Darkwing Duck

About Darkwing Duck

Darkwing Duck (1992) is Capcom's NES platformer based on the Disney cartoon, a Mega Man-like game in which the caped crimefighter takes on six villains hired by F.O.W.L. to terrorise St. Canard.

Darkwing Duck in Depth

A mysterious crime wave hits St. Canard, and S.H.U.S.H. calls in the caped crimefighter Darkwing Duck, since F.O.W.L. and its operative Steelbeak appear to be behind it. They have hired six of Darkwing's greatest foes to wreak havoc in different parts of the city: The Liquidator, Megavolt, Dr. Reginald Bushroot and Quackerjack of the Fearsome Five, plus Professor Moliarty and Wolfduck, an original character created for the game. Darkwing must subdue them all to find Steelbeak and save the city.

A platformer with several elements similar to Capcom's Mega Man series, it lets the player choose from three stages at the start, with three more becoming available afterwards, and once all six are cleared Darkwing heads to F.O.W.L.'s Floating Fortress for a final showdown with Steelbeak. He starts with a standard Gas Gun and can collect Thunder, Heavy and Arrow gas, each using different amounts of ammunition and working differently. Only one special gas can be held at a time, a new pick-up replacing the old, and Select switches between it and the standard gas. Pressing up makes Darkwing deflect certain projectiles with his cape.

Making Darkwing Duck

Capcom developed and published it for the NES in North America in June 1992, based on the Disney animated series, followed by a Game Boy version in February 1993. It was well received: Nintendo Magazine System UK called the Game Boy version "entertaining and varied", unlike the "potboiler platformers" on the system. The NES version later appeared in The Disney Afternoon Collection for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.