Let's be honest - we all love a good dose of nostalgia. As we go through our adult lives and deal with the constant struggle of day-to-day responsibilities, it's nice to find something from our youth which triggers memories of how it felt when life wasn't so demanding.DuckTales: Remastered is a game that feeds on nostalgia. A remake of the original NES classic, Remastered conjures up all those wonderful memories of playing the game as a kid and throws them into a brand new experience with updated visuals, remixed music, and added dialog. Mark my word - you will absolutely love this game. Well, assuming you actually grew up with DuckTales, that is.
You see, DuckTales: Remastered relies so heavily on nostalgia that it's almost impossible for me to recommend it to anyone who isn't from my generation. Sure, it's easy enough to learn and just about anyone can play it, but unless you have memories of watching the show or playing the original game as a kid, you won't understand why this game is such a big deal.
WayForward went above and beyond to make this remake as polished as possible. In addition to hiring animators directly from Disney, they also went out of their way to bring back the entire (surviving) cast of the TV series. Better yet, the dialog actually makes references to storylines and character traits from the show! So yeah, if you're not marveling in awe at this point, then this game is clearly not meant for you.
The game itself is pretty faithful to the original DuckTales, aside from a few minor changes. The signature pogo mechanic is back and is just as addictive as ever. All of the stages are a bit longer and even place a greater emphasis on exploration. Furthermore, the bosses have been completely reworked to offer more of a challenge, and a brand new final stage was added. My only major gripe is that the pogo can feel a bit sticky and inaccurate at times. Also, as much as I love the cut scenes, they do tend to slow down momentum of the game. They can be easily skipped by accessing the pause menu, but an option to disable them entirely would have been nice.
Like I said earlier, it's hard to convince this generation of gamers to play DuckTales: Remastered. If you're like me and grew up with the TV show and/or the NES game, then by all means check it out. However, if the most nostalgic Disney product you can remember is, say, Kingdom Hearts, then I think it's safe to pass on this one.
