DuckTales: Remastered Review


Ain't that the truth

  • Developer: WayForward
  • Publisher: Capcom
  • Release Date: 13 August 2013
  • Time played: 4 hours

I was a kid when the original DuckTales cartoon was on T.V. and it was one of my favourite shows growing up (along with other classics like Talespin, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Transformers) especially considering it has one of the catchiest theme songs on the face of the planet. This video below sums it up best:



So when I heard about this game called DuckTales: Remastered I just had to investigate a little bit more to see what game it was actually remastering. I must confess that before learning about DuckTakes: Remastered I'd never heard of the original NES game but it was apparently pretty popular. Since I was already a fan of the T.V. show and the original was a huge success, this seemed like a perfect opportunity to be acquainted with the original game but in a 21st century veneer. Yes, I know it's probably not as difficult as the original (remakes never usually are) but that doesn't bother me too much since I'm no masochist (well, most of the time).

Plot (4/5)
The game's plot is similar to a DuckTales cartoon episode. Scrooge McDuck, his nephews, Launchpad and various other characters from the series (which make cameos), go on adventures around the world grabbing ridiculous amounts of loot and treasure in order to make Scrooge the richest duck on the planet. The plot is obviously targeted for kids so they're not going to win any awards for scriptwriting but they stay pretty true to something you'd expect from the original T.V. series and I even laughed at a couple of quips made, since they're the kind of things you'd expect their characters to say.

Gameplay (3/5)
The game is a basic platformer. You can jump around the map as you'd expect but you can also use Scrooge's cane as a pogo stick in order to jump higher and to dispatch enemies. The aim of each level is to collect as many gems as you can while avoiding obstacles and defeating enemies. Eventually you'll come across the final boss and defeating it will reward you with a treasure. Yes, it's pretty simple game mechanics but it works a treat. Some parts of the game may be a bit difficult requiring several playthroughs but it's usually quite logical what you have to do and it's never too difficult to induce monitor-throwing rage.

Ah the accident-prone Launchpad

Sound (5/5)
Apparently they managed to get some of the original voice actors to return for DuckTales: Remastered and you can tell. It's almost as if you're back in the 80s watching the T.V. series again. Almost.

Music (5/5)
Music in the game is composed by Jake Kaufman who is the administrator for Video Game Remix site "VGMix" and has also composed music for several indie games. Kaufman has done a fantastic job in subtly remixing the old tracks just enough to make them new and fresh, but not too much, so that they still retains some of their oldschool charm.

Graphics (4/5)
The game still has a similar look and feel to the original game except it's obviously now at a higher resolution with more colours, so it's looking cleaner and crisper. While nothing fancy has been done I like the art style and just like the music, it's more of a subtle or incremental change rather than a complete overhaul.

Replay (2/5)
DuckTales: Remastered took me just over 4 hours to complete, so it's not a very long game - and that's after it took me a few tries to get past the difficult bits. There isn't much incentive to replay the game except for completing a few more Steam achievements or earning enough loot to unlock more of the in-game art and music.

Polish (4/5)
The game is rather well polished except for the fact that quitting midway through a level means you have to start the whole level again! I know this is probably how it was done in the old days but it becomes frustrating at parts where you need to do something else and you don't want to pause the game. That's 45 minutes - to an hour's work down the drain!


Score – 8/10

While I never played the original DuckTales I have watched the T.V. series and I'd recommend this game to any fan of the T.V. show. Sure the game is short and it's still aimed at kids but there's no denying how much love the developers have put into this little gem.

If you want to get the game, you can get it on Steam.

If you like this game, you might like...

[ LINK: Official DuckTales Remastered website]

Comments