DuckTales Remastered: Dive into the Vault
Written By Stephnez
Introduction
As a child of the 80s/90s and a huge fan of the original 1989 version of the game, I was thrilled to hear that a remastered version of DuckTales would be released for download on the Wii U, Playstation 3 (as well as a retail version for Playstation 3), Steam and Xbox 360 (available 9/11/13).
I myself, being a NES diehard fan and preferring Nintendo products to all other gaming systems out there, downloaded the game to my Wii U console the second the game was released. In fact, I had an alarm programmed to go off at 5 minutes before release, so I could be the first person to download the game… actually, just kidding I didn’t really do that, but it shows how truly excited I was for the release. Though, I will admit I was a tad worried with all the remakes out there that my childhood memories would be tainted by the absolute destruction of the game, but as the title screen played the beloved theme song that has rung over and over again in my head for 20+ years, my fears about the game began to subside. So without further ado, I have put together some thoughts about the game discussing a variety of categories, starting with what was the most striking difference to me at least, the graphics.
Graphics
While the original game was one of the best NES platform games of all time (the best in my opinion, next to Mega Man, which coincidentally was from the same creator: Capcom). The 8-bit graphics were classic and, honestly, while I was playing the game in the early 90s, I thought they were kick-ass! However, when I turned on DuckTales Remastered after the download was complete, I was astounded at what I saw. I was a huge fan of the DuckTales TV show and it was as if I was playing inside of a cartoon, jam packed with dry, sarcastic jokes and crisp and gorgeous imagery. The game features several different graphic techniques, including 2D hand-drawn character sprites and 3D modeled levels. The characters and levels are colorful and extremely detailed; giving you the impression that Disney (artists Mike Peraza and Rick Evans) really made the effort to bring the game to life in ways they never could with 8-bit graphics.
Voice Acting
A new feature to the game that really made you feel as if you were completely immersed in a cartoon, were the voice-overs. Original TV series cast members lent their voices for the characters, including a 93-year old Alan Young, as Scrooge McDuck. This element was a great addition to the remastered version, which also brought about a very detailed storyline to help clarify the levels, such as explaining how Scrooge McDuck can breathe Mars. I don’t know about you, but I always thought it was strange that he didn’t need an oxygen tank!
Storyline
In comparing the original to the remastered versions, an obvious difference between the two games is the storyline. There really was no clear cut story in the original. You needed to use your imagination a bit more. While we knew the point of the game and understood the characters, we really didn’t know why we were going to the Himalayas or heading into space. The new storylines explain some of the motives and reasoning behind each level.
Some other reviewers have complained about the storyline and mostly about the cut-scenes, as being too frequent during gameplay. Though I agree to a certain extent, because there are a TON of cut-scenes and they occur within the gameplay, I believe that the cut-scenes really added to the story and, for the first-time player and nostalgic 80s child gamer gave a greater connection to the characters. By the time you reach to the final boss, you really feel like you’ve been on an adventure; one that again is reminiscent of watching an actual DuckTales episode.
Since the gameplay, which we will discuss shortly, is difficult (even on normal), you will find yourself repeating levels from the beginning quite often, so the cut-scenes do get old, quickly. For the first time through the game, though, I enjoyed every minute of every cut-scene as if I was right there with the characters. You are able to avoid the cut-scenes by hitting the (+) button on your controller and selecting (A) and while it is somewhat disruptive to the game, it does impact playability. It is more of an annoyance and it would have been great if there was an option on the main menu to skip all cut-scenes. Maybe this is something that can be upgraded through a patch, but don’t hold out for it. It is certainly not a game purchasing deal-breaker.
Music
It is hard to not get giddy when talking about the soundtrack. Quite frankly it is one of the best soundtracks ever written for a game, but then again it always was, even with the original. The composer, Jake Kaufman, essentially took the original tracks and morphed them into full orchestral masterpieces. The game allows players to toggle between the new amped up soundtrack and the original 8-bit soundtrack, after clearing the game once. It also includes an option to hear 8-bit renditions of the newly rendered compositions.
Controls
The game controls are essentially the same as the original. The minute I started the game it was like riding a bike. The only difference was it was actually easier to maneuver the cane as a pogo stick. At first, I kept pushing down and (Y) and was annoyed at the fact that the pogo stick was not deploying well. I quickly learned that you simply needed to push (Y) or (A) to make the pogo stick work! Though, there is the option on the pause menu to toggle to the “hard pogo” which means it is down + (Y) or (A), just like the original game controls. The pogo still has its flaws as it still sometimes glitches and doesn’t deploy when you push the button, but this adds to the difficulty of the game. The cane can also be used on the ground to swing and break open certain objects. This feature is especially fun on the Transylvania board when you break the ball and chain holding the mummy ducks down. The mummy duck spins around so his bandages fall off and he is completely naked, TE HEHE!
Gameplay/Difficulty
Just like the original game, there are no checkpoints, so as soon as you run out of your lives it’s back to the main menu! If you grew up with 8-bit games, like Mega Man and DuckTales, you know how frustrating it can be to have to start from scratch every time you run out of lives. It’s a challenge, but I believe that is what makes a game fun and exciting. It also increases the games value, in my opinion, because if I’m going to spend a lot of money I don’t want it to take me a few hours to beat, I want to be frustrated, I want to throw my controller at the screen and yell profanities every 10 seconds because I keep having to start over!
A major upgrade to the game, however, was the difficulty level of the bosses. While the original levels were difficult to navigate and get through at first, once you arrived at the boss it was relatively simple to defeat them as their moves were very one-dimensional. Now, the bosses all have more than one attack element and come at you much harder with more obstacles to avoid. For example, in the African Mines, the King mole not only rolls in a ball in circles around you, but other moles bounce around in a stampede and enormous boulders crash down on you!
Another addition to the game is collecting items that are strewn around the maps before you can proceed to the boss. I like this element as it lengthens the overall time it takes to beat each level. It also provides more opportunity to search all nooks and crannies in the levels to find hidden treasures. The only part I did not think was necessary was the MAP on the pause menu. I want to explore and I don’t feel that the levels layouts are that complicated. It’s not like we’re playing Mario and have to beat Boo Castle where each door leads to another secret place that then leads you to another secret place and you can’t get back to the place you just were without circling the entire board again! So, to me the map seemed rather unnecessary.
Lastly, I just want to say how flippin’ fantastic it is to be able to go into your money vault and dive into the loot and swim around, just like the cartoon! This was always a fantasy of mine every time I watched the show on TV. In the original game this feature was not available, so it is certainly a welcomed addition and added to the replay ability of the game.
Replay ability
Replay ability-wise, once you’ve beaten the game you can go back and challenge yourself through the Hard and Extreme modes. Also, there are extra features where you can unlock character art, sketches, music etc. using the money you earned during the game. While there are only a few levels and bosses to beat, the levels are challenging and it will take some time to get through the game. As an excellent platform game player, it took me a week, sitting down for 2 hours a day of playtime, to beat it. Any novice/intermediate player should get quite a bit of time out of the game. Even if you beat the game in 4 hours you can still go back and replay again and again. It is that much fun! I honestly still sometimes play the original game on my emulator, just for a challenge.
Conclusion
Overall, this game fulfilled all of my hopes and dreams. As a huge fan of the original I was worried at first that the remastered version would destroy the memories of my youth; however, it was the complete opposite. The game revived my love for DuckTales and by adding new elements and features, and updating graphics and music composition, the game surpassed all of my expectations.
My only gripes are that it would have been cool if you could use different characters or weapons. The extras you can purchase through money made during the game had a lot of potential, but they only offered collectables that do not add any value to the gameplay. I also felt as though this game should have been limited to the Wii U system. This was a Nintendo game and given the lack of success the Wii U has had up to this point, it would have been a great ploy to get more people to buy the system. I assume that Capcom, Disney and Wayforward Games wanted more widespread availability to sell more games and Nintendo had no say in distribution, but it is just my thought that it should have been exclusive to Nintendo console (or DS as well).
The original DuckTales was a commercial success, with the NES and Game Boy versions selling approximately 1.67 million and 1.43 million copies worldwide respectively, each becoming Capcom’s highest-selling titles for their respective platforms. It is safe to say that DuckTales Remastered will be a huge success with old-school fans and new-age gamers alike. I would rate the game 9/10 and not a 10/10 due to some control glitches as well as the inability to play the game without the cut-scenes. It is difficult to find the perfect 10/10 game, but this one is right up there at the top of the list to buy for 2013!
