In 2013, Capcom released a remastered version of its 1989 NES classic DuckTales to the Wii U eShop and Playstation 3 Store, as well as on Steam.
Later on, versions were released for Xbox Live Arcade and mobile devices. Then, in August 2019, the game was removed from all digital storefronts for reasons that have not been officially declared by any involved parties. Now, as of March 2020, DuckTales: Remastered has returned to all of the online stores through which it was first available.
The original DuckTales, though licensed from the Disney cartoon, was a bona fide hit. During the NES era, not only were licensed games not yet a sure indicator of lack of quality, but Disney-licensed games were usually pretty well-received. Quite possibly the crowning achievement of the original DuckTales is "The Moon Theme," the in-game background music for its space level.
Ducktales: Remastered was an attempt to revisit the magic of a game from an era when playable Disney adventures were special and not perfunctory. While the gameplay and level design were essentially untouched, cosmetically, the original was more-or-less fully made over for its re-release. Chunky 8-bit sprites were replaced with hand-drawn cartoon-y characters, and the soundtrack was re-recorded with fuller and higher-definition arrangements. Voice-acted dialog was also added in, featuring the cast of the original Disney cartoon.
Enjoyment of DuckTales: Remastered is contingent upon players' tolerance for classic NES-era difficulty. Since the gameplay of the original was barely touched, venturing into digital Duckburg for the first time may quickly become an exercise in patience for those accustomed the luxuries of modern day gaming.
Now seems like as good a time as ever for Capcom to bring the DuckTales game back into the zeitgeist. The revamped DuckTales cartoon, featuring the voices of David Tennant, Kate Micucci, Ben Schwartz and other modern-day comedy stars, has been confirmed for a third season (though its release date has yet to be announced). Currently, its two existing seasons, the second of which concluded in September of 2019, are streaming on Disney+. Fans of the show are already well-familiar with "The Moon Theme," which serves as the tune of an emotional lullaby written by the duck-kids' absent mother.
DuckTales: Remastered is now, once again, available digitally for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii U and on Steam.
Source: Capcom