001 – DuckTales

Year: 1989 | Publisher: Capcom | Developer: Capcom
Action Platformer

I was raised in a very Disney household. Thanks Dad. From Disney cartoons, to classic films, to memorabilia… we had to all. The first vacation I can remember was to Disney World. Sadly, I wouldn’t return for 30 years. But there were trips to DisneyLand. That was ok. As an adult, I was able to repay my father for his gift of Disney with a trip to DisneyLand Paris. I’m sure my father has been happier, but I don’t know if he has ever seemed younger.

But for some reason, after I moved out on my own, I rejected Disney. I was too old. It was for children. It wasn’t all it was hyped up to be. And Various other things I’m sure I told myself. And maybe it wasn’t. But boy, did they ever come back in style.

I can remember watching this cartoon as often as possible. It was one of the best things on television. DuckTales first aired in 1987 and was on the air for 3ish seasons. So loved was this show that 30 years later, they rebooted it. As an adult and a lover of pop culture media, it has been amazing to see some of my favorite and well known actors taking up the mantle. When the game came out, it was only natural to want it. By this time, I was no doubt familiar with many other Capcom titles, though I don’t think I paid as much attention to Developers then as I do now. Priorities. Filters. You know the deal. This game actually has a surprising amount in common with one of their biggest hits, Mega Man. From the style of music, sprites, info/item bar, and even some of the enemy movements. But then there are also textures for the levels, game play… it’s not as easy as saying they just put a different skin on it, nor am I saying they were in any way lazy, but there are a lot of similarities. I guess back then, there was only so much you could do with 8-bit games in the late 80s. I’m not mad. I still loved every moment of it. So let’s get into the game.

Title Screen: A static DuckTales logo, an image of Scrooge McDuck, and the catchiest minute of music you will ever hear. If you have the time, check out THIS ARTICLE on Mark Mueller and how he wrote this magnificent song in only 45 minutes. I’m not sure I have ever been tired of it. And it is now something that either myself or my wife will just randomly play on our Amazon Echo. And there are some pretty great covers out there. Press Start.

The game is broken up in to five worlds where the object is to collect five treasures; one from each world. There are also two hidden treasures buried in the game. The object is collect as much treasure as possible in the form of the main objects as well as large and small diamonds scattered throughout each level. There is no linear order to the levels and you can start on whichever one you want, however some are more difficult than others and some contain items that will help you further down the line. This is the order I played them in.

Transylvania: This is not a difficult level, but a very confusing one. The map for this level is all over the board with regular passage ways and ropes, hidden passage ways, mirror teleports, and even a mine cart. On top of just having to find your way around there are chained up mummies, skeletons, and ghosts. Even the suits of armor can have their heads knocked off and fall on you. But they are all relatively easy to avoid (except the ghosts). So the reason to choose this level first is that behind a hidden wall, there’s an extra life point. It sucks when it only takes three hits to kill you but all the bosses take five hits. This is the first way to start to even the playing field. There are a lot of useless directions to go unless you’re in it for the money. Greed was never so much fun. But if you’re just pushing through, this is actually the shortest level.

The Himalayas: This is actually a harder one to go to simply because some of the enemies in the beginning of the level are hard to avoid and even harder to kill. But it’s only the opening so if you can get past that, you’re fine. I chose this for the second level because there is another life point hidden in the lower ice caves. Once you’re at five life points, the game becomes really easy. There’s some more non-linear level playing here, but not as confusing as Transylvania. The hardest part is the last segment before getting to the boss where you’re dodging landings on a moving platform. Once you get to the first one, you can just jump off the moving platform and everything else, including the end, is within a single jump away.

African Mines: Another relatively easy level. More non-linear play. This is the first place you can find a hidden treasure. Doing so, actually cuts off a significant portion of the level too. But the first thing that happens is you’re told that it’s locked and the key is in Transylvania. Once completed, you cannot go back to a level however after reading that you’re dropped right back at the beginning of Transylvania. No worries though. The first mirror you come across takes you to a secret room with the key. Back to the map and back to the Mines. It can be a little confusing wandering around, but no matter which way you go, getting to the end is still pretty quick. You could even run into Launchpad McQuack and if it’s too much to handle, he’ll take you back to Duckburg. If you’re lucky, you can even pick up a few coins on the way.

The Amazon: This could be the hardest level. And really, only for one reason. After making your way through the jungle either above or below ground, you scale the vines to an ancient temple. However, to get there you have to jump from small platform to small platform. That in and of itself is not difficult. What makes it difficult is the bees. No matter where you are or what you’re doing, if they hit you, you will fall. In the one section where you’re not able to jump the gap and instead need to swing from a rope provided by Launchpad, it is near impossible to avoid hitting a bee. The only way I found was to get to that part right before the bee shows up, turn around and walk back the way you came causing a bee to spawn going the other direction disabling any other bee from showing up, and then following behind that bee back to where Launchpad is flying like a mad man. It is still a timing issue, but it makes it a little easier. In the temple, you’re faced with a statue saying you have to pay to advance, but if you’re good you can launch off the head of an enemy or find a secret passage that takes you right to the end.

The Moon: Another terribly confusing level. Lots of ways to go with lots of dead ends. The baddies here are probably the most difficult to get past because of their movements, size, and all the hazards you can fall in or on to. There is no short way through this level. You have to explore almost every direction to find the key to open the door to get the remote to call Gizmoduck to blow up a wall. It’s like a little Resident Evil puzzle. This is also where the second hidden treasure is. But if you can explore all of the UFO and make your way underground, you’ll be treated to a wonderful piece of green cheese.

Once you get back to Duckburg with all five treasures, they suddenly start disappearing and you’re called back to Transylvania to face Dracula Duck. As this is the shortest level, getting to him is just as easy as before. Even the final battle with him is not that rough. After a face off with Dracula and his bats, a quick race up the tower (a la Metroid) against Flintheart Glomgold (in the recording I wrongly say Seamus McDuck) and Magica DeSpell and the game ends. You get the treasures back, a newspaper article, and a message of how important family is.

There are actually three different endings to this game but I’m only after one. You can finish the game with more than $10 million, less than $10 million, or no money. No money being the hardest one.

The nostalgia with this game is great and it checks so many childhood boxes. Disney. Cartoons. Nintendo. Mega Man. Not very difficult. And short. The most complicated part of the game is mastering the cane bounce and even after playing it as often as I have, it is still a difficult but necessary move that can fail you at the most inopportune times. I highly recommend this game to everyone and it’s not on any sort of rare list so you can probably find it really cheap.

Be sure to check out the posts and videos (and subscribe) to my various social media platforms to stay up to date on where I am in the catalog and don’t be afraid to send me a message suggesting a game to play or offering corrections on anything I’ve said or typed in a previous post.

Erik

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReplayThePastGames/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PastReplay
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/replaythepast
YouTube (no custom url yet): http://shorturl.at/kBEX3