PixlBit

The Canadian version is Goin' Quakers

Licenced games can be a real crapshoot, but surprisingly enough, this one didn't make me go quackers. I'm not very familiar with Disney or Donald Duck in particular, but this game turned out to be decent enough by its own merits.

During the brief introduction sequence, the girl duck, forget her name, is duck-napped by some mysterious wizard named Merlock. Some cheeky duck named Gladstone vows to rescue her, which makes Donald angry as he wants to be the hero here. A professor duck, forget his name too, explains to Donald that his teleporter isn't powerful enough to send Donald to the girl's location, and he must plant range boosters in a few convenient places around the world in order for him to reach his girl. It went something like that at least, I wasn't paying that much attention, to be honest. Surprisingly, the intro features actual voices, and despite the muffled sound quality, it sounds like it may be the legit voice actors as well.

The professor's lab has teleporters to the game's four worlds. Once in the world hub, any of the four normal stages can be chosen, and the boss portal will open once the boss token is collected from the four stages. There are also three toys to find in each level, which will unlock a special stage after they are all retrieved. There doesn't appear to be any indication of an intended order, so it's fortunate that the first level I chose happened to be the one with all the tutorials. Not that the game would have been all that difficult to figure out, but I like to have my hand held. Feels warm.

Donald's set of moves is limited and pretty standard for a platformer. Aside from the prerequisite jump, he can also jump once more from the air, a welcome move for the tricky platform sections of the later stages and the occasional collision detection hiccup. His other move is a punch to defeat enemies, or a kick if he's airborne, though most enemies can also be defeated by jumping on them. The one and only powerup is what looks like an ice cream shake, which heals Donald and sets him off into a punching frenzy for a few seconds, increasing his running speed. It isn't a terribly useful powerup since it doesn't make Donald invincible, and so it's mostly good for the heal.

If Donald takes one hit, he grows angry and throws a fit for a few seconds, defeating any enemies in his path, including whatever touched him. His mood will then change, and he will slump his stance with an annoyed look, stomping around when he walks. His punches will be wilder, and his jump more frenzied. He isn't unlike me if I don't get my morning tea. If he takes another hit when he's ticked, he'll “pass out” as the game puts it, and have to retry from the last checkpoint reached. He can return to his normal state by grabbing the aforementioned ice cream shake, or completing the level.

The game features three types of stages. Each world has two stages with a rearview camera, following Donald around from behind, and is a straight path forward. The other two normal stages are strictly 2D in design, where Donald can move only left/right and jump up/down. These are the least interesting of the stages, as there's very rarely anything to add depth to them, such as winding passageways or objects popping out of the background. The level designs for either kind is relatively simple, and doesn't go beyond basic enemies that move back and forth, stationary objects that must be avoided, and moving platforms over pits.

The special stage for each world has Donald fleeing from a giant enemy of some kind, such as a grizzly bear in the forest stage and a car in the city level. The biggest challenge in these stages is that Donald runs towards the camera, which reminds me of Blues Brothers 2000 in the worst way. Not that any memory of that game would be a good one, but the worst of it is really saying something. It isn't a bad design concept, it just needs a different perspective for it to not feel cheap.

Completing the bonus stage unlocks Gladstone's challenges for the world, which involve beating each stage again within a certain time limit. This isn't a bad way to stretch the game's content, and it adds a little more challenge as there isn't much time for mistakes. Completing all four time trials will unlock a new outfit for Donald, which is nothing but a visual change, but hey, even a duck's gotta look snazzy. Unsurprisingly, none of his outfits have any trousers.

There isn't really anything special about Goin' Quackers, but there's nothing broken about it either. It's a simple game that doesn't overstay its welcome, but it has some decent variety and charm. Fans of Disney or the character would probably find some enjoyment inside the game, but those simply looking for a retro platformer would do well to try others before this one. After the greats have been experienced however, this isn't a bad choice to turn to for something new.