fearing neither death,
danger, nor Daisy to quest
the Great Duck Treasure
Additional Comments:
Another Genesis title that I loved when I was younger and still do. As much as I've always enjoyed DuckTales for the NES, Quackshot lifted the treasure-hunting premise centered around the feathered community of Duckburg to a whole new level. And once again, like most of the other Disney titles on the Genesis, Sega presented a nearly flawless Disney-based platformer without Capcom's branding.
The biggest difference between DuckTales and Quackshot, although Quackshot is really the big brother of the Lucky Dime Caper released on the Master System and Game Gear, however, is that Donald has taken the reins of the protagonist, and as much as I like Scrooge playing the part in the NES game, Donald just seems to fit the bill so much better. Of course, there are some peculiarities present such as Donald's weaponry: plungers to stun your enemies or popcorn/bubblegum to kill your enemies - huh? - but I've got to say thumbs up for the Temper gauge. Not only does the idea of Donald blowing his top just work so perfectly with his persona, but it's a really clever take on the common invincibility gimmick used in so many platformers. Come on, Donald bursts into a fit of rage, swinging his fists like a mad cyclone, knocking everyone off their feet. Now that's awesome! Additional win: the gauge transfers from level to level.
Another thing I've always like about this game is that although it's a completely linear game, it doesn't necessarily have a linear feel since you have to travel between locations to collect items to open passages in other locations. Of course, if you know what you need from the start, you're prone to take the path of least resistance, but to someone playing it for the first time, they might feel compelled to explore the various locales at their own pace, opening up the door for a more thorough non-linear playthrough. For me, I played the straightforward route, although Maharajah did trip me up a bit - after all, it has been a number of years since I've played this. I remember being able to that stupid door maze with no issue. I don't know how many times I found myself back in the first room this time around. Oh well.
Anyways, I have to admit, I've never actually beaten the game in the past - at least, I'm pretty certain I haven't. I know I've at least made it as far as Pete's Gang's Hideout. Beyond that I don't have much recollection. Some of the stuff on Great Duck Treasure Island looks familiar, as does the Guardian, but seriously, I do not remember that battle against Pete - so, who knows? Either way, it's beaten now, so the past is moot. And as I said, I relished playing through the game now just as much as I ever had, and for me, this game is yet another title that proves why the Genesis was a force to be reckoned with during its heyday.
And finally, I've got to say something about the graphics and music. I love the graphics in this game - all of the backgrounds are so beautifully drawn, although some of the multi-scrolling in the backgrounds, especially in Mexico, looks rather awkward - as if they didn't properly prepare their tilesets to handle said scrolling, but whatever. And then there's the music. Simply put, it's fantastic; some of my favorites being the Map Screen, Maharajah, Transylvania and Room 2.
Rating: 4 BOOM's out of 5
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