boxes. That time happened to coincide with my childhood, as it did for so many of the

people who cover games for a living. That's why you've read a million leads to reviews

of this very game...that all start with the same kind of gushing.

"This game was my childhood."

"I grew up with this game."

I didn't want to do that. I respect it too much. But like a wealthy duck diving into

his riches, I think I'm falling into it. When I was a kid, few names meant as much to me

as Disney and Capcom. And combined? They were everything I wanted video games to be. Twenty

years later, DuckTales Remastered shows me that, to an extent...

They still are.

Now, if you didn't grow up...solving mysteries and rewriting history, let's reset on Duckburg's

duck blur. DuckTales was an animated TV series from Disney. Like, Disney Disney. It was about

Donald Duck's affluent uncle Scrooge McDuck, a shrewd Scottish businessman...and a freaking

duck.

Oh, and there was a video game. That was f*cking quack-tastic.

And so, here we are. Nearly a quarter century after Capcom's legendary NES game, DuckTales

is back, lovingly and meticulously remade in stunning HD. And by those 2D maestros at

WayForward Technologies, no less. They've really gone the extra mile in resurrecting

DuckTales, drawing every character by hand and even going as far as bringing in animators

who worked on the original show.

This every pixel of the DuckTales you remember. The only question is...do you remember it?

And if not, will you even care?

DuckTales was interesting on the NES for three reasons. One, the strong character appeal.

Two, that incredible Capcom polish. And three...the gameplay. DuckTales was made using the old

Mega Man engine, and it definitely has a lot of the Blue Bomber's trademarks. The game

has five levels that can be played in any order, like Mega Man...and the levels themselves

are also non-linear.

There's a lot to explore in DuckTales. Hidden treasures, secret paths...and I mean, in 1990,

that stuff was kind of a huge deal. But in 2013? Perhaps not so much. DuckTales might

not seem like such a huge deal without the right context. It can even seem a little outdated

at times, so...if you didn't grow up with an NES, you might not see what's so special

about DuckTales.

But see, that's the thing. For better or worse, it's a really authentic remake. This is DuckTales

to the feather, but with stunning new character art and animation...and one interesting change.

WayForward has modernized DuckTales just a bit...by giving it an emphasis on story, and

dialogue. A good idea, for sure...but kind of obtrusive.

You are constantly being stopped for dialogue. And as terrific as the dialogue is—uh, Scrooge

is actually voiced by the original actor, which is awesome—it can really break up

the flow of the game.

And of course, that's a bad thing because...the game's so damn good. Even all these years

later, DuckTales is just...an incredibly good platformer. And unique, too. Scrooge's pogo-stick

cane is still a charming and distinct mechanic, and the draw of searching an environment for

treasure is as strong as ever, even 23 years later.

There's a charm to DuckTales that's really ageless.

You know, there used to be an innocence to gaming...a sort of naivety, it seemed. Even

from the companies running it. It was all so new, and so fresh...without all the nonsense

that can make today's industry so less appealing. And you can put aside all the things that

make this game so great and just enjoy on that basic level. That DuckTales is a game

from a time when games were just that.

And these days, that's worth more than gold.