censored when it came out in the West, the Retro Collection also includes the original Japanese version!
- Congo’s Caper (戦え原始人2 ルーキーの冒険) is a side-scrolling Action platformer centered around Congo, a half-human, half-monkey boy looking to rescue his girlfriend from a demon through 35 varied levels.
- Joe & Mac: Lost in the Tropics (ジョーアンドマック戦え原始人3主役はやっぱり) adds a light role-playing aspect to the series. While the goal is still to defeat cavemen and dinosaurs, players can court and wed their Stone Age girlfriend, and even have a child with her!
