Got a bunch of stuff going on, but I'm making sure to make some time to play the latest Switch Online emulator additions. Here's what I checked out this week. BACKGROUND:
For once, I'm actually familiar with Joe & Mac, as I played the second game almost two years ago at this point. Now, I finally get to play the first game. SUMARRY: Joe & Mac is a side-scrolling platform where you play as one of the two titular characters (or both, if you're playing with two players), who are cavemen living in an anachronistic Stone Age. Our protagonist must brave the prehistoric world and all its dangers to rescue... sexy cavewomen? This is definitely a game from 30 years ago. Compared to the second game, this is a much more straightforward affair. The world map is small and more linear, almost like Mario 3's overworld, but with significantly less levels. Aesthetic-wise, it's pretty standard stuff (forest level, water level, volcano level, ice level), and the layouts themselves are only mildly difficult, with only tricky enemy placement to mess you up. Movement is also pretty straightforward, as Joe/Mac can jump, high jump, swing their club to attack, and do a short roll that does damage. You won't be doing anything too demanding platforming-wise; in fact, the high jump in particular trivializes some of the levels (like the vertical ones). You can collect a small assortment of power-ups that give you different projectiles along with your melee attack, from boomerangs, bones, stone wheels, and fire. What's interesting is that once you pick one of these up, they're in your inventory forever (provided you don't die), and you can swap between them freely, allowing you to use a weapon that fits the current situation. This gave the game a slight Mega Man vibe, which I enjoyed. Apart from occasionally tricky placement, most basic enemies won't give you trouble (especially if you have your projectiles). The bosses are more or less simple, too, with easy to follow attack patterns, but the caveat is that some of them take a lot of hits. Despite being mostly a straightforward affair, the game does have occasional bonus levels, which has everything from extra power-ups to bonus fights. You can access these by finding hidden keys to open the few branching paths there are in the world map. They're largely inconsequential, but hey, they're there. VERDICT: Joe & Mac is a short, sweet, and simple platforming experience. While it didn't blow me away with level design, mechanics, or difficulty, it was still a decent time-killer that I had fun with. If you're looking for a chill platformer to kick back with, you can't really go wrong with this one, but if you want something more challenging, this might not be for you. - end -
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June 2024
Derryck
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