I have been a video game fan for many years. I remember my father buying my brothers and I a Nintendo for Christmas and my video game love was sealed forever. As we accumulated more games I found myself drawn to action platformers. Mega Man was and still is one of my most favorite series. I knew enough about video games that  when I was younger and saw the Capcom logo I would most likely love the game, and one of my favorite games of all time was Ducktales. When I heard that they were remaking it with slick HD graphics I couldn’t be more excited, and now that I have played and beaten Ducktales: Remastered I can say that Wayforward not only captured the greatness of the original but made a game that all HD remakes should strive to be.

Fans of the original Ducktales cartoon will be immediately excited when they fire up Ducktales: Remastered. The classic theme music starts and so too does your adventure. The game starts with the dastardly Beagle Boys robbing Scrooge’s money! This is where you take control of the penny pincher. The controls are exactly how you remember them. Scrooge uses his cane not only as a way to jump higher but also as a weapon to jump on the heads of enemies. The first level of the game is a somewhat tutorial level that is new to the remake. It gives you a good idea of how to use Scrooge and his pogo stick effectively. After the short level you are taken to Scrooge’s money bin. He and his nephews are going on an adventure around the world to find treasures. You can choose any of the 5 levels, which gives the game a Mega Man feel. Some levels are very difficult and to offset this Wayforward lets you adjust the difficulty, which on the lower settings makes it easier to use your pogo stick and also a map to find your way through the level since it is non-linear. I never tried the lower difficulties but they are available and the game can be tough so if you are a newbie to the game you might want to try it on a lower difficulty.

The graphics are amazing. It looks even better then the cartoon you remember. All the characters have fluid and expressive animation (you can also seek the help of an expert from 3d animation companies to get your projects animated ). The game is in the classic 2D style side scroller, but the backgrounds are beautiful, each world is unique and offers something different. The Alps have snow and Bubba the Caveduck, The Moon features aliens and Gizmo-Duck. All the characters have been drawn with love, from the main characters to the slugs.

The sound is also fantastic. The music has been redone, but it is bouncy and catchy. All the levels have the foundation of the music from the original game but of course we are not dealing with 8-bit beeps, it is a full on orchestra. But my favorite part hands down is the developers got the original cast to reprise their roles and it’s like putting on an old pair of jeans. I was beyond joy when Huey, Dewey, and Louie say “Unca Scrooge!” The game also now features a story with completely spoken dialogue that weaves all of the levels together even though you can choose any order you want to play.

Controls are very important in a game when it requires precise jumping and hoping. Thankfully Ducktales is a breeze to control. Again if you seem to be having trouble controlling your bounces you can adjust the difficulty to help you fully enjoy the game.

Ducktales: Remastered is an old school players dream come true. It takes what made the original so great and improves upon it. The graphics are amazing, music and voice work stupendous, and controls like butter. All the levels are expanded and are full of secrets. There is even an added last level. With lots of goodies to unlock you will be playing this game again and again, well done Wayforward. Ducktales fans rejoice you now have a new way to enjoy your favorite globe trotting treasure hunter.

Graphics 5.0

Amazing and beautiful, this game is stunning

Controls 5.0

Hoping with your pogo stick has never been easier

Sound 5.0

Great music but the real gem is the original cast reprising their roles

Fun Factor 5.0

I loved this game, I hope we see Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers and Darkwing Duck soon as well I can dream right?