Congo's Caper

Nintendo exclusive

Congo the monkey and his girl, Congette, were in the jungle minding their own business when a magic ruby dropped out of the sky and turned them both into half-humans. To make matters worse, the ruby also spawned a demon-kid who grabbed Congette and took off. Now you've got to hunt down the kid and find your girl, while adapting to your new form. You'll make your way through ghost towns, pirate ships, ninja castles, and the belly of a Tyrannosaurus on your search.

Released: 18 December 1992
Platforms: SNES
Genres: Action Platformer
Developers: Data East
Publishers: Data East
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Side view
Themes: Action
Country: Japan
Languages: English, Japanese

About

Congo's Caper is a 1992 platform video game developed and published by Data East for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. A North American version was released in May 1993. It was later released on the Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo Classics service on May 26, 2022.

The game was included along with its predecessor and successor games in a compilation called Joe & Mac Retro Collection, released for modern consoles on October 29, 2026.

›Story

The protagonist Congo searches for the kidnapped Congette. He is a "superkid," a monkey turned into a half-human. Getting hit will turn the player back into a monkey. Collecting three rubies will turn the player into Super Congo who has special powers.

Keywords

prehistoric
level selection
high score
boss fight
moving platforms
retroachievements

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The plot of Congo's Caper involves a half-human, half-monkey boy named Congo, who sets out on a quest to rescue his girlfriend after she is abducted by a demon. The player controls Congo. Congo's Caper is played across 35 levels that take place in multiple worlds, including a jungle, a mountain range, a pirate ship, a volcano, and a ghost town. The bosses include the demon, a T-Rex, a ninja, a pirate, a mad scientist, and a vampire.

If Congo is hit by an enemy, he reverts to his monkey form. If Congo is hit again, the player loses a life.

Reception

Nintendo Power praised the game's graphics, controls, password feature, and variety of levels, but wrote: "The game doesn't really do anything that Super Mario World and countless other games have done just as well". AllGame rated Congo's Caper three and a half stars out of five. Power Unlimited gave the game a score of 80% writing: "Congo's Caper is a fun, varied platform game. Yet it is not a game that will be remembered by anyone as a seasoning. The controls are too stiff for that, and the levels are too easy for that".