Play Joe & Mac Online

I first played Joe & Mac on the Game Boy in 1992, a port by Elite Systems Ltd. of the arcade caveman brawler. It was a time when side scrolling action games were common on the handheld, and this one fit right in with its simple, colorful prehistoric setting. You didn't need a complicated story; it was just about two cavemen trying to rescue their kidnapped cavewomen from a rival tribe.

You control either Joe or Mac, running and jumping through jungles and caves. Your main goal is straightforward: fight through each level to reach the end and defeat the boss. Your primary weapon is a bone club that you can swing at enemies like dinosaurs and other cavemen. You can also pick up special weapons, like boomerangs or fire wheels, which you throw to hit foes from a distance. The game progresses screen by screen, and you often have to defeat all the enemies in an area to move forward. The pacing is fast, and the difficulty can be unforgiving, with precise jumps and quick reactions needed to survive. Playing it feels like a frantic scramble through a cartoonish stone age.