🧥 Received: June 2nd, 2023 🧥 Written: July 17th-28th, 2024 🧥
(As played on Super Game Boy)
Year: 1992, 1993 | Developed and Published by: CapcomHello, gamers and readers alike, welcome to my blog and thank you for taking the time to tune in today, I really appreciate it!
* Or so one would think, as according to a 2016 Tad Stones interview he stated that both DuckTales and Darkwing Duck exist in their own universes
** It's interesting to note that among the impetuses behind the creation of this series to start with was the DuckTales episode "Double-O-Duck" where Launchpad played a secret agent
Due to the success and popularity of the series, it would become a merchandise that entailed comic books and especially video games. With the success of the previous video games based on shows that aired during "The Disney Afternoon" on the Nintendo 8-bit console and Game Boy formats, it was only a foregone conclusion that Capcom would create a video game license based on this beloved Disney IP as well. Tokurō Fujiwara would serve as producer.
Images from GameFAQs; don't ask me how Sunsoft was involved, because I honestly wouldn't be able to tell you (as far as I could check, they had naught to do with Disney's Darkwing Duck)
The NES version of Disney's Darkwing Duck would be released on the NES console in North America in June of 1992 with the European NES release following suit on December 9th the following year. Capcom would also adapt it to the Game Boy afterward, with the handheld edition being given a North American release in February of 1993 with a European release coming sometime that year. This review will solely cover the Game Boy release.
Left: Darkwing Duck announcing himself to the whole world | Right: Choose a city to go
In the sidescrolling platofmer Disney's Darkwing Duck, you take control of Drake Mallard's super heroic alter ego Darkwing Duck (voiced by the all-time talented James Jonah Cummings*) whom you can move left and right, crouch down, hold up to shield himself with his cape which acts as a deflector for any oncoming projectile, jump up in the air with the A** button (with the amount of altitude gained based on how hard you pressed the button), slide down a platform by holding down and A, fire with his Gas Gun by pressing the B** button (as* Knowing there's a filmmaker simply called "Jim Cummings" I cannot say the revered voice actor's name like that like in the past, which is so annoying to have to clarify, but here we are
** When switching the control setting to Type A on the Super Game Boy, the controls on the Nintendo 16-bit console are B and Y respectively
Left: Action atop of the St. Canard bridge | Right: Sleeping bat
you're idle, while ducking down, while in midair, and while hanging onto something), and with the Select button you can switch from regular Gas Gun to an alternate gas weapon that you obtain along the way. During the course of the game you'll be obtaining items that will come to your aid, sometimes out in the open but more often after having disposed of enemies (who have a tendency of respawning after moving a little bit forward and then immediately scrolling backward): bars of gold and diamonds for points, G containers of varying sizes to
Left: Pull the switch to have a conveniently sized beam fall down and serve as a steppingstone for you to be able to reach higher ground | Right: Deflect the knife by shielding yourself with the cape
add to the ammunition of the alternate gas weapon, a jar with a heart to replenish one lost quarter of health (for which the health capacity is four), a briefcase with a heart to regain your lost health completely, and a Darkwing doll to gain a new life. Each level is divided into a few segments, each new one creating a checkpoint after you reach it, and at the very end you get to face off against a criminal hired by the F.O.W.L. (The Fiendish Organization of World Larceny) organization and at the very end you get to face off against their employer Steelbeak (voiced by Rob Paulsen).
Left: Taken out by Mr. Banana Brain | Right: To think, the advent of video games became the reason Quackerjack went out of business and went on to lead a criminal life ... What have we done?? 😱 And ironically, the crazed toymaker appears as an opponent in a video game
The visuals were designed by Kazushi Itō, who around the same time as this game worked as object designer for Rockman 5: Blues no Wana!?/Mega Man V and would go on to serve as object designer for Rockman 6: Shijou Saidai no Tatakai!!/Mega Man VI and Minakuchi Engineering's Rockman X3/Mega Man X3, who has crafted visuals of a fascinating aesthetic for there's a lot of grays and blacks with intricately detailed backgrounds and backdrops. St. Canard bridge has got a clear view of the city from the distance and features some a nice star
Left: GO | Right: Riding on top of an independently rolling wheel
laden sky in the later segment, I like the detailed buildings in the city streets level, the sewers are lightheartedly menacing with the bricked in walls and pipes abound, there is a visual depth to the forest level with its complete amount of foliage and at a certain point flowing waterfalls that provide a very nice contrast, and Steelbeak's floating fortress and personal quarters look elegantly designed with a nice view of the outside through the huge windows. The core characters from the show have been drawn in a detailed manner when it comes to
Left: Touching a banana peel will momentarily incapacitate you | Right: Be sure the treasures fall down toward Launchpad and Gosalyn in order to acquire them
the intro cutscene (with Darkwing Duck's static image slowly emerging to the center) and the communication device with S.H.U.S.H. head director J. Gander Hooter (voiced by Danny Mann) and Steelbeak after you defeat him, and in one of the bonus segments Launchpad McQuack (voiced by Terry McGovern) and Darkwing's adopted daughter Gosalyn Mallard's (voiced by the late Christine Cavanaugh, RIP) sprites resemble their likeness from the show. The eponymous crime fighting superhero's in-game design is very good, I like his animation
Left: Firing at the enemy directly won't affect it, but shooting at the weak spot above the head with precisely timed shots fired in midair will | Right: Riding across on a balloon
for when his cape billows as he sneaks about as well as how he holds his cape in a way that covers his body, and his eyes bug out in such an incredulously over-the-top manner after sustaining damage (and how he appears burnt during the fight against when damaged by a flame or how he gets shocked to the point that you see an X-ray of his skeleton when attacked by thunder bolt). Among the enemy roster are knife tossing caped baddies, bats, dogs inside doghouses, devious-looking birds, genies popping out of lamps and Arabian knights flying on
Left: Attack the freezing turtle as long as its shell doesn't rebound back toward it like a boomerang | Right: Pumping up a large balloon
a magic carpet, jersey-wearing rats dribbling and tossing basketballs at you, and crows who are so pitch black that they blend to the dark when the lights are out (unless you activate a light switch, in which you can see their beady white eyes amidst their forms), and they've all been drawn with that Capcom magic and charm. The criminals Darkwing fights all look and animate well, faithfully replicating their appearances from the show, like the harlequin-dressed Quackerjack (voiced by Michael Bell) and his assistant Mr. Banana Brain, the mutant
Left: Introducing Wolfduck, fought under a dark starry sky aglow with a full moon | Right: While the moon is covered up by the clouds, he reverts back to normal
dog-like Liquidator (voiced by the late Jack Angel, RIP), Professor Moliarty (also voiced by Cummings), the electricity harnessing rat Megavolt (voiced by Dan Castellaneta), and the duck scientist Dr. Reginald Bushroot (voiced by the late Tino Insana, RIP). New to Disney's Darkwing Duck is a villain who Capcom has exclusively created for this game in the form of Wolfduck, who becomes a strong wolf under the gaze of the full moon but reverts back to his limber former duck self once said moon is covered by clouds.
Left: Pitch black in the sewers | Right: Hanging on to a switch to reveal shadow enemies
Yasuaki does a very good job at translating Steve Nelson and Thom Sharp's iconic "Darkwing Duck Theme" to video game format (sans the lyrics by Jeff Pescetto, Steve Tyrell, and the late Kasey Cisyk) for the title and the outro for when the game is over, the St. Canard bridge theme is bouncily engaging and highly atmospheric, the city streets theme is a head bopper, the sewer theme sounds lightheartedly menacing yet is inviting at the same time, the forest theme has got a fun action-packed melody that's very catchy to listen to, the warehouse wharf theme sounds atmospherically engrossing, the St. Canard tower theme is a joy to listen to
Left: Be weary of passing alligators | Right: Hanging from the bottom of a moving platform
with its enthralling action melody, and for Steelbeak's floating fortress the theme has got a sleuth-styled beat going for it which is not a bad way of leading to the final boss. I like that for each of the criminals hired by F.O.W.L. they have their own individual themes up to the point that you confront them in battle. The boss theme is fairly hectic, the bonus theme for when you access a secret bonus is lighthearted, and because of his involvement in the aforementioned Who Framed Roger Rabbit video game adaptation the game over cue from
Left: If you jump, that enemy will target its projectile toward you so be sure to act quick by either deflecting with your cape or maneuvering yourself out of the way | Right: The Liquidator is here
that game is recycled in Disney's Darkwing Duck. A good video game soundtrack on the whole. In charge of the sound programming was Yoshihiro Sakaguchi (who also worked on sound programming for the first two Rockman/Mega Man games, Disney's DuckTales, Senjō no Ōkami II/Mercs, Area 88/U.N. Squadron, and Breath of Fire) and the sound effects used in this game are all of a decent variety, such as the vroom of Darkwing Duck's motorbike he rides after defeating a foe and the happy jingle for whenever you acquire a helpful item.
Screengrabbed while watching LongplayArchive's TurboGrafx-16 Disney's Darkwing Duck playthrough on YouTube
There was another video game adaptation of Disney's Darkwing Duck during the series' run in 1992 as an exclusive North American release on the NEC TurboGrafx-16 console, one of only two Disney licenses in the system along with Disney's TaleSpin, developed by Radiance Software and Interactive Designs. It ended up faring the better out of the two but was nonetheless still negatively received by many who had played it due to its problematic structure, unpolished gameplay, lackluster visual aesthetic, and Rod Nakamoto's repetitious music. I feel so sorry for TurboGrafx-16 owners, not one quality Disney title to its name.
Screengrabbed while watching Stealth's Darkwing Duck Demo gameplay video on YouTube
In 2018, the developer Headcannon (one of the firms who assisted Christian Whitehead in creating Sonic Mania) as well as comic writer Aaron Sparrow and comic artist James Silvani were working on a concept for a sequel to the Nintendo 8-bit game which they hoped to propose to Capcom, being partially influenced by WayForward Technologies' DuckTales: Remastered (the remake of the 1989 NES game). After having presented them a short prototype, Capcom appeared to show interest in Headcannon's sequel but Disney was less than willing. Sadly it got cancelled but is available to play as freeware in its current state.
Left: Choose another city to go to | Right: Pull on the to lower the chain, then while you've still got time hang onto said chain to ride up and reaching a higher segment
When I was a kid back when I lived in Italy, I remember watching some episodes of Darkwing Duck (on TV if not on VHS) and finding it entertaining, eventually catching up with more episodes that were shown on the channel formerly known as Toon Disney after moving to Texas in 2002. I had no idea until I got a little older that there even was a video game for it, but I wouldn't consider looking into Disney's Darkwing Duck until the Summer of 2023 for the Game Boy. On a general basis, Capcom have proven to have a good track record when it comes to adapting shows that aired during "The Disney Afternoon" like they
Left: Hanging onto a chain | Right: Securely shielding himself from that aggressive rat basketball player
did with the Nintendo 8-bit Disney's DuckTales and Nintendo 16-bit Goof Troop/Gūfii to Makkusu - Kaizoku Shima no Daibōken, and so too have I found that they have done a good job with this license in particular. Whenever Capcom's adaptation of the hit show gets brought up, it almost always gets likened to the Rockman/Mega Man franchise, and for good cause. Outside of the fact that both properties share the same developer, Disney's Darkwing Duck was created on a modified engine based on the fifth main installment and in terms of
Left: Hanging on to a beam while scaling upward | Right: "You've dismantled my machine, now you've forced my hand! I'm going to fix you real good!"
core gameplay it feels cut from the same cloth: Darkwing Duck is the Blue Bomber generally known as Rockman/Mega an, his gas gun is the Mega Buster (but he cannot charge it) and can switch between weapons, Steelbeak is Dr. Wily, the villains employed by the F.O.W.L. organization are the Robot Masters, enemies have a knack for respawning after moving a little ahead and then backtracking to where you were, certain enemies operate in a vibe similar to some of the ones you'd face in the aforementioned franchise, occasionally defeated
Left: Shooting that foe in the back | Right: Be weary of genies popping up out of mysterious oil lamps who breathe fire at you, Robin Williams Genie would never do that
enemies will randomly drop helpful items, and it's not linear or preordained in terms of which order go through each level for you can select to go to the ones of your personal choice in any order you wish. Now that's not to say that things play out in the exact same manner: for starters, Darkwing can duck and deflect projectiles by shielding his body with his cape, he doesn't take the powers of his foes after defeating them but he does occasionally come across the alternate gas weapon (for which you can only have one in tow) which has got limited
Left: Outside of genies, be especially weary of the presence of Arabian knights flying on magic carpets | Right: Give Megavolt a taste of his own medicine
ammunition compared to the normal one he uses, he can hang on to the bottom of specific platforms if not hooks and lamps as well as slide down thin platforms, firing in certain random spots will reveal a star-filled "go" sign which will take you to a brief bonus segment, and nobody blows up upon being completely drained of health so much as they exit offscreen in defeat--well, maybe one enemy in F.O.W.L.'s floating fortress might find themselves singed in flames after sustaining enough hits, but they'll come out fine albeit with less of an
Left: Take out that dog trapped in his doghouse in the forest | Right: Dispose of a bird to have them leave behind the occasional stolen treasure (if not something else entirely)
armor to protect them with this time. The controls are reasonably good and responsive, though you'll have to be mindful of your surroundings when you press down while hanging on to something because doing so will have you drop down (and if you do go through with that, you better be sure there is a platform or a ground for you to land on top of). Simply jumping onto a hangable structure will allow Darkwing to hang without issue, you can even jump up and inch yourself as close to the side of said hangable structure if you so choose. I
Left: Be prepared for oncoming bird enemies flying your way | Right: Mech armors controlled by mice
enjoyed and appreciated the multitude of gameplay scenarios this game presents to you: pulling on a switch to drop down a steppingstone to reach higher ground or lowering down a chain for you to reach, blocking knife-wielding enemies' knife throws with your cape and shooting with the gas gun once they open themselves up to attack, riding on a giant wheel across a bed of spikes, being careful not to touch banana peels lest you wish to be momentarily incapacitated, being given a choice hang jumping from lamp to lamp or
Left: Confronting Bushroot | Right: Bushroot commanding a branch to attack Darkwing on his behalf by tossing projectiles his way
pumping up a balloon just enough so that you get to ride it across, coming across a darkened sewer room that upon lighting it up by pulling a switch you reveal shadow lurking ahead of you, traversing through a forest while also roaming through waterfalls and at one point have to jump from drifting log to drifting log, and infiltrating the floating fortress at the end while overcoming obstacles big and small. The bosses all have simple patterns, but once you learn
Left: At last, Darkwing Duck has made it to F.O.W.L.'s floating fortress | Right: It's a cape off, it's a cape off
and memorize them they should be simple enough to defeat, though with specific villains you'll have to be careful of their assistants (like Quackerjack's Mr. Banana Brain who'll drop down banana peels and Bushroot's tree friend who'll toss a projectile toward where you were currently positioned on his command). I'm glad I looked into this game eventually, I like to
Left: Dropping down | Right: Firing at that enemy with an abnormally strong durability
think I would've liked it had I got to play it when I was younger (I was 13 in 2004 when I played Disney's DuckTales on the NES for the first time, and enjoyed that game quite a bit and still do as I get older; had I known about the existence of this game way back when, then maybe I would've liked it too), and on the whole I think it's a good licensed game.
Left: Finally appearing before Steelbeak, the mastermind of F.OW.L. | Right: Steel throw
Lasting roughly the span of half an hour (or longer depending how you play), Disney's Darkwing Duck is fun while it lasts and is another worthy installment of the Disney Capcom lineup of games, generally easy on the difficulty (if not manageable to play) though it may be, and it provides an endearingly fun alternative to the Rockman/Mega Man franchise. If you own a Game Boy or a Super Game Boy peripheral on your Nintendo 16-bit console, check it out, or there's the very recent Digital Eclipse compilation The Disney Afternoon Collection that features the NES version of it and the five other Disney Capcom NES games made during that time period if you're very curious. Let's get dangerous!
My Personal Score: 8.0/10
d(^-^)bTO EACH THEIR OWNd(^-^)b
● I took the video game screenshots for this game on July 2nd and I planned to start the review sometime on the following week (I wanted to let my latest review breathe, but perhaps I just didn't want to rush into this game with my words yet). However, Hurricane Beryl put a delay to those plans leaving my family and I without power for over a week (from July 8th to July 16th) so I had to start the review at a later date. We've been doing alright otherwise (I've never seen so much tree damage in the 22 years I've lived in Texas), it's just been super hot. I feel bad for those who were terribly affected by the hurricane.
● Not relevant to this game but at the start of this month (7/1/24), since I caught up with Disney's Wish the week prior, I decided to also catch up with the 2022 animated film Strange World on Disney+. The thing is, I completely forgot this movie existed (despite remembering finding the trailer interesting the one time I saw it back then, but I just ended up not watching it in theatres for whatever reason, and evidently not many people have either compared to the usual animated Disney film attendance)--so much so that I even misremembered its title as "Strange Planet" (😖)--until I saw a video on YouTube going over the references to classic Disney fare found in Wish. Anyway, Strange World was a fun movie, in my opinion, I liked the level of creativity and imaginativeness on display when Searcher Clade and his family ventured into the unknown (especially regarding the creature design, including Splat who was an amusing nonverbal side-character, it's got an impeccably selected cast (Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Gabrielle Union, Lucy Liu, wow! I could even pick up the actors' likenesses in their characters), Henry Jackman's music was good, I liked the action adventure pulp vibes, the characters were interesting and likable (Searcher was a compelling protagonist, I liked the side-plot of him trying to reconcile with his father Jaeger despite the initial clash and the occasional nightmare of his own son wanting to be more like his grandfather should he learn about him due to the trauma caused by his father walking out on his life due to a disagreement--though outside of that, Searcher appears to lead a perfectly happy life raising a family of his own and has made a name for himself in his own way, so good for him--and Searcher's son Ethan was also engaging as he loves his father but longs for adventure outside of the farm), and on the whole I'm glad I caught up with it. I'm sorry it didn't do that well at the box office. On another note, Searcher is 40?? 😲 That's eight years older than Milo was in Atlantis: The Lost Empire (which was 32)! ... Oh, why did my present age (33) have to be in-between the two...? 😣
Had to go handheld with my camera as I brought it close to my TV to capture the twinkle of the star's eye 🌟 If this bundle of stellar cuteness doesn't make cameo appearances in future Disney animated films I will riot--I'm joshing, of course, but seriously don't let the star from Wish fade away because of all the drubbing and flak the movie has been getting
AAAAAAHHHHHH, THE BEST WISH CHARACTER!!!!!!!!!! 🤩How apropos, honestly, in the end of the credits of Wish there's a stellar constellation forming the shape of the cameo of Splat from Strange World, and at the end of the credits for Strange World there's the cameo of the star from Wish which would come out the next year. It all comes full circle! 😄 I didn't remark on it when sharing my thoughts on Wish after the review of Virtual Studio's The Smurfs Travel the World, but I liked the new Disney logo (which I read was first used in Strange World) commemorating the company's century milestone with the new composition for this sequence done by Christophe Beck (excellent choice, love his music in the Frozen films, Peyton Reed's Ant-Man films, and in Blue Sky Studios' The Peanuts Movie, such a good composer in my opinion).
● Also off-topic, but Céline Dion did a very beautiful job singing Hymne à l'amour at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics recently.
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