DuckTales: Remastered

Now we are talking. I mentioned before how incredible the character visuals are and that is a serious understatement. Both famous 'DuckTales' characters, and the odd enemies that are thrown about the game are stunning. They are stunning in both freeze frame and in animation. Just seeing a single character animate against a background for the loading screens is enough to give pause. It would have been easy to charm with a 16-bit pixel art style in place of the original, but those hand-drawn characters stun in 1080p. And yet, the game falls into a classic trap, made all the worse for just how excellent all of the characters look. The environment is meant to be 3D and make for a 2.5D platformer, but most of the time, the level visuals fail to impress. What's worse than the simple poly areas are the scanned-in backgrounds that are often completely devoid of detail. WayForward and Capcom will sell you a song about staying true to the roots of the cartoon or something, but I suspect a combination of budget limitation of both time and money as well as someone's misguided expectation that the game somehow be 3D is to blame. Of course, the original game was mixed in my eyes, with level interiors like Transylvania and the UFO classic in that NES fashion, while level exteriors like the Amazon, bordered on truly ugly. Nevertheless, that does not excuse the state of the new game. If only they had treated the background with half of the care rendered to the characters.

One area where the simple, banded background does work is Scrooge McDuck's money bin, which is one addition that works perfectly without disturbing the rest of the game's gameplay.

The game's item pickups, such as the treasures and health items and diamonds are also 3D, and are another good example unnecessarily and unfortunately 3D art is used.

Much like other aspects of the game, I do not actually think of the original game's soundtrack as pure gold. Outside of the main theme, level select, Moon level, and one or two others, the original game's music tends to be, dare I say, overrated. And yet, it is still preferable to this remix version. The new music mimics the old, and is in that way sometimes good and usually tolerable, but is also often quite busy and full of unnecessary flourish. Though there is one part of game without either music or dialogue, and it is eerie, so I may be being harsh on the music. The sound effects, on the other hand, are pretty much excellent, with enemy deaths nailing that nicely updated vibe. I have mentioned my luke-warm feelings for many of the cut scenes and it may in part be because the game cuts all music to allow character dialogue alone to be heard. With several long dialogue exchanges, usually with near static characters, this lack of music seems like a mistake. Overall, the classic music, which can be unlocked but only to play in the extras screen, is an option the I imagine many are sorely missing.

It is hard not to think of the game as being harder than it should on normal difficulty, which I regretted playing on. Getting a level or two beat and getting the extra HP helps, but it is clear that WayForward/Capcom wanted players to feel like the game was much longer than the original. Due to achievement/trophy limitations for downloadable games, there are not that many of those motivations to replay. Many of the extras are also underwhelming. Those players especially motivated can try to get collect enough money to ascend the leaderboards, but I cannot help but think of the original game's quick and pleasing experience, especially when factoring how often I was skipping cut scenes.

Even with those considerations, I look forward to replaying the whole or part of the game at various points in the future. Just wanting to jump into the Moon level for a few minutes is likely to result in a few hours of play every once in awhile. Too bad the game makes you backtrack to Fenton mid-level...

Another addition is the game's unlockables, which could be considered Bonus Content, but also really factor into the Replay factor. They serve not only to allow you to spend the money that you pick up, but also help the developers share some of the game's various assets. Most of this is too dry to really interest even serious fans, but the character art unlocks actually feature the 8-bit versions (where applicable) alongside the remastered ones.

Ultimately, 'DuckTales: Remastered' attempts to draw in both fans of the original game and fans of the series, along with a secret desire that those unfamiliar with 'DuckTales' at all will be intrigued with its 2.5D style and frequent cut scenes. At the same time, the original game is kept away in an almost defensive manner.

For me, the execution and nostalgia are enough to overcome the game's deep flaws, but both its successes and failures should provide a cautionary blueprint for any future similar remasters.