We've made it to another weekend. Hope everyone is relaxing and having a great one. Time once again for a retro review. This time we're taking a quick look at DuckTales for the original Nintendo Entertainment System.
Not ponytails or cottontails-- no, Duck Tales.
Duck Tales was the beginning of a parade of games produced and developed by Capcom featuring characters from the wonderful world of Disney. Duck Tales is your standard 2-D platformer where you play the role of Uncle Scrooge McDuck as he searches high and low and from the snow-capped mountains of the Himalayas to the hollowed and haunted halls of Transylvania for treasure. There are a total of six levels in the game, and after choosing one of the three difficulties at the title screen, you're thrust into Uncle Scrooge's control room where you'll choose to start your journey in either the Amazon (where you'll climb up large vines and thwart flies and apes), Transylvania (where you'll have to maneuver through a haunted castle filled with hidden passages and mirrors which transport you across the castle), some African mines (where your platforming skills will be put to the test), the Himalayas (where you'll tiptoe across the snowy slopes and enter an icicle-filled cavern, and finally the Moon (where you'll infiltrate a docked U.F.O.).
Out of the Amazon...
Each level includes various nooks and crannies to explore. The levels are seldom ever designed to have the player simply move left to right like Super Mario Bros. You'll need to survey the entire level, busting up bad guys, dodging attacks, leaping over bottomless pits, and navigating the labyrinth of the game's six levels to gain treasure. Treasure is hidden well in this game. Each treasure Uncle Scrooge picks up goes into a total at the top left corner of the screen. At the climax of each level is a boss fight where learning the patterns of your foes is your best bet of picking up a victory.
Uncle Scrooge isn't a feeble old duck either. He has a bag of tricks of his own. Scrooge can't just jump on the head of a bad guy like Mario can, Italians can get away with it-- ducks can't. By standing next to a block, Scrooge can use his cane to knock it into an enemy. Additionally, by leaping into air and holding down and B, Uncle Scrooge can use his cane as a pogo stick. This is great for bouncing off foes' heads, making high jumps, and crossing over spiked sections of levels.
...And into the African Mines!
Duck Tales is a television series that was fun, family-friendly, and easy to get into. The game is essentially the same. Seasoned gamers won't have too much difficulty beating the game in one sitting. Others might struggle as there is a certain toughness in this game even on the easiest setting. The beauty of classic games is playing through them multiple times, trying to beat your highest score. You can do this with Duck Tales as well. Simply see how much treasure you can pick up by the end of the game and you might unlock a secret ending. No promises though. *hint hint* If you see Duck Tales in a bargain bin, pick it up immediately. You won't be disappointed unless you have a duck phobia or something. Good luck with that if you do, however. The rest of us can and probably will enjoy this classic.
[SuperPhillip Says: 8.0/10]
2 comments:
Man, you so stole my review. I was going to do this for next week on my site. [=^) A bit of a look at both the NES and Game Boy versions of the game
Maybe I'll have to put it off for a couple weeks.
Used to play this one all the time when I was younger. Absolutely loved it. I can't even guess how many times I've beaten it.
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