QuackShot
Quackshot[a] is a platformer released for the Sega Genesis on December 19, 1991. It stars Donald Duck and his three nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie, as treasure-hunters.
The game was part of a series of games that Sega of America produced for its Sega Mega Drive/Genesis console systems based on Walt Disney cartoon characters that also includes Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse, Fantasia and World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Its 8-bit counterpart is The Lucky Dime Caper, released only for Sega Master System and Sega Game Gear.
The game was released along with Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse as part of Sega Ages: Mickey Mouse & Donald Duck collection, in 1998 for the Sega Saturn in Japan only.
Plotline
While Donald is flipping through some books in Uncle Scrooge's library, a treasure map from King Garuzia, the old-time ruler of the Great Duck kingdom, falls out. It leads to the king's most prized possession. Donald thinks this is his path to riches. Unfortunately Big Bad Pete overheard and pursues Donald throughout the game hoping to steal the treasure.
In the end, Donald enters the treasure vault, only to find a simple stone statue. He is disappointed, but Huey, Dewey and Louie accidentally break the statue, which reveals a golden jeweled necklace was hidden inside. Donald gives the necklace to Daisy and they take a ride in his plane together.
Gameplay
The player, as Donald, ventures through a variety of side-scrolling levels. Generally, each level is divided into an overland part and a dungeon (with the exception of Duckburg, the first level). Although the player may choose any order to play the overland sections, various obstacles prevent the player from entering the dungeons outside of a specific order. In addition to this some levels provide the player with vital clues which solve puzzles needed to progress in later sections, however these do not act like keys and once a player knows the puzzles there is no need for him to seek the clues in later playthroughs. Once Donald has completed the overland section of an area, he may leave by calling his nephews' biplane, and will return to the dungeon entrance of that area if the player chooses to return.
Donald is armed with an unlimited supply of yellow plungers by default, and will collect two upgrades during the game: he gets a red plunger from Goofy that stuns enemies and temporarily sticks at walls and can be used as a step before it falls off, and a green plunger (given to him by the Viking Captain after defeating the ghost on the ship) which also allows him to hitch himself to birds flying overhead. Donald is also equipped with a special gun with limited ammo that shoots popcorn or bubblegum at enemies and wipes them out as opposed to simply stunning them. Donald can collect popcorn and gum along the way or get the latter from Gyro Gearloose.
There is a scroll that holds a combination, a key that will open a door, a diary that will give you more information, a sceptre, a jewelled tear, among other tokens you will need in order to go further.
Setting
There are three basic locations on the game-map at the beginning of the game:
- Duckburg: This is the the easiest level on the game and an introduction to the gameplay. It has 3 sections being the last one a ride on telephone poles to get the bubblegum gun from Gyro at the end of it.
- Mexico: The Mexico level has 3 sections, being the second one made mainly of platforms and the third one is inside the Ruins, where Donald gets the red plunger from Goofy. The ruins level must be done twice.
- Transylvania: This level has the forest and Dracula's castle sections. Outside the castle, you must avoid bats and water areas, while inside the castle you avoid mostly ghosts and skeletons. The Transylvania level is the first one to introduce a boss on the game.
However, after these are completed, four more locations are unlocked:
- Viking ship: In this level, the main enemies are vikings that come out of the barrels and can only be defeated when they are raised. Later, you find the viking Captain, that gives you access to the lower area of the ship if you have the key. The Viking ghost awaits on the final part.
- Egypt: The Egypt level has two completely different sections. When you first start, you will be walking on the desert, between quick sands and rocks. In the end, you will enter a pyramid that is full of traps and you must crack the combination to avoid getting killed.
- Maharajah (India): In this level, you find your way to the Maharajah's palace avoiding snake enchanters. Inside of the palace, Donald will find himself trapped in a maze, where the right exit leads to the tiger boss.
- South Pole: The South Pole level is one of the hardest ones on the game. The first part can be easy, but it gets harder later on. You avoid penguins and whales, while jumping on ice platforms and avoiding landing on the cold water. In the end, Pete steals the viking diary from Donald.
The last two listed below are unlocked after beating the South Pole:
- Pete's Gang Hideout: After Donald finds the gang's hideout, he must fight with Pete to get the viking diary back.
- The Island: This is the last level on the game. The start is very similar to the gang hideout, but later you will enter the ruins where the treasure is and things get complicated there: traps, spears, flames and disappearing blocks make your way to the final boss.
Characters
The following well-known Disney characters appear in the game:
- Donald Duck (the main character of the game)
- Huey, Duey and Louie (they fly Donald's plane)
- Goofy (is inside the temple in Mexico, he gives you the Red Plunger and a note that shows a code to a trap in Egypt)
- Gyro Gearloose (is on the other side of a power-rail in Duckburg, gives you the Bubblegum Gun and refills your stock of bubblegum at every visit)
- Pete (the enemy of this game, the boss--but his henchman look just like him)
- Shere Khan (the tiger that Donald faces in India)
- Scrooge McDuck (sleeps in a chair in the prologue)
- Daisy Duck (appears in the prologue and ending of the game)
- Mickey Mouse (appears on a balloon in the second area of Duckburg)
- Kaa (the hypnotic snake from "The Jungle Book", a secondary henchman on "The Treasure Island")
Enemies
This is the complete list of all enemies/hazards on the game.
- Pete's henchman: they work for Pete and are the most common enemies on the game. They can be found on every level except the last one. Their weapons vary depending on which level there in. For example, in Duckburg they have weapons that fire tomatoes, while in Transylvania, they fire green blobs.
- Pete's Parrots: these are often found flying in the air and dropping bombs on Donald. They can be useful to carry you from a place to another using the green plunger.
- Pot throwers: these enemies are only found on Duckburg. Has the name says, they throw pots from windows. They cannot be defeated.
- Turtles: these boxing turtles can only be defeated while they are running. If they see Donald, they will hide inside their shelf. They are also common on the game.
- Caterpillars: only found on Duckburg. They come out of trash cans.
- Megaphones: found only in Duckburg.
- Cactus: the cactus appear only in Mexico and they explode if Donald gets to close.
- Scorpions: these scorpions throw plates above their heads.
- Flames: these fireballs are common on the ruin levels. They cannot be defeated and each one has a different move pattern. They can come out of the floor or form a circle to block your way.
- Fuse boxes: the fuse boxes appear on the second section of the Mexico level. When Donald walks through them, it activates an explosion. Just jump to avoid it.
- Face blocks: these green blocks with a face on them can be useful to get to a place where Donald cant reach, but remember to immobilize them first!
- Aztecs: they are found in the ruins of Mexico and they throw fireballs at you. They can jump to but cant reach hight places.
- Bats: the bats appear on the Transylvania level. They are often hidden and come out of nowhere.
- Skeletons: only found of Transylvania. The skeletons come out of coffins and throw their head at Donald.
- Ghosts: the ghosts cannot be defeated. They usually appear when you least expect by making a sound.
- Fat ghost: a ghost that turns into many small ghosts. Cant be defeated.
- Ghost boxes: they are found only in the underwater part of the Transylvania level. They cannot be defeated.
- Giant iron ball: like the ghost boxes, they cannot be defeated.
- Snake enchanters: found only in the Maharajah level. They let their snakes attack Donald and it takes at least 4 plungers to immobilize them.
- Egyptian Pete henchman: this enemy comes out of the sands on the Egypt level.
- Egyptian warriors: they are found inside the pyramid and throw fireballs at you.
- Giant fireball: this big fireball chases Donald on the pyramid level.
- Vikings: these enemies are found on the viking ship and can only be defeated when they are out of their barrel of by shooting a bubblegum at it. They attack with arrows.
- Penguin: despite looking "cute" they work for Pete. Obviously, they are only found in the South Pole level. When the penguins see Donald, they will dive towards him.
- Whale: cant be defeated. It pops out of the water when Donald is jumping between ice blocks.
- Otter(Sea Lion): this enemy can destroy ice blocks and can be useful to not waste bubblegum ammo.
- Big Pete: it looks like a giant Pete henchmen. It can be defeated but it takes a lot of plungers, corn or bubblegum to do the job.
- Snakes: unlike the snakes from the enchanters, these drop from the ceilings.
- Piranhas: they jump out of the water to bite Donald.
- Jumping Face Blocks: jumping versions of the face blocks. They cannot be defeated and arent useful to reach somewhere.
- Wax Ducks: these moving wax statues are found only in the last level. They can be hard to defeat because they use their shield to block attacks. They appear out of nowhere and can form swarms if you don't kill them quickly.
- Spikes, fire/water pits, voids etc..." these are just natural dangers in the game.
Indiana Jones References
Quackshot contains several references to the Indiana Jones series:
- The title uses the same typographic style as the Indiana Jones title.
- Donald wears the same clothes as Jones.
- Pete is dressed in a manner similar to René Belloq.
- The game's minecart sequence in is similar to a chase scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
- The room before the last boss alludes to one of the ending scenes in the last Indiana Jones movie, The Last Crusade (The "Leap Of Faith")
- Donald fights a knight in the end of the game; Jones meets one at the end of The Last Crusade. The two are very similar in appearance.
Notes and references
- a^ : Released as Quackshot: I Love Donald Duck−Georgia King's Treaure (Quackshot - アイ ラブ ドナルド ダック - グルジア王の秘宝) in Japan.