Overview
Congo's Caper (known in Japan as Tatakae Genshijin 2: Rookie no Bouken, loosely translated to "Caveman Combat 2: The Adventure of Rookie") is a side-scrolling platformer developed and published by Data East for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in Japan on December 18, 1992 and worldwide in 1993.
A sequel to the 1991 game Caveman Ninja, Congo's Caper stars the titular Congo (Rookie in the Japanese version): a monkey who can transform into a half-human boy through magical rubies fallen from the sky. When his girlfriend Congette (Ai-Ai in the Japanese version) becomes abducted by a demon kid, Congo ventures out through various prehistoric locales to rescue her.
While it includes similar platforming to the original Caveman Ninja, Congo's Caper focuses less on weapon power-ups and more on the protagonist's agility, as Congo can perform superhuman high jumps, slide down slopes (eventually rolling along the ground, even up walls and through enemies), and dive into foes from the air. Rather than a standard health system, Congo collects Rubies to upgrade his form (allowing him to become the powered-up Super Congo under the right conditions) and can downgrade by getting hit (down to his fragile monkey form). The game also features a slot machine mechanic, where picking up Sapphires causes a slot machine to spin for potential extra lives, and a currency system (Diamonds, which are used to earn extra lives similar to coins in Super Mario Bros.).
The game later received a sequel, titled Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics, that focuses the game back to the formula of the original Caveman Ninja. It was later digitally re-released for the Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo Switch Online service outside of Japan on May 26, 2022.
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