DuckTales: Remastered (X360) - Review

by Jake Weston , posted on 13 August 2013 / 4,478 Views

1989’s DuckTales for the original Nintendo Entertainment System is one of the indisputable classics in the console’s library. So when it was announced that it was being given a high-definition makeover for the current generation of consoles, the level of fan excitement sparked was more than understandable. Furthermore, it bolsters the return of the cast from the classic cartoon show, as well as development by WayForward Technologies, whose work on the similarly-themed re-imaginings of A Boy and His Blob and Double Dragon Neon have proven they know how to rework retro classics in a modern setting. However, while this year’s DuckTales: Remastered is a faithful adaptation, holdovers from the 8-bit era as well as a handful of new problems hold it back from becoming a new classic.

Rather than being a straight remake of the 1989 NES title, WayForward uses the original as a framework to build a completely new yet familiar experience. You’ll still be visiting the Amazon, Transylvania, African Mines, Himalayas, and, of course, the Moon, but an original tutorial level and final level not only provide new content, but work with the new voice-acting to provide a more traditional narrative structure to the game.

This proves to be both a benefit and detriment to DuckTales: Remastered. Hearing the classic cast, including the return of Alan Young in his iconic performance as Scrooge McDuck, is a blast from the past, but the game frequently pauses the action to show cutscenes for the newly-implemented story. I love that WayForward went beyond the bare-minimum and attempted to add a plot, but ultimately the story intrudes on the gameplay far too often.

When it’s firing on all cylinders, the gameplay is great, playing almost identically to the DuckTales you know and love. Using Scrooge’s pogo stick to bounce around the labyrinthine levels is just as refreshing as it was in 1989, and the design holds up just as well as any modern platformer.

A few changes have brought the design up to modern standards, however. Each of the classic levels now includes various goals and items to collect before you can proceed, prolonging the game’s length considerably. Thankfully, a new in-game map not only records your progress, but gives you the locations of these items, keeping the focus on the action, exploration, and fantastic presentation.

Replacing the 8-bit graphics of the original are new hand-drawn sprites that look like they were lifted straight out of the TV show. Not only that, but all of the enemies and bosses have been redone with HD models, and the boss fights overall have been reworked as well. The game’s seven boss fights are some of the most memorable and interesting in recent memory, such as a battle against a giant yeti or the newly improved fight against Dracula Duck.

As much as nostalgia for both the game and the TV show makes playing Ducktales: Remastered a joy, a myriad of issues new and old often dilute the fun. An old-school continue system means restarting an entire level if getting a Game Over. In classic DuckTales, this was not an issue as levels could be beaten in mere minutes. In DuckTales: Remastered, however, a Game Over means losing anywhere from 20-30 minutes of progress. This frustration is compounded by controls that sometimes don’t register button inputs, resulting in cheap and random deaths.

DuckTales: Remastered provides extra content beyond multiple playthroughs, allowing you to spend in-game cash on artwork and music, as well as your very own pool of money to swim through. Ultimately, your enjoyment of DuckTales: Remastered will be tied to how strongly your nostalgia holds for the original game and the TV show. With just a little bit more polish, DuckTales: Remastered could have been a near perfect re-imagining of a gaming classic. Instead, a fun-trip down memory lane will have to suffice.

This review is based on a digital copy of DuckTales: Remastered for the Xbox 360, provided by the publisher.