By comparison, Glomgold just stealing a few gold trinkets from Scrooge seems positively tame. Never mind that it’s Scrooge that’s running around the world like a grave robber, stealing priceless artifacts from primitives and bludgeoning the local wildlife (many of which are endangered species) to death with his cane. Glomgold is the villain because he has an evil beard, I guess. But a game where you play as a multi-billionaire who caves in the skulls of gorillas to earn an extra couple bucks to throw onto the pile (literally) is acceptable children’s entertainment. If some evil corporation wanted to bulldoze the rainforest and make gorillas go extinct, there would be worldwide outrage. Wasn’t picketing rich assholes who treated their employees with disdain and kept all the wealth to themselves a thing not too long ago? This thing that gamers have been salivating over for months now. And yet, Scrooge is somehow portrayed as the good guy in this thing. In the game, you even get an achievement for partaking in this selfish, narcissistic pastime. He lives in a mansion that has a giant silo filled with money that he swims in. He talks down to his loyal employees, calling them countless variations of “stupid” and occasionally making fun of his maid’s girth. Burns that practically has an orgasm with every new gem you pick up. Scrooge McDuck is an utterly unlikable tightwad. The worst part is during the end credits when, spoiler alert, Scrooge offers to buy the boys an ice cream cone.
This is what happens when old people with too much money end up with too much free time. One whose net-worth is no more than $4,999,999.99 less than Scrooge’s. Now, since Scrooge McDuck is established as a billionaire, that means Glomgold is likely one too. After beating the five main stages of the game and collecting ancient treasures, Scrooge McDuck’s rival, Flintheart Glomgold (couldn’t have sounded more evil if his name was Adolf Stalin Jong Pot III), steals them from you and declares himself the richest duck in the world. Woo-hoo indeed.DuckTales: Remastered is a game about two billionaires squabbling over five million dollars worth of junk. Though DuckTales Remastered might not live up to its esteemed precursor in every single regard, it surpasses it in others, and ends up incredibly fun on the whole. Whether you’re a Disney devotee, a retro enthusiast, or just a fan of well-crafted platformers, there’s plenty to enjoy.
Topping off the package are tons of unlockables-concept drawings, character sketches, artwork from the TV show, and more-that extend the game’s lifespan beyond the couple of hours it’ll take you to reach the ending.
If you’re feeling really old-school, you can opt to play the game with the original NES tracks instead the game even features all-new 8-bit-style music for the vault and Mt. Sure, the moon theme has always been a favorite, so its quality is to be expected, but the other tunes are equally irresistible, particularly Transylvania and the African mines. DuckTales has always had a catchy soundtrack, but composer Jake Kaufman has gone above and beyond with some astoundingly good remixes. Meanwhile, the music is absolutely superb. (Scrooge’s dive into his money bin looks especially nifty.) The polygonal environments aren’t nearly as impressive, but they get the job done. The high-res, redrawn character sprites look every bit as good as an actual Disney cartoon, boasting amazing attention to detail and WayForward’s trademark top-notch animation. No matter which version you play, though, you’ll be treated to excellent graphics and sound. ".veteran players will be quick to notice that numerous changes have been made to the levels."