Capcom used the Nintendo Entertainment System to dominate platforming titles with an arsenal of brand names. It's as if Mega Man was in direct retaliation to Super Mario Bros; adding more fluent controls and an alarming sense of action. Well, that alarming sense of action really doesn't carry over to Duck Tales. Capcom shook hands with Disney's finest to garnish up some of the most iconic figures Disney had to offer into some video games.
Arguably, the best of those would be Duck Tales. Fans of the show would probably fall upon the game through the generous spirits of a family member (as fans were young and couldn't afford $40 Nintendo games), and just as Disney and Capcom presumably predicted, fans adored playing as their beloved television heroes. Scrooge McDuck, the eloquent protagonist, hops along on his cane bashing enemies and collecting coins, diamonds, and other relics. The main quest is to acquire the five most valuable treasures known in history which are spread across the Himalayas, the Amazon, in the depths of the mines--even on the Moon.
There are no power-ups or anything to over complicate the game play. Focusing that the target audience for this game would be 7-12 year olds, Capcom made it quite simple; don't get hit, grab the goods, and venture onward.
The graphics are happy 8-bit fun. Upbeat, colorful, and blended with energetic sound effects give it that great kid feel without the easy kid game play.
However, having grown a bit older and having gone through the game multiple times, I discovered hidden treasures in addition to the original 5. They are scattered throughout the levels and will add to the players overall score. This score is of no consequence and has no effect to the 'story,' which leads me to believe it is solely there for bragging rights (if you were ever in a position to brag about your score on Duck Tales.)
The difficulty isn't impossible, but acceptable for something along the lines of a game geared towards a younger audience. Your health gauge can be increased with some risk, but normally, get hit three times and Scrooge is down for the count. Once this happens three times, it's game over for Mr. McDuck. This is quite generic so there isn't much to say about this.
The music in the game is surprisingly phenomenal. Play through and listen to the song accompanying the Moon stage--definitely adrenaline-based. It's almost as if these songs were written for a Mega Man and just didn't make the cut.
Going ahead and playing Duck Tales will just show gamers that there are wonderful side-scrolling adventures other than the most popular figures to grace the system. It's a bit monotonous, but it's easily disguised by the amount of fun the gameplay is.
