Ducktales Remastered (PC, 2013)
Graphics-7.5 Sound-8 Control-7.5 Challenge-7/8* Story-6
Level Design-7.5/5.5* Frustration-6.5/8.5* Fun-7.5/5* Originality-5.5
Overall Score-7.5
*Last stretch of the last level on Normal
+
Improved bosses (additional phases, som escalation)
Expanded levels
Added level maps (auto-map on normal, fully revealed on easy)
You can exit a level at any point here (your collection progress isn't saved here though so you can't grind for money and lives unlike on NES)
Some exploration elements (hidden rooms, a few alternate paths, key items)
Difficulty options (easy-very hard/extreme - easy is default, no continues on very hard)*
Some creative and fun use of the cane (bounce on spikes/enemies to propel yourself forward and upward, use it as a golf club or hit switches)
Minor puzzles (hitting objects to reach treasure, bouncing on treasure chests in the right order to reach higher)
Plenty of hidden items (money, extra HP (health bar upgrades), health, timed invincibility, some 1-ups)
Very precise jump height control
Good enemy variety
Pretty fast paced
No slowdown, Widescreen
Less trial & error in some parts
Very good 2D animation
Optional vibration
More fleshed out world via the cutscenes
Added intro level and new final level (the latter is great)
Added mini-boss to the Himalayas level
Get to fight alongside Gizmoduck on the moon and Bubba in the Himalayas
Good boss intros
More minecart segments
Ducking while on a moving platform no longer makes Scrooge loose his foothold (they actually removed the ones in the himalayas and moon levels here)
Can play with the NES music and all the new tracks except for the final boss theme also have 8-bit versions (but not with 8-bit visuals - would've required a lot more work obviously)
Nice banter between Scrooge and Glomgold during the final level
Unlockable level select (beat the game), artwork and music test (bought with in-game money; requires some grinding to get to the highest tiers)
+/-
Non-linear structure (don't even need to go to Transylvania to unlock the African Mines here)
Added minor collectathon element (about 3 items per level besides the intro and finale)
Save in-between levels (one slot per game)
Respawning enemies (mostly when re-entering the room they were in, in some cases they keep spawning and entering the screen from the left or right)
Some maze-like levels or sometimes parts of levels
No mid-level checkpoints
Pretty easy to find 1-ups
Doesn't add an item shop or any movement upgrades or tools (see Ducktales 2, Quackshot). Also can't refill your HP for 3 mil like in the NES game (press select there)
Easier cane bounce - don't need to press down on the d-pad (optional)
NOT a metroidvania or platform adventure unlike what the wikipedia entry states (no tool/ability gating, level select screen)
No item inventory (for saving health or invincibility for later)
Some instant death pits - more in the Himalayas level
No more money gating in level 1/Amazon level (need 300k to pass a statue in the original - this can be skipped via a secret path though)
The hidden treasures from the original are only there in Hard mode
Unlimited continues
If you press and hold the pogo button right after quickly tapping the jump button then the game interprets it as if you held down the jump button and there is no bounce - have to wait slightly to make a short jump followed by a bounce instead
Less forgiving knockback when hit in mid-air here (on NES you regain mid-air control pretty quickly while here you don't until you land)
-
Some control/interface issues (if you land with the cane on the edge of a platform the bounce still doesn't connect - instead you'll land on your feet, no added hub map - just a basic menu on a computer screen, no subtitles for voiced comments made during gameplay, no sound options, somewhat unresponsive controls for grabbing ropes/chains when jumping between them - have to be holding up while falling or there's a chance it might not register, )
Some difficulty spikes (last stretch of the last level - no 1-ups here and there really should've been either a checkpoint after the dracula duck fight or the game could've let you gain 1-ups at money intervals or as a rare drop or let you replay beaten levels on Normal OR EVEN JUST LET YOU NOT SAVE AFTER A GAME OVER so you could keep the lives collected over the course of the game!, the Himalayas level - many pits) and one dip (moon boss is kinda easy)
Some trial & error (a few traps and enemy placements, if you find a chest and then exit and re-enter the screen it disappears, need to hit some enemies precisely with your cane - landing on them isn't enough, your money sum has to end with 70k (so a 7 for the fifth digit from the right) to enter bonus levels - would've been better if you could also access them by doing well in the previous level, finding the 1-up in the himalayas level - need to jump while off screen to grab a rope)
Hidden items are shown on the map
A bit short
Still can't replay beaten levels unless playing on Easy - annoying if you miss a health bar upgrade+it would've been good for collecting a few more 1-ups
Some boss battles are a tad drawn out
Too many cutscenes during most levels (skippable but would've been best if you could speed up the dialogue on a per sentence basis, they're a bit slow and usually only involve talking)
How some items appear behind you after you've passed by them breaks flow a bit
No facial animations during dialogue scenes, No non-2D side view cutscenes, Some 2D and 3D elements could've blended better, Some of Scrooge's comments repeat a bit too much
Unskippable staff roll and bootup logos
No alternate endings (NES version had two - get 10 million and the hidden treasures or finish with zero money)
Notes:
-*Differences: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps3/708530-disney-ducktales-remastered/faqs/67603
Level Design-7.5/5.5* Frustration-6.5/8.5* Fun-7.5/5* Originality-5.5
Overall Score-7.5
*Last stretch of the last level on Normal
+
Improved bosses (additional phases, som escalation)
Expanded levels
Added level maps (auto-map on normal, fully revealed on easy)
You can exit a level at any point here (your collection progress isn't saved here though so you can't grind for money and lives unlike on NES)
Some exploration elements (hidden rooms, a few alternate paths, key items)
Difficulty options (easy-very hard/extreme - easy is default, no continues on very hard)*
Some creative and fun use of the cane (bounce on spikes/enemies to propel yourself forward and upward, use it as a golf club or hit switches)
Minor puzzles (hitting objects to reach treasure, bouncing on treasure chests in the right order to reach higher)
Plenty of hidden items (money, extra HP (health bar upgrades), health, timed invincibility, some 1-ups)
Very precise jump height control
Good enemy variety
Pretty fast paced
No slowdown, Widescreen
Less trial & error in some parts
Very good 2D animation
Optional vibration
More fleshed out world via the cutscenes
Added intro level and new final level (the latter is great)
Added mini-boss to the Himalayas level
Get to fight alongside Gizmoduck on the moon and Bubba in the Himalayas
Good boss intros
More minecart segments
Ducking while on a moving platform no longer makes Scrooge loose his foothold (they actually removed the ones in the himalayas and moon levels here)
Can play with the NES music and all the new tracks except for the final boss theme also have 8-bit versions (but not with 8-bit visuals - would've required a lot more work obviously)
Nice banter between Scrooge and Glomgold during the final level
Unlockable level select (beat the game), artwork and music test (bought with in-game money; requires some grinding to get to the highest tiers)
+/-
Non-linear structure (don't even need to go to Transylvania to unlock the African Mines here)
Added minor collectathon element (about 3 items per level besides the intro and finale)
Save in-between levels (one slot per game)
Respawning enemies (mostly when re-entering the room they were in, in some cases they keep spawning and entering the screen from the left or right)
Some maze-like levels or sometimes parts of levels
No mid-level checkpoints
Pretty easy to find 1-ups
Doesn't add an item shop or any movement upgrades or tools (see Ducktales 2, Quackshot). Also can't refill your HP for 3 mil like in the NES game (press select there)
Easier cane bounce - don't need to press down on the d-pad (optional)
NOT a metroidvania or platform adventure unlike what the wikipedia entry states (no tool/ability gating, level select screen)
No item inventory (for saving health or invincibility for later)
Some instant death pits - more in the Himalayas level
No more money gating in level 1/Amazon level (need 300k to pass a statue in the original - this can be skipped via a secret path though)
The hidden treasures from the original are only there in Hard mode
Unlimited continues
If you press and hold the pogo button right after quickly tapping the jump button then the game interprets it as if you held down the jump button and there is no bounce - have to wait slightly to make a short jump followed by a bounce instead
Less forgiving knockback when hit in mid-air here (on NES you regain mid-air control pretty quickly while here you don't until you land)
-
Some control/interface issues (if you land with the cane on the edge of a platform the bounce still doesn't connect - instead you'll land on your feet, no added hub map - just a basic menu on a computer screen, no subtitles for voiced comments made during gameplay, no sound options, somewhat unresponsive controls for grabbing ropes/chains when jumping between them - have to be holding up while falling or there's a chance it might not register, )
Some difficulty spikes (last stretch of the last level - no 1-ups here and there really should've been either a checkpoint after the dracula duck fight or the game could've let you gain 1-ups at money intervals or as a rare drop or let you replay beaten levels on Normal OR EVEN JUST LET YOU NOT SAVE AFTER A GAME OVER so you could keep the lives collected over the course of the game!, the Himalayas level - many pits) and one dip (moon boss is kinda easy)
Some trial & error (a few traps and enemy placements, if you find a chest and then exit and re-enter the screen it disappears, need to hit some enemies precisely with your cane - landing on them isn't enough, your money sum has to end with 70k (so a 7 for the fifth digit from the right) to enter bonus levels - would've been better if you could also access them by doing well in the previous level, finding the 1-up in the himalayas level - need to jump while off screen to grab a rope)
Hidden items are shown on the map
A bit short
Still can't replay beaten levels unless playing on Easy - annoying if you miss a health bar upgrade+it would've been good for collecting a few more 1-ups
Some boss battles are a tad drawn out
Too many cutscenes during most levels (skippable but would've been best if you could speed up the dialogue on a per sentence basis, they're a bit slow and usually only involve talking)
How some items appear behind you after you've passed by them breaks flow a bit
No facial animations during dialogue scenes, No non-2D side view cutscenes, Some 2D and 3D elements could've blended better, Some of Scrooge's comments repeat a bit too much
Unskippable staff roll and bootup logos
No alternate endings (NES version had two - get 10 million and the hidden treasures or finish with zero money)
Notes:
-*Differences: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps3/708530-disney-ducktales-remastered/faqs/67603