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Darkwing Duck is a platforming game released for the NES, based on the Disney Afternoon television show of the same name.

The game was later collected along with the other Disney Afternoon NES games in the 2017 compilation game The Disney Afternoon Collection, which was released for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One... but ironically, not on any Nintendo consoles.

Plot[]

Acting on intelligence from S.H.U.S.H., Darkwing Duck faces various villains terrorizing the city of St. Canard with the support of F.O.W.L.

  • Quackerjack interferes with construction on the Audobon Bay Bridge.
  • Wolfduck and his minions terrorize the city center.
  • The Liquidator takes control of the sewers.
  • Bushroot attacks the nearby woods.
  • Megavolt leads a crime spree on the wharfs.
  • Professor Moliarty sets up an evil invention on St. Canard Tower.
  • Finally, Darkwing boards a F.O.W.L. ocean vessel to confront Steelbeak.

Gameplay[]

The game was made by slightly tweaking Mega Man 5, and thus has incredibly similar gameplay and other features. The player is first given a crime scene to investigate, and Launchpad flies to that area. The main game, like Mega Man, is a simple sidescroller. Darkwing Duck gathers gems and gold for points, while killing enemies with his gas gun (albeit shooting pellets, much like Mega Man). Weapons can be chosen from a subscreen, also like Mega Man. There is one checkpoint per level, and one boss per crime scene.

Another feature resemblant of Mega Man is that Darkwing drops from the sky (presumably from the Thunderquack), much like how Mega Man teleports to the ground.

Reception[]

The game has been considered an example of the quality Disney games produced by Capcom. The game was received well by critics.

In the Super Power Club bonus supplement in Nintendo Power V44, the NES version was ranked #2 in the Top 10 NES Games of 1992. The Game Boy version would later be ranked #3 in the Top 5 Game Boy Games of 1993, printed in Volume 56's bonus supplement.

A reviewer for a Nintendo Magazine System UK noted that the Game Boy version of a game is different from "rest of the potboiler platformers gracing the Gameboy", and is "entertaining and varied". Entertainment Weekly gave the game a B and noted the similarities between the game and the Mega Man series. Nintendo Power ranked Darkwing Duck the third best Game Boy game of 1993.

Trivia[]

  • The NES game was featured on the cover of Nintendo Power V36.
  • The game is considered to be relatively rare.
  • The variation of Darkwing's "terror that flaps in the night" catchphrase that appears in the game's intro was originally used in the TV episode "That Sinking Feeling".

External links[]

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