Retro Game of the Day! DuckTales

Retro Game of the Day! DuckTales

Disney's DuckTales by Capcom, released in 1990.

Well how about this! When I was a kid, DuckTales was the beginning installment in their long-running (modern) Weekday Afternoon cartoon shows. It sounded like it would be very juvenile, but the show was a combination of excellent animation and storytelling (and they weren't trying to sell toys, if you can believe it!) When the NES adaptation was announced, I still expected it to be a cheap tie-in kid's game; what surfaced instead was as excellent character action-platformer, among the best to ever show up in the 8-bit period.

Essentially what we had here was a somewhat dumbed-down version of a Mega Man game; it should come as little surprise that there was some common staff involved in the production. No, Scrooge McDuck doesn't kill evil robots and steal their powers, but the gameplay/layouts/character controls all feel quite familiar to Capcom's well-known series. In this game you are not jumping and shooting, but rather pogo-jumping and, essentially, butt-stomping (as in a Mario game).

The worlds are all very well realized, Capcom's staff was absolutely in their stride when they developed the game. Wonderful detailed graphics were complemented by one of the happiest, bounciest soundtracks you ever did hear. People still rave about "The Moon."

This is one of the true classics from "back in the day," and sadly it will stay buried there due to obvious licensing issues. A true gem from Capcom's past, the game may be a bit short and easy but it's an enjoyable action game from beginning to end. Don't miss this.

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