DuckTales (video game)
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| DuckTales | |
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| Developer(s) | Capcom |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Designer(s) | Keiji Inafune (director) Yoshihiro Sakaguchi (composer) |
| Release date(s) | NES version NA September, 1989 JPN January 26, 1990 EU December 14, 1990 Game Boy version NA 1990 JPN September 21, 1990 EU 1990 |
| Genre(s) | Platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Platform(s) | NES, Game Boy |
| Media | 1-megabit cartridge |
DuckTales is a video game based on the Disney animated TV series of the same name. It was first released in the United States for the Nintendo Entertainment System by Capcom in 1989. In this game, Scrooge McDuck has to travel around the world and collect treasures in order to become the world's richest duck. The game was later ported to Game Boy. A completely different game was also released as DuckTales for a variety of personal computers in the early 1990s; that game is properly known as DuckTales: The Quest for Gold.
DuckTales is often a subject of NES-related nostalgia, and was generally popular and addictive. The game provides a good example of the work produced by Capcom in the late 1980s and early 1990s, along with such titles as those in the Mega Man franchise. Duck Tales has much in common with the Mega Man games: catchy music, bright and colorful graphics, tight play control with interesting gameplay dynamics (such as using Scrooge's cane as a weapon, tool, and pogo stick), and non-linear gameplay.
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[edit] Sequels and alternate versions
A sequel, DuckTales 2, followed in 1993. However, it didn't match the success of its predecessor or the popularity, as by that time, consumers were changing focus to the Super NES. Many dedicated NES players of the 1980s and early 1990s were not even aware there was a sequel to DuckTales.
DuckTales was also known as La Bande à Picsou in the French NES version, after the popular TV program of the same name (the French version of the DuckTales cartoon). The Japanese Famicom release of the game was titled Wanpaku Duck Yume Bouken (literally "Naughty Ducks' Dream Adventure").
DuckTales was later ported to the original Game Boy. That version features the same gameplay, music and levels, though due to the difference in technology, the sound and graphics are different. The layouts of the levels were also changed slightly, due to the lower screen resolution.
[edit] Music
As DuckTales became an item of nostalgia for many gamers, there arose a new point of interest: the game's soundtrack by composer Yoshihiro Sakaguchi. The soundtrack to the original NES game is still popular; one level's music in particular ("The Moon") seems to be one of the more notable video game compositions of the era. That particular song has been remade and covered by a wide range of underground and mainstream bands in all styles of music, ranging from rock and metal to dance. Remixes and renditions of "The Moon" were still being made as of 2006, alongside the game's other music, albeit to a lesser extent.
The music from "The Moon" was also included on a 2-CD compilation of some of the most popular NES music[citation needed].
[edit] Helpful characters
- Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Webby - They give Scrooge messages.
- Mrs. Bentina Beakly - She gives Scrooge some ice cream cones to restore his health.
- Launchpad McQuack - He flies Scrooge from the Duckburg HQ to the various lands in the game. Launchpad can also be found in four of the five lands, so Scrooge can fly back to Duckburg to bank some of the money earned.
- Gyro Gearloose - Sometimes, Gyro shows up after Launchpad is found and Scrooge can play through a bonus area in the clouds.
- Bubba the Caveduck - He gives Scrooge an extra hit point in the Himalayas.
- Gizmo Duck - He blasts through a wall for Scrooge if Scrooge has the remote control.
[edit] Enemy characters
- Beagle Boys - They blend in with other small time Enemy Characters to stop Scrooge from finding the treasures. If they hit Scrooge on the Moon level they will steal his money.
- Magica De Spell - She's the boss of Transylvania.
- Flintheart Glomgold - He appears at the end to try to beat Scrooge to the treasure.
- Terra-Firmian King - boss in the African mines.
- Kronks - Enemies that appear on the moon level.
[edit] Levels
The levels can be played in any order. Upon finishing all five, the player is directed back to Transylvania for the final boss fight.
- The Amazon – Scrooge makes his way through light forest and then climbs ropes to enter a temple, where the boss is found.
- Transylvania – A mazelike level set in a haunted mansion.
- African Mines – A sprawling system of underground catacombs.
- The Himalayas – Snowy surface trails give way to an underground ice cave. After Scrooge makes his way up and out of the cave, a series of floating ice platforms leads to the boss.
- The Moon – A huge alien spaceship hovers above the moon. Scrooge makes his way to its entrance, solves some basic puzzles inside, then descends to the surface once again and finds the boss underground.
