DuckTales: Remastered
Score: 80% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Capcom Developer: WayForward Media: Download/1 Players: 1 Genre: Platformer (2.5D)/ Classic/Retro
Graphics & Sound: DuckTales: Remastered is a modernized blast from the past. The game is the same side-scrolling, pogo stick-bouncing adventure that it was back in the early 90’s, but with a complete graphics overhaul and a few added features that helps to add a bit of replayability to the classic Nintendo title. Obviously, the biggest change is the graphics. While DuckTales: Remastered is still a side-scroller, the world you travel through is in 3D, or to be more accurate, 2.5D. The backgrounds convey the game’s seven environments well, and the slight bit of parallax that occurs as you make your way across the level really helps to add some depth. The characters also got an update as the 8-bit sprites have been replaced by smooth 2D pieces of art that seem to be lifted straight from the classic cartoon series. Everyone from Scrooge McDuck to the nephews, Launchpad, Webby and the various villains are rendered nicely in this Remastered edition. Sound also got a rework for this version of the game. While the classic 8-bit tunes can still be turned on, the game has been rescored with several songs that like modernized versions of the show’s various musical pieces. Plus, DuckTales: Remastered now has voicework from the surviving cast (plus a few substitutes), to help explain just why Scrooge is going all around the world to collect various bits of treasure. Besides the obvious answer, of course.
Gameplay: I have to admit, a lot of the appeal of DuckTales: Remastered is nostalgia. The gameplay is super simple, the levels aren’t all that complex and the game feels a lot shorter than I remembered it to be. That being said, it is still a fun experience for anyone who remembers the show and its characters. The original game had you controlling the richest duck in the world, Scrooge McDuck, as he went to several locations to collect various renowned and hidden treasures. DuckTales: Remastered actually adds a couple of levels to that experience that helps to put an overall story to Scrooge’s adventure. Granted, the story seems to be just a flimsy excuse to have Scrooge go galavanting around, and off of, the world, but it is more than the original game had. DuckTales: Remastered also adds a reason to collect as much money as possible. Between the game’s lengthy levels, you can cash out your coins to buy various extras. These range from character and concept art to music and art from the TV show. These extras seemed to be just enough of a carrot on a stick to keep me going back into levels to get more money so that I could buy the next few unlockables, though I can’t say everyone will be quite as compelled.
Difficulty: DuckTales: Remastered has three difficulty settings. The easiest turns on a map that shows you the entire layout of the level, plus the location of the large chests that contain that level’s special items. This setting also contains an infinite number of continues, so you don’t really have to worry about some of the game’s trickier jumps. The Medium setting limits the player to only two continues, and while it does take the map away, the relative beacons showing the location of the large chests still show up, so you at least know their relative position, both to you and to each other. The only difference between the Medium and Hard settings is the chest indicators are gone and you are left with no clues about the level you are in. This mode most closely resembles the original gameplay experience. There is one other option the player can switch on to make the game even tougher and even closer to the non-Remastered version. DuckTales: Remastered lets you turn on "Hard Pogo" mode which means you have to press down while jumping. The default setting requires only holding down the appropriate button. I personally found the Hard Pogo mode to be more of a hassle than anything else, but if you are looking for more of a challenge, then there it is.
Game Mechanics: DuckTales: Remastered supports both the keypad and a wired Xbox 360 controller. While I tried both mechanisms, I found that the gamepad option felt much more natural and comfortable. Sure you can customize both the keyboard and controller button layouts, but the default setting for the keyboard just didn’t feel right. Then again, that could just be the fact that I remember playing the game with a controller in my hand. When compared to most modern platformers, DuckTales: Remastered seems to feel a bit dated. Not in the graphics or anything like that, it has definitely been modernized in that fashion, but in the gameplay mechanics. As a result, it’s hard to think of this title appealing to any gamer who doesn’t already have fond memories of either the show or the original game. Personally, I enjoyed the experience from start to finish, but I very much fit into its target audience. If you don’t, then you might want to steer clear a bit before deciding to make the purchase.
-J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications AKA Chris Meyer
Minimum System Requirements: Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista or Windows 7, Intel Pentium 4 2.4 ghz with Hyper Threading processor, 1 GB RAM, NVIDIA Geforce 9600GT, AMD Radeon HD 3870 or higher (it must be able to manage Pixel Shader 3.0) with at least 512MB of display memory graphics card. 1 GB available hard drive space   Test System: Windows 7 Ultimate, Intel i7 X980 3.33GHz, 12 GB RAM, Radeon HD 5870 Graphics Card, DirectX 9.0c
Related Links: DuckTales: Remastered | Steam Game Vortex’s DuckTales Coverage
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