DuckTales Remastered is a platform video game developed by WayForward Technologies and released in 2013 on multiple gaming platforms, including PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U, and later expanded to iOS, Android, and Windows Phone in April 2015. The game is a high-definition remake of the 1989 DuckTales video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
As a remaster of the iconic NES title, it features HD graphics, exclusive cutscenes, unlockable content, and most of the original voice cast from the TV show. Along with these new additions, the game maintains its classic platforming style with the stages having enhanced soundtracks, as well as a few minor modifications to improve the flow and design of the gameplay. Like the NES title, Remastered's plot revolves around Scrooge McDuck and his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie as they travel across the globe in search of give legendary treasures.
Capcom released the game on PlayStation Network, Nintendo eShop, and Steam, on August 13, 2013, with the Xbox Live Arcade version launching on September 11th. On August 20th, a retail PlayStation 3 version was released that included a code to download the title and a DuckTales collector pin. The game was removed from digital stores on August 8, 2019, but was reinstated on March 3, 2020.
Features[]
- Relive the classic TV series from the 1980’s – Follow the adventures of Scrooge McDuck and his three nephews; Huey, Dewey, and Louie, as they fend off enemies such as the Beagle Boys and Magica De Spell, on their quest to obtain the five most impressive treasures from across the world
- Redefined hand-drawn visuals – Developer WayForward have taken all the original visuals from the 8-bit game, and significantly enhanced and recreated them as hand-drawn sprites, across a backdrop of beautifully re-envisioned level backgrounds
- Authentic Disney experience – Some of your favorite Disney characters are brought to life by many of the original voice-over talent from the classic DuckTales TV series and stage backgrounds take their inspiration from the classic TV episodes.
- Learn to pogo – In an all new tutorial level, learn the basic playing skills, including Scrooge McDuck’s iconic pogo jump and cane swing
- Visit the museum – Track your achievements, progress, and status on the leader boards in Scrooge McDuck’s new Museum
- Cash in your coins at Scrooge McDuck’s Money Bin – A new playable area, Scrooge’s Money Bin allows players to track the amount of wealth accumulated and even take a swim through his latest spoils
- Digitally enhanced soundtrack – Built from the original
Plot[]
The Beagle Boys attempt yet another raid on Scrooge's money bin, with Baggy, Burger Beagle, and Bouncer Beagle capturing Huey, Dewey, and Louie. After Scrooge rescues them, he finds Big Time Beagle in his office with a painting in his hands. With the help of Duckworth, Big Time is defeated and retreats.
The painting reveals the locations of five treasures and Scrooge wastes no time setting out to find them.
Scrooge and Launchpad visit the Amazon to find the Sceptre of the Incan King. They uncover the hidden temple of Manco Capquack, but the sceptre is lost and the temple is destroyed by its guardian statue. The chief of the natives then approaches Scrooge and Launchpad and thanks them for returning their city to them and gives Scrooge the recovered Sceptre in return, which was just the king's back scratcher.
Scrooge, the nephews, and Webby travel to Transylvania and visit the castle of Drake Von Vladstone (also known as Dracula Duck), who was the heir to the Coin of the Lost Realm. The boys fall into a trap door and are spread throughout the spook-infested mansion, but Scrooge saves them from the Beagle Boys disguised as ghosts. They uncover a mirror where Magica De Spell reveals herself, who is also after the Coin. Scrooge and Magica then face off for it, but the sorceress is defeated and retreats empty-handed.
Scrooge, the nephews and Gyro Gearloose travel to the African Mines to find the Giant Diamond of the Inner Earth, but they find the workers being scared off by voices and earthquakes, claiming that the mine is haunted. Deep underground, Scrooge discovers that the Terra-Firmians and their "Great Games" are the cause and after interfering, he is attacked by their king. Defeated, the king makes an agreement with Scrooge to stop the games in exchange for allowing the mining operations to continue, as it will rid them of the diamonds, which they consider to be "garbage rocks". He gives Scrooge the Giant Diamond to start with.
Seeking the Lost Crown of Genghis Khan in the Himalayas, Launchpad crashes into a mountain far from their destination and loses a spare fuel regulator, which is further spread throughout the level by rabbits. While recovering them, Scrooge stumbles upon Bubba the Caveduck who is frozen in ice. After freeing Bubba and retrieving the scattered pieces of the fuel regulator, Scrooge discovers that Webby snuck along for the ride. After getting the plane airborne, they are all ambushed by Flintheart Glomgold and the Beagle Boys. After dealing with them, Scrooge goes to confront a Snow Monster, but Webby intervenes and reveals that the monster was angry because it stepped on a thorn. As Scrooge suspects, the "thorn" is the Lost Crown.
Scrooge, Gyro, and Fenton Crackshell travel to the Moon to find the Green Cheese of Longevity, able to breathe in space due to eating Oxy-Chew (a special oxygen-flavored taffy that Gryo had invented). Fenton gets abducted by aliens along with the Gizmoduck suit and after being saved by Scrooge, he becomes Gizmoduck and blows open a door that leads underground. Glomgold and the Beagle Boys take advantage of the opening and Gizmoduck goes after Glomgold. Scrooge deals with the Beagle Boys and discovers the Green Cheese before they do, but a rat from the alien ship eats it and mutates, becoming gigantic. Scrooge defeats the rat, changing it back to normal and acquiring the Green Cheese.
After collecting all of the treasures, Scrooge finds the nephews taken hostage by the Beagle Boys and Glomgold, who bargains their safety for the treasures. After Scrooge agrees, Magica suddenly appears, claiming that she was the one who sold Scrooge the painting of Drake Von Vladstone to have him seek out the treasures for her, which are part of a spell to revive him. She steals the treasures, turns the Beagle Boys into pigs and kidnaps the nephews, telling Scrooge to bring her his Number One Dime in 24 hours if he wants to save them.
Scrooge and Glomgold form an alliance to respectively save the nephews and retrieve the treasures. When they reach Magica's lair in Mount Vesuvius, Glomgold steals the dime and the two villains reveal that they were working together the whole time. Magica summons Dracula Duck and orders him to destroy Scrooge, but he is defeated and perishes.
With the nephews saved and the place falling apart, Scrooge goes after Magica and Glomgold, who lose the Number One Dime. Scrooge races against them to retrieve it, succeeds and narrowly escapes from being caught in the eruption while the two villains escape as well.
Having lost the five treasures, Scrooge tells his nephews that the adventure was still worth it and that they all got to share it together. Glomgold and the Beagle Boys are arrested and Scrooge decides to celebrate with the nephews at the ice cream shop, declaring that this time, they can each get a cone with ice cream in it.
Cast[]
The game reunites the then-surviving members of voice cast from the original series, all reprising their respective roles, while the characters whose original voice actors had passed away since the show's run were recast. This game would mark the final time that June Foray voiced Magica De Spell, the final time that Chuck McCann voiced Duckworth, Bouncer, and Burger, and the final time that Russi Taylor voiced Webby (she would voice Huey, Dewey and Louie a few more times in the Kingdom Hearts games and the 2013 Mickey Mouse short series).
| Voice actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Alan Young | Scrooge McDuck |
| Russi Taylor | Huey, Dewey, and Louie Webby Vanderquack |
| Terry McGovern | Launchpad McQuack |
| Frank Welker | Big Time Beagle Baggy Beagle Bubba the Cave Duck Terra-Firmie King Snow Monster Dracula Duck |
| Brian George | Flintheart Glomgold |
| June Foray | Magica De Spell |
| Wendee Lee | Bentina Beakley |
| Chuck McCann | Duckworth Bouncer Beagle Burger Beagle |
| Chris Edgerly | Gyro Gearloose |
| Eric Bauza | Fenton Crackshell/Gizmoduck Chief |
| Jason Marsden | African Mines Worker |
| Pat Musick | Computer Voice |
Gameplay []
DuckTales Remastered features a 2.5D presentation, with 2D hand-drawn character sprites and 3D modeled levels. The gameplay of Remastered remains identical to the original DuckTales game, with players taking the role of Scrooge McDuck as he travels across the world in search of five treasures to further increase his fortune. Scrooge can swing his cane to strike or break objects, and can bounce on it like apogo stick to attack enemies from above. This also allows him to reach higher areas, as well as bounce across hazardous areas that would hurt him on foot. Along the way, Scrooge can find various diamonds, found in treasure chests or appearing in certain areas, to increase his fortune and ice cream or cakes that can restore his health. Various characters from the series appear throughout the stages with differing roles, aiding or hindering the player's progress.
Some gameplay tweaks are introduced, such as a map screen on easier difficulties and an easier pogo jump, which can be toggled on and off. DuckTales Remastered also features a new tutorial level set in Scrooge's money bin, which includes a boss fight against Big Time Beagle, as well as a new final level in Mount Vesuvius where both the final boss fight and race to the top take place. Money gathered in levels can now be used to unlock various gallery items such as concept art and pieces of music, and fill up Scrooge's money bin.
The original game's five levels are featured, all of which have been expanded. Each one includes new objectives that must be met to complete the stage, and all of the bosses have new patterns. The game also features a full story plot, explaining the motives and reasoning behind each stage, including how Scrooge is able to breathe on the Moon. Characters briefly featured in the original game, such as Magica De Spell, the Beagle Boys and Flintheart Glomgold play a greater role in the game's plot. The original game's hidden treasures are now found only on higher difficulties, and the game consists of only one ending.
Differences from the original game[]
Besides the obvious graphical facelift and the addition of voice acting, DuckTales Remastered contains several notable differences from its original 8-bit counterpart:
- Two new levels are added - a tutorial level set in Scrooge's Money Bin (which the player plays through upon starting a new game) and a new final stage set in Mount Vesuvius (replacing the return trip to Transylvania from the original version).
- Four difficulties are now offered: Easy, Medium, Hard, and Extreme.
- The levels no longer have time limits.
- On the Easy difficulty, the player has infinite lives.
- The pause menu gives the player the option to exit the stage early. As a result of this, Launchpad does not offer the player a lift back to Duckburg within the levels themselves.
- Mrs. Beakley does not drop an infinite supply of ice cream wherever she appears; instead, she will provide Scrooge with three health-refilling items and then leave. She is also added to the Amazon and Transylvania levels.
- The secret treasures from the NES game only appear on the Hard and Extreme difficulties. There are now three of them to collect.
- The original stages are now expanded, many with multiple tasks to complete before obtaining the treasures. For example, in the first half of the Amazon level, the player has to find eight large coins in order to make the path to the treasure's resting place appear.
- Mini-boss battles with Big Time, Burger, and Bouncer were added to the Transylvania level, and a mini-boss battle against Flintheart Glomgold was added to the Himalayas level.
- All of the stage bosses have new strategies and also take more than five hits to defeat.
- The player can collect a heart container in each of the five levels from the original game, thus bringing the health meter to an eight-heart maximum. On the Hard and Extreme difficulties, only two of the levels (Transylvania and the Himalayas, like in the original game) have heart containers.
- Bubba Duck's appearance in the Himalayas level is expanded so that he now clears a path for Scrooge by destroying large blocks of ice. As a result of this, the health container he provided in the original game is moved to a different part of the level.
- Similarly, Gizmoduck's appearance in the Moon level is also expanded. At the beginning of the level, Fenton gets abducted by the UFO that Scrooge explores for much of the level and also loses the Gizmosuit. Over the course of the level, Scrooge has to rescue Fenton and find the missing parts of the Gizmosuit, replacing the original level's fetch-quest of having to find the UFO key and the Gizmoduck remote. Notably, two of the Gizmosuit parts appear in the same spots where Launchpad and the secret treasure appeared in the original version of the Moon level.
Soundtrack[]
- Main article: DuckTales Remastered (soundtrack)
A soundtrack album containing songs from this video game and also the original version was released on digital download on April 29, 2014.