In case you did not know, DuckTales was a much loved NES platforming classic from way back in 1989/90 and now it’s received a modern day make-over. But how will it fair by today’s standards, will it stand the test of time and will it receive the same kind of high acclaim as it did way back in its glory days? Let’s find out.
If you’re a fan of the hugely successful TV series from back in the day and the original game for that matter, then you will know that Scrooge McDuck is a treasure hunter and he is joined by his loyal nephews, niece and his personal helicopter pilot Launchpad. Back with the NES classic, obviously the storytelling standards were not able to reach the heights of today. The story has been updated, though not a great deal, as the developers wanted to keep the updated version as true to the original as possible and that is something that has been greatly achieved by developers WayForward. The voice actors from the original and much loved TV series have been drafted in to make this gaming experience as authentic as possible, and I mean the entire original cast has been brought in for this update and that alone earns a great deal of nostalgia points.
DuckTales Remastered also has an all new in-game soundtrack that has been composed by Jake Kaufman and this is quite possibly the game’s greatest nostalgia earner, I think it goes without saying that anyone familiar with the original TV series will have that iconic theme music playing in their heads right now and it will likely remain so for the rest of the day, that theme music will return once again, lodged into your brain as if the TV series had been broadcasted only yesterday. It’s a nice touch that fans of the original game will appreciate and anyone that wants to sample some 8-bit glory.
DuckTales Remastered is a side-scrolling platformer, but it does have some very cool 2.5D visuals. It’s difficult to explain this without visual presentation, but basically all the in-game characters are 2D and hand drawn, mixed with 3D modelled levels which results in some very impressive visuals. It’s a perfect blend of how 2D and 3D should be pieced together and if the DuckTales cartoon was revitalised for the modern era, this is how it would look. DuckTales Remastered is one the best looking 2D platformers in recent times. The character animation is superbly done and the presentation as a whole is very easy on the eye. You can certainly tell that the developers have put every effort into making DuckTales Remastered as pretty as it is. Fans of the original will more than likely be filled with nostalgia, but nothing beats playing the game first hand and fans will fall in love with it almost instantly.
Gameplay wise there’s nothing complicated about this game and this is one of its many joys, fitting into the typical Super Mario mould, Scrooge McDuck will jump and hop around to his heart’s content, it’s truly old school platforming elements. You will defeat just about every enemy by bouncing on their heads, but this must be done by using Scrooge McDucks Pogo Stick. Attempt to jump on an enemy without the Pogo Stick and you will instantly lose health. The X button is your basic jump, whilst in a jump, hold down Square and Circle to utilise the Pogo Stick.
Though the Pogo Stick is not just used for dispensing enemies, you can also use it to reach seemingly unreachable areas, in which a perfectly timed jump onto an enemy or a floating block will elevate you into even loftier heights. The Pogo Stick can also be used to smash a blocks (which in most cases reveals a valuable gem stone or health food) and to open treasure chests. You can also smash objects and treasure chests by whacking them with Scrooge McDucks walking stick, you can also kill enemies via this method, but bouncing on top of them is always the easiest and most effective technique.
The formula of each level is a very basic principle, you must travel through a stage looking for certain treasures, objects or rescuing your nephews and nieces to progress. When you complete all the in-game objectives, it will then be time to battle it out with the end of level boss. Depending on which level you choose to play, your environments will later, not to mention your objectives and of course the end of level boss. The levels that you can choose from are the African Mines, The Amazon, The Himalayas, Transylvania and The Moon. There is also a tutorial level when you first fire up DuckTales that eases you into the games principles and the storyline.
Now there’s one big factor from games back in the day and that was they were as tough as hell, and I mean really unforgiving. In fact up until I actually played DuckTales Remastered, I’d forgotten how much so. This was something that WayForward wanted to keep, because as this is fan service more than anything else, it wouldn’t have sat well with the old school gamers wanting to sample the tough challenges of yesteryear. Even if you play DuckTales Remastered on the normal setting, it is still very tough, and once you run out of that health bar it’s game over. Should you find this setting to much of a challenge or not enough of a challenge, you can adjust the difficulty settings between ‘Easy’, ‘Normal’ and ‘Hard’.
Playing through the game on Normal and above should provided more than a challenge for the average gamer, but taking it down to the Easy setting, then you should fly through the game in no time. In each level you will have various gem stones to discover and at the end of each level you will be presented with an end of level screen, detailing just how much money Scrooge McDuck has made for this precious coin filled vault (which by the way, you can earn a Trophy/Achievement by jumping into it, just like in the TV series). The money that you earn can then be spent on unlocking a host of content, such as concept art, sketches, renders, music, art work from the TV series and more. Your scores will then be uploaded to the online Leaderboards to see how you fair against other gamers and friends alike.
As I’ve already mentioned, DuckTales Remastered is first and foremost for the fans. While not impossible, it’s unlikely to win new fans over, though Disney has a habit of appealing the children and adults in all walks of life. It’s a short and sweet adventure that is fun while it lasts, which isn’t all that long, unless you want to test yourself on the hardest difficulty setting. The animation is superbly done and it’s a joy to watch, while adding the original voice cast is a touch of genius and as much as I love the theme music, it should come with a public health warning as it will never leave your head.
But is it really worth the £11.99/1200MSP price tag? Well that’s down to personal preference of the gamer, and as always, I would recommend playing the trailer first, as revitalised games can have the habit of not being quite what you remember them to be. DuckTales Remastered is an enjoyable nostalgia trip and in an age where classics are being remade left, right and centre, developers alike should take note, because this is how a remake should be done, while staying true to the original.