A couple of weeks ago, publisher Capcom removed Ducktales Remastered from the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, Wii U eShop and Steam with only two days notice and without any real explanation as to why. Except for the Steam version, the price of the game did drop in order to sell more copies. However, it's now much more difficult to obtain.
Luckily, Ducktales Remastered was released on disc, so physical copies are available online, though as time goes on, it's going to be more and more difficult to find. The original version of Ducktales is readily available on The Disney Afternoon Collection, a collection with six older games based on Disney cartoons. So with all this in mind, is it worth it to find a copy of Ducktales Remastered?
Rewriting History
Let's go back to the original. If you are going to play the original Ducktales, the Disney Afternoon Collection is the way to go. The original version of this game is very difficult. Even with multiple difficulty settings, the game is unforgiving, with constantly respawning enemies, a low amount of health and lots of hazards. The pogo maneuver also seems difficult to keep going. You need to keep the directional pad held down, down-left, or down-right in order to keep pogo-ing. Holding the attack button isn't enough, which is strange as it doesn't do anything else on its own.
The remastered version on the other hand has no problem keeping the pogo maneuver going. Simply holding the attack button is all you need to keep bouncing. This makes it much more reliable, which is very important when you use it to get across a spiked ground. The remastered version also has an additional opening level that will help you learn the controls. Seeing as it was made with current day game design in mind, the remaster is also much easier than the original. You have more life, and there are a lot more health items to find. The game also has an in-game map for each stage, which can be useful as this game adds additional challenges to some of the levels.
One downfall to the remaster is the game gives the characters voices. The voices are done by the original voice actors of the 1980s cartoon, and they're done well. However, they interrupt the game far too often. Thankfully, you can skip them, but they are a nuisance.
Conclusion
Ducktales Remastered upgrades the original game in many ways. Most important of all these changes however, is making the gameplay much more solid than it was in the original. If you like the old school aesthetic, the original might appeal to you more but the remaster is a fun if simple reinterpretation. It's a short game, so getting it at a lower price now would be the smart thing to do.