Flying Tiger Entertainment has been bringing so many great Data East arcade classics to the Switch in recent weeks, and their latest offering continues the trend of high quality re-releases. Joe and Mac Caveman Ninja is one of the Data East titles that has aged extremely well and is still fun today. Two cavemen must journey out to recover their women who have been kidnapped by a rival tribe. It seems simple enough, but this is a Data East arcade game being made at the high point of the company, so the end result is one of the more unique, high quality games.
Joe and Mac Caveman Ninja has aged especially well for one simple reason. The gameplay is refreshingly simple, yet deep at the same time, and makes you want to keep playing. The animation is high quality and the music is perfect for the game. The different power-ups available all give the game a lot of variety when needed and these are not just basic run n gun power-ups either. Power-ups can include multiple clones of yourself, as well as boomerangs to help attack enemies. The best way I can describe this is as a cartoonish version of Contra, and it is clear that the game influenced the later game “Spinmaster” in terms of design, visuals and gameplay.
The game also has something else that adds to its compelling nature. There is a branching path system in the game that actually does offer a lot of replay value and gives the player incentive to try again and experience the different levels. Considering how different the branching levels actually are here, I amazed at the amount of content packed into this title. This is a game that revels in its kooky nature and outlandish enemies and bosses, and I love that.
As always, Flying Tiger Entertainment has done an amazing job bringing this arcade classic to modern systems. The port is of an extremely high quality and I enjoyed choosing which screen filters worked best to recapture the classic feel of the game. This feels like the gaming equivalent of a fine steak and wine dinner, and FTE should be proud of themselves for the job they have done here.
Disclaimer: A review code was provided