Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics

Developer: Data East     Publisher: Data East     Released: 1994     Genre: Action

I loved Joe & Mac in the arcade and all of its console incarnations. I even like the NES version for what it is, although it was a few years too late. The SNES version in particular tried to add an overworld like Super Mario World to give it the air of a grand adventure. The effort was adequate at best even if the port itself was pretty good. For the sequel Data East double down on that aspect and once again don’t succeed in the attempt. Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics is not bad but is a lesser game than its predecessor.

Depending on the region Joe & Mac 2 is the second or third game in the series. In Japan and Europe it is the third with Congo’s Caper being the second game in the franchise. I can kind of see it even if the connections are thin. In fact Congo’s Caper does nearly everything Joe & Mac 2 does better. It’s a bit ironic; all Data East had to do was expand on that game. Too bad.

Mechanically Joe & Mac 2 is a little different from its predecessor. You no longer collect a range of different weapons such as boomerangs and fire. The default club is always your primary weapon. There are power-ups that let you throw projectiles like force waves but they are not common. Instead you gain different breath weapons depending on the food you eat. Eat chicken and you will spit out the bones. Chili peppers let you breathe fire. If you are in water you can take a sip and spit it back out. Like the later Adventure Island games you can also ride animal helpers although they are not as friendly as they seem.

After the first level you have access to the entire world map. Your goal is to collect the seven rainbow stones which you can collect in any order. The world map is large but to be completely honest there isn’t much to it. There are only seven levels and their themes are very familiar. Despite that the level design is pretty good as each is pretty long and full of variety. You will just wish there were more of it. Joe & Mac 2 is insanely easy to the point you have to actively try to die. Food is everywhere and enemies are few. The bosses have simple patterns and pose little threat. The fact there is a password system almost feels insulting.

Almost as if they were aware the main game is so thin the developers have added a number of extracurricular activities outside of the action stages. The dinosaur bones you collect serve as currency for a variety of things in the village. The main one you will use it for is to refill health. You can remodel your house, play minigames or buy flowers to potentially woo a girl to get married and have kids. Now how you manage to have children despite never being home is…questionable. There is more than one village and you can teleport between them if you are truly lazy. I mean, it is not like you face random battles on the world map.

I can appreciate the gesture but it is all meaningless. These side activities have no bearing on the main campaign. There is no depth to any of it either which gives little reason to bother with any of it. Sure you can revisit previous levels to collect more wheels but outside of buying health there is no reason. And food is so plentiful you don’t have to go that far. If the village stuff affected your quest like Actraiser then its presence would make sense. The time spent on the village activities would have been better spent expanding the number of levels. What is here is decent, there just needed to be more of it.

It’s a damn shame the game suffers so much as the production values are there. Joe & Mac 2 would not have looked out of place in the arcade with its large sprites and multi-layered backgrounds. Every environment is lush with detail and while it does feel reminiscent of the first game it eclipses it in every category graphically. Imagine if it were double the length, this would have been great.

In Conclusion

Joe & Mac 2 is not outright bad but ultimately middling at best. The foundation is there for a sold title but it needed more meat on its bones. You are not missing anything by skipping this one.