Nerdicus SNES Review #66: Congo's Caper

Title : Congo's Caper

Publisher : Data East

Developer : Data East

Genre : Action

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1993

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $15 - $20

It seems like I'm reviewing some sort of Caveman game every week, don't you think? There must have been a huge market for them because I'm thinking about CHUCK, BONK, JOE & MAC, and of course here we are with CONGO'S CAPER. Of course, you really need to put CONGO'S CAPER and JOE & MAC in the same boat, because this is basically a sequel to those games. 

You wouldn't really know that though, because it's only a sequel in terms of the Japanese version, but you can tell...just look at the character design and the visuals. It's like the same damn game ha. Although, this guy looks like a mini saiyan don't you think? D'awwww, cute little monkey tail!

Hell, I'm a sucker for dinosaurs though. Speaking of which, anyone see the game trailer for LEGO JURASSIC PARK!? Sign me up! But for now, let's play some CONGO'S CAPER!

It's time for another rescue mission. This time we're trying to save Congette from the evil clutches....of some...winged, devil, monkey. I don't know what the hell it is, but it's creepy. You play as, you guessed it, CONGO who is a super kid. See? Told you he was a saiyan! His hair even turns blonde when he gains his super powers! I KID YOU NOT! He actually has a couple of forms. Basic monkey form, then his kid form, then SUPER MONKEY KID form! Oh, how entertaining this game is. And don't forget that big arse club you have to wallop enemies with.

CONGO'S CAPER plays exactly like the Joe & Mac games. Run from left to right, defeating enemies, and encountering a boss at the end of each stage (with stages being divided into levels..actually..what's the proper terminology? Stages? levels? boards? Who knows!). Well, there are a whopping 24 of them. All the while, you'll be collecting jewels that not only racks up your score, but allows you to transform. Three jewels is the max transformation you can have, so try to keep it at that and avoid getting hit. HA, have fun with that.

Don't worry though, the game is basically easy mode. You'll find yourself literally having over 50 lives by the time you get to the end of the game.

This game, to me, is basically taking JOE & MAC and fixing everything that was wrong with it. They've added more depth with what Congo is capable of doing. It's not just running and jumping now, since Congo can swim, climb, push things, grab things, throw things, etc. Levels appear more diverse, and there is a wider range of "paths" to get to the ending, including a lot of hidden areas that are always a blast to uncover.

The newly designed levels, although reminiscent of the old JOE & MAC games, are a bit more challenging in the fact that the platorming elements are difficult. Then again, controls in JOE & MAC were a joke, so I'm not sure if you can blame it on that.

One of the biggest things this game corrected however is the horrendous hit detection that JOE & MAC dealt with. It's pretty much entirely fixed with this game, and thank GOD because there are so many more damn enemies to deal with.

If you like dinosaurs, and you enjoy playing as a monkey-caveman, then CONGO's CAPERS is a great game to pick up and add to your collection. Visually, it's still one of my favorite games to look at it, and it has one of the most killer soundtracks for a platforming game on the SNES.

But, as I said before, Dinosaurs always suck me in. Cute, little, TREX arms. You can't grab on to anything! Silly dino.

Final Score (out of 5)



Until Next Time, Keep On Gaming!