TURN TO CHANNEL 3: ‘DuckTales: Remastered’ takes gamers back to Duckburg and Saturday mornings
Initially, it was difficult deciding what game to end 2014 with. After having a fun and successful “Season of Sequels,” I was left wondering just what game to review next. Thankfully, it didn’t take nearly as long as I thought to finally chose a game.
Today, we will be taking a look at “DuckTales: Remastered” for the Wii U, a game that, while having digital releases, really has become somewhat of a collector’s item in disc form for fans of the Wii U and the original “DuckTales” game on the NES. In addition, it’s obviously a favorite of all of us who grew up watching the cartoon show. With all of this in mind, just how well does this remake of the NES game stand up to its original counterpart? Let’s journey to Duckburg and find out!
“DuckTales: Remastered” (Wii U)
Sound: 
It really doesn’t take much to make a fan of “DuckTales” excited about this game, especially when the first thing you hear is the original NES opening theme, complete with a stellar graphics display of Duckburg. Not only are you satisfying those folks who grew up with the original game, but also you’re bringing in fans of the cartoon show.
Speaking of the show, all those spectacular voices from the cartoon series are here for you to enjoy, from Scrooge McDuck to Launchpad McQuack; Huey, Dewey, and Louie to Mrs. Beakley; and even Gizmoduck! Developers took things one step further by revamping all the classic level themes as well, and all I can say is all of them work beautifully with the levels as well as the dialogue of the characters. There’s a lot more to taking something old and making it new, but this soundtrack lets you know right away that the classic you loved is in good hands.
Graphics:
The animation in this game is superb and really blends the cartoon show and some stellar video game design. Scrooge has some great mannerisms; the enemies, bosses, and levels all pop; and you’re left knowing a lot of hard work went into making this game both a tribute to the past and a glimpse into the future of other possible remakes by developers.
The amount of detail that went into the game is present from the opening shot of Duckburg and continues through levels like The Money Bin, The Amazon, and The Moon. There were moments where I could actually envision an artist doing these levels like cartoon storyboards; it was that fluid, that crisp, and definitely some candy for the eyes.
Gameplay:
All right, let’s get something out of the way right now – if you grew up a fan of the cartoon series, chances are you wanted nothing more than to dive into Scrooge’s vast vault and swim around like our favorite Scottish moneymaker did so many years ago. Well, you’re in luck. Even though the mere idea of this sounds kind of painful, you can take a dive with Scrooge at your leisure as he spits out coins and swims around, just like the old days. Furthermore, the treasures you earn during levels are then put into an “account” of sorts where you can use the funds to unlock various items, like character and level sketches, among others. It definitely makes going through the levels less tedious and troublesome, giving them more meaning than simply going through to reach the end.
That being said, this game can be hard for those who failed to understand the whole pogo stick/golf club mechanic of Scrooge’s trusty cane, but I’d like to tell those people on the fence about this game over it that this new and improved “DuckTales” game makes it a more fluid and familiar affair that you’ll get the hang of after a few tries. The bosses get increasingly more difficult, but it’s all really a matter of following a pattern of attack. The dialogue can get annoying after a time, but only if you’re someone not familiar with the classic cartoon show. I enjoyed every bit of it.
Overall:
This game was released digitally first, but with the debut of the Wii U, it was turned into a full-fledged disc-based game, and it’s pretty cheap, as I picked my copy up for around $15. That’s pretty affordable for those of us who miss our Saturday morning and after-school cartoons, or those who grew up playing the original NES title. “DuckTales 2,” the highly sought-after sequel to the original NES title, is more expensive than this, though you’ll have a better time playing this one, I can assure you.
Go ahead – revisit you’re old friends in Duckburg. They’ve been waiting a long time to see you again.
Well, the next time you hear from me, it will be 2015, and we’ve got a whole bunch of retro games to take a look back at, so stay tuned for that. Until then, remember, life is like a hurricane here in Duckburg!
Note: All ratings for Turn to Channel 3 are based on a scale of 1-10.
