Retro Redux: NES Sidequest – DuckTales Remastered

137-DuckTales Remastered Moon Screenshot

Those of you who’ve been following the NES Quest from the beginning know that I started it by playing DuckTales. At that time, I already had an original NES copy of the game plus DuckTales Remastered downloaded to my Wii U. Yeah, I’m crazy that way: I often download games, only to hold off on playing them until months later.

Well, what better time to play DuckTales Remastered than right after playing the original NES game?! It was a fantastic chance to compare the two, and here are some of my conclusions/impressions:

In DuckTales Remastered, the player must first traverse a level that was non-existent in the original game: Scooge McDuck’s mansion. It basically serves as one big tutorial, plus the oft-complained of interruptions to the game in the form of story cutscenes rear their ugly heads for the first time here, too. Admittedly not a strong start to the game, but at least we got the original voice actors from the cartoon.

When Scrooge and the boys learn of five valuable treasures connected to a mysterious painting, the adventure truly begins. I tackled the five levels in traditional Holly style: in order from top to bottom. That means the Amazon jungle was my first destination. This is where the game’s pretty, if somewhat generic, HD graphics became stunningly clear. Even so, the physics resembled those of the original surprisingly well. Meaning, the gameplay was solid as a rock. It’s not too easy a game, and finding hidden gems in the environment is just as satisfying as it was in the original.

To force me to explore the entirety of the level, I had to find several coins within the Amazon to progress. Every one of the five main levels ended up having a fetch quest like this, which was not a feature found in the original game, aside from the occasional need to find a key or remote control. Each level also has a Metroid-like map accessible through the Start menu to help less experienced players, though I didn’t discover this until I actually needed it in the Himalayas.  Also, each boss fight in DuckTales Remastered ended up being a lot more varied than in the original as well.

The tunes in the game were updated arrangements of the originals courtesy of Jake Kaufman, a favorite game composer of mine. They did not disappoint; this is how you update a soundtrack.

DuckTales Remastered will feel both old and new to fans of the NES original. The updated soundtrack, presentation, and gameplay make it worth a shot for said fans, even if the story-related interruptions are not a welcome addition in the slightest. Overall, though, it’s a worthy reboot.

In addition to being a girl gamer, Holly prides herself on being a red-head. Consequently, the blue shell in the Mario Kart series is her natural enemy. Don't worry, though: she still loves Mario Kart and is very good, despite the occasional blue shell-sabotaged race. Like any Nintendo fan, Holly also loves Zelda, Pokemon, Mario, Donkey Kong, Metroid, Kirby...you name it. But she'll try just about anything (besides horror games) and has a soft spot for unique, little-known rhythm games like Rhythm Heaven and Samba de Amigo. NNID: Aeroweth