Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
View
Trending
  • Prime Day Deals
  • Superman
  • Donkey Kong Bananza
  • Switch 2 stock
Recommended reading
They key art for Duck Detective The Ghost of Glamping with the GamesRadar+ indie spotlight logo. From left to right on a spooky background: Arnaud Benoit, Freddy Frederson, Eugene McQuacklin, Emilia Dinkel, and Katja Reh.
Adventure Games Far from fowl play, Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping is a fresh, standalone mystery that smartly evolves its sleuthing mechanics – even if it's McQuacklin's simplest case yet
Key art for Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD Remake showing two heroes looking out across a grass field and snowy plain, from the PlayStation Store
JRPGs Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake makes me feel like I'm sipping on warm cocoa, minimal meddling keeping these oldies golden
Escape from Duckov
Third Person Shooters This Steam Next Fest demo is exactly like Escape from Tarkov, except you're a duck and it only gets weirder from there
A crop of the swordfighting scene from the opening of Final Fantasy 9
Final Fantasy 25 years later, Final Fantasy 9's stylized visuals have ensured it's aged brilliantly without a remake
The Legend of Zelda It's been 32 years since The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening launched, but the Switch remake makes it feel like yesterday
The key art for the full release of Deltarune
RPGs Deltarune review: "This Undertale successor is an unapologetically weird RPG epic, where each chapter is a new canvas that doesn't have to conform to any rigid rules, style, or logic"
To a T protagonist Teen and their dog running through an upstairs hallway with their hands outstretched
Adventure Games To a T review: "Like standing in a warm spill of sunbeams and eating your favorite home-cooked meal all at once"
  1. Games
  2. Platformer
  3. DuckTales Remastered

DuckTales Remastered - 7 reasons it's a remake done right

Features
By Henry Gilbert published 23 March 2013

Not pony tales or cotton tales

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Life is like a hurricane...

Life is like a hurricane...

Capcom had teased a big announcement was coming to PAX East this year, and many assumed that it would be some next-gen sequel, or maybe even a brand new franchise. Instead, the publisher had a treat for the NES fanboy in all of us: DuckTales Remasterd. This was big news to aging gamers who grew up in the 1980s alongside the cartoon, but why does it matter to those that didnt grow up watching Disney Afternoon? Because it seems to be a sterling example of how to properly handle a remake.

Though we reserve the right to be wrong, this looks like itll be one of the best remakes around. For starters...

Page 1 of 8
Page 1 of 8
The sprites have been redrawn with care

The sprites have been redrawn with care

The original DuckTales is on the high end of pixelated graphics, and even today theres a certain beauty to the games blocky interpretation of the Disney cartoon. But those same static sprites just wouldnt work the same today, even if cleaned up for HD. Unlike those other remakes, WayForward seems to have started from square one with the characters, reanimating every character in colorful, clean Disney-caliber art. Most importantly for animation nerds, Scrooge McDucks outfit has shifted from red to blue to finally match his cartoon counterpart. Its a move many port houses wouldnt have bothered with.

Page 2 of 8
Page 2 of 8
An actual plot is being added

An actual plot is being added

Capcom and WayFord are also doing this remake the right way by giving it something the original game never had: context. Outside of pure greed, there was never much explanation for why Uncle Scrooge was running around the world grabbing precious stones. New story scenes have been added to the game in the hopes of clearing things up--though we can't help but wonder if there's a logical explanation for why Scrooge can breathe on the moon?

Page 3 of 8
Page 3 of 8
There's new voicework that reunites the cartoon cast

There's new voicework that reunites the cartoon cast

The redone animation and story moments are enough to make hardcore duck fans hope for new episodes of DuckTales. And while that isnt happening, Capcom has already confirmed that the game will reunite the surviving voice cast of the show to reprise their roles in the game. That even goes for Uncle Scrooge, played by the 93-year-old Alan Young, the man thats been playing the worlds richest duck since 1983. Adding new voice work to a classic game can occasionally be a shaky proposition, but it feels like a perfectly natural addition to DuckTales, and its above and beyond the call for most remakes.

Page 4 of 8
Page 4 of 8
There are new levels that make sense

There are new levels that make sense

Like plot and voice work, the NES version of DuckTales was also lacking something among its many settings. You may have gotten to explore the Amazon and Transylvania, but you never got to visit Scrooges famous money bin. Now players will be able to swim around in a virtual recreation of the cash pile in addition to a Duckburg Museum that grows alongside your progress, plus some other new stages Capcom isnt ready to announce yet. In many remakes the added levels usually falter when compared to the originals, but DuckTales all sound like things that should have been there in the first place.

Page 5 of 8
Page 5 of 8
The soundtrack is being respected

The soundtrack is being respected

The NES was home to many iconic chiptunes that were still humming to this day, including songs from The Legend of Zelda, Castlevania, and Mega Man. However, game music connoisseurs often list DuckTales soundtrack as one of the best ever made. Particular attention is given to the Moon theme. Capcom has confirmed the old tunes will be there, though theyll be remastered just like the graphics, which is all well and good--but there better be an option to switch the NES version of those tunes.

Page 6 of 8
Page 6 of 8
The NES gameplay is intact

The NES gameplay is intact

Beyond the art, music, voicework, and story, staying true to the originals gameplay is what ultimately matters in a remake. DuckTales looks to get that right, with screens and footage showing Scrooge pogoing on his cane and knocking rocks at enemies like theyre golf balls, just like the old days. However, Capcom has stated there are new controls without much explanation, but as long as they stay as precise as the first games, were fine with it.

Page 7 of 8
Page 7 of 8
Or rewrite history...

Or rewrite history...

Are you excited for DuckTales Remastered, or are you still worried that this remake could underwhelm like so many in the past? You can tell us in the comments, or you could simply share your favorite DuckTales cartoon memories. Either way, we dont mind.

While you're here, check out more Disney classics. See 9 Disney/Lucasarts crossovers that need to happen and every video game reference in Wreck-It Ralph.

Page 8 of 8
Page 8 of 8
TOPICS
Disney
CATEGORIES
Wii-u PlayStation Xbox Platforms Nintendo
Henry Gilbert
Henry Gilbert
Social Links Navigation

Henry Gilbert is a former GamesRadar+ Editor, having spent seven years at the site helping to navigate our readers through the PS3 and Xbox 360 generation. Henry is now following another passion of his besides video games, working as the producer and podcast cohost of the popular Talking Simpsons and What a Cartoon podcasts. 

See more Playstation Features
Read more
They key art for Duck Detective The Ghost of Glamping with the GamesRadar+ indie spotlight logo. From left to right on a spooky background: Arnaud Benoit, Freddy Frederson, Eugene McQuacklin, Emilia Dinkel, and Katja Reh.
Far from fowl play, Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping is a fresh, standalone mystery that smartly evolves its sleuthing mechanics – even if it's McQuacklin's simplest case yet
Key art for Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD Remake showing two heroes looking out across a grass field and snowy plain, from the PlayStation Store
Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake makes me feel like I'm sipping on warm cocoa, minimal meddling keeping these oldies golden
Escape from Duckov
This Steam Next Fest demo is exactly like Escape from Tarkov, except you're a duck and it only gets weirder from there
A crop of the swordfighting scene from the opening of Final Fantasy 9
25 years later, Final Fantasy 9's stylized visuals have ensured it's aged brilliantly without a remake
It's been 32 years since The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening launched, but the Switch remake makes it feel like yesterday
The key art for the full release of Deltarune
Deltarune review: "This Undertale successor is an unapologetically weird RPG epic, where each chapter is a new canvas that doesn't have to conform to any rigid rules, style, or logic"
Latest in Platformer
a group of mega man characters charge beams
Despite the 8-year hiatus, Capcom has called Mega Man "one of our most important IPs"
A Super Mario lore specialist issues an important correction: "Mario does not 'die and go to hell' - he is sent there directly while still alive"
Banjo gives Kazooie the thumbs up in a screenshot from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Despite layoffs at Xbox's Rare, Crash Bandicoot 4 and Spyro remake devs are reportedly among the studios "really interested" in a new Banjo-Kazooie game
Switch 2 launch games: a close-up of Mario and Luigi racing each other during Mario Kart World.
Nintendo combats big budgets with games that only need "shorter development periods" alongside $80 Switch 2 behemoths like Mario Kart World
Quantum Witch screenshots
This stunning 2D "plotformer" is the ultimate cottagecore fantasy with an extra dose of mystery, sapphic witches, and a giant lady who fights you
Crash Bandicoot PS1
Long before the Super Mario Bros. movie grossed $1.3 billion, Sega's president tried making a Crash Bandicoot movie but was told "video games is like a toy business"
Latest in Features
Star Wars Battlefront 2 (2017) screenshot showing Darth Vader walking through a hangar flanked by two stormtroopers
I've spent 11 hours fighting AI in EA's Star Wars Battlefront 2, and it's taking me back to the glory days of PS2 skirmish modes
Dollman is lost in thought in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
This is now a Dollman fan account: Death Stranding 2's puppet pal makes for my favorite PlayStation duo since Ratchet & Clank
Agent 47 on a mission in Hitman: World of Assassination
I'm loving Hitman: World of Assassination on Switch 2, but the game's always-online requirement is worse than ever
Kaizen: A Factory Story key art featuring a production line making a toy electronic
"Make games and die. That's my plan": Coincidence's Zach Barth on making games about making things, a year of teaching, and being in it for the long haul
Cyberpunk Edgerunners
Cyberpunk Edgerunners season 2: Everything we know about CD Projekt Red's anime
Ghost, Bob, Yelena, and John Walker peeking around a corner in Thunderbolts
Marvel Phase 5 closes a weird, ramshackle chapter in MCU history – and shows what Marvel needs to get right in Phase 6
  1. A Gundam style mech in Mecha Break
    1
    Mecha Break review: "This mech battler makes up for lacking customization with a varied roster that lets me live out my Evangelion fantasy"
  2. 2
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  3. 3
    Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic"
  4. 4
    Tron: Catalyst review: "Disc slinging is a thrill in this gorgeous rendition of the series, but I'm let down by a time-loop story that falls flat"
  5. 5
    FBC: Firebreak review: "A disappointingly bland multiplayer FPS that's missing far too much of what made Control special"
  1. David Corenswet as Superman inside the Fortress of Solitude in James Gunn's Superman.
    1
    Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU"
  2. 2
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  3. 3
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  4. 4
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  5. 5
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  1. Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
    1
    Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever"
  2. 2
    Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era"
  3. 3
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...