The classic retro video game DuckTales for the NES has been ported over to the SNES by a skilled romhacker.
The particular romhacker in question is one that should be familiar to Retro Dodo readers. It is our friend Infidelity NES, who brought us the amazing Super Mario Bros 3+ project.
And it would seem that he is back at it again, this time bringing over a classic NES game to the SNES console. Which means lots of room for awesome quality of life improvements and technical enhancements.
Let’s take a look!
DuckTales (1989)
Surely if you are a fan of retro video games and spent any amount of time in the NES library, then you know DuckTales as one of the best NES games of all time.
This 1989 classic title for the original Nintendo Entertainment System was one of the most unique and exciting platforming experiences available at the time.
It also shared a lot in common with the Mega Man series due to both franchises having development team members in common.
Like the early Mega Man titles on NES, DuckTales was silky smooth, colorful, had unique level designs, great controls, and could be played in a non-linear way.
This was absolutely one of my favorite games on the NES, and one that I still adore to this day. And it would seem that Infidelity shares those sentiments.
“[DuckTales is] a childhood favorite of mine, was always going to port this. I port because it’s fun for me.”
– Infidelity NES
DuckTales SNES (2023)
The list of games previously ported to the SNES by Infidelity includes The Legend of Zelda and Mega Man II. Clearly this guy knows the best of the best from that early Nintendo era.
And we saw in his Super Mario Bros 3+ project just how incredible his romhacking work is.
But what exactly does it mean to port a game from the NES to the SNES? Well, I won’t claim to know about all the technical details.
But you’re essentially upgrading the source code of an NES title and making it playable on the SNES, which also opens up some exciting options for visual and performance enhancements.
Infidelity has specified in Twitter comments that his port will make use of the HiROM technology, which means that the game has double the data bank to pull from.
The port will also feature the remastered soundtrack from 2013 using the MSU1 processor that enables playback of CD quality lossless audio (this addition coming in August).
A quick test on the beta version resulted in an obvious increase in vibrancy and clarity, from my own experience. The screenshots above really don’t do it justice, this game pops on the SNES.
If you’ve ever wanted to play an enhanced and perfected version of the original NES classic, but are not a fan of remakes or remasters… then this might be the definitive way to play DuckTales.
How To Get It
The best way to follow the DuckTales SNES project is to check out Infidelity’s Twitter account. He is also active on there and responds to most comments about it.
The game is available in beta form right now to his Patreon subscribers. And will be released on July 28th to everybody else.
I grabbed my copy on Patreon for $5, and I recommend you support independent artists if you can. These small contributions help keep awesome projects like this coming.
Once again, independent developers doing the retro god’s work for free. And we salute you for all you do!
