P-Vock's Music Box: Woo-oo!

Hello and welcome to P-Vock's Music Box. There used to be a day in which studios pumped out games based on television shows and movies as often as they did their own games. TMNT, Ghostbusters, Spider-Man, The Simpsons, and so many more properties had some genuinely iconic games. In honour of capitalism being a disgrace, let's slip on some duck slippers and jump into the golden pool as we embrace the classic show, Ducktales.

You wouldn't imagine that a show about a rich duck would also be the source for a phenomenal video game, but Capcom was there in the late '80s to deliver on so poultry-based goodness. So, let's start with the title theme that will definitely sound familiar to anyone who ever watched this wonderfully stupid show.

I wasn't very alive when this show was in its heyday and this game was released (I just watched old VHS tapes and watched whatever reruns came on TV which rarely happened), so I can't be sure of this, but I feel like this is the kind of title theme kids in the 80s would just let play and hum along in their own horribly offkey way. I really don't know how much more I can say about this because it's the Ducktales theme. As someone who just loves biterized music, hearing a song I know so well to be converted to the chunky soundfont of the NES is just egg-xactly what I like to hear.

But alright, hearing only one song from the show that this game brought into glorious 8-bit majesty may leave some people feeling fowl, so let me drop the most iconic beat of this wonderful sidescroller.

Yep, that's it. If you asked me to find music that perfectly captures the vibe of ducks being on the moon, this would be it. For as amazing as NES music can be, it is rarely atmospheric. It's usually kinetic and bouncy, which perfectly captures the frantic difficulty or arcade-y experience of most titles available on the console. But this manages to have the drive and motivation of a platformer level while also being pretty damn atmospheric (pun intended, as all of my puns are). This track, just the game, is just fun and pleasant.

Licensed games have a major uphill battle of capturing the vibe of their source material while also being a good game. Most licensed games fail tremendously at one of these two aspects, but not this quacking good time of a game. Capcom's beloved Ducktales game is certainly a damn fun platformer, but also captures the whimsical nature of the show it draws inspiration from effortlessly.

But alright. That's about enough waddling, I'll set you free now. I hope your weekend is filled with good times with good people, no evil witches, and maybe a wannabe-action hero pilot guy. I'll catch you right back here next time with another suggestion from my Music Box. Stay Brutal!

PS. So, the Ducktales game did get a remaster, and so did the music. Enjoy, and Woo-oo!