![]() ![]() We wanted to be more stimulated than we were. For an Xbox game, when you’ve got so many options at your disposal, and you’re playing because you have some dedicated time to lose yourself, Duck Life Adventure just isn’t a snug fit. On mobile that would make sense, as your inputs are limited and you’re generally snatching a game while on the crapper, or waiting on a bus. ![]() But Duck Life Adventure is at pains to ensure that every game is automated and/or a one-button experience. That’s not to immediately dismiss mobile games, as some of the best of the year have come from that platform (Grindstone has swallowed more hours than I’d care to count). There are a couple of major reasons for that, and I couldn’t get out from under their shadow.ĭuck Life Adventure can’t help but feel like a mobile game. For a newbie like me, though, the experience was… a bit underwhelming, really. We suspect that a lot of this will feel familiar to Duck Life veterans, while some mechanics are new to the franchise. You’ll need to master all of your skills to get to new areas, with some requiring the defeat of a Gym-like baddie at a Battle and Race. A Yugi Muto-looking duck also crops up in villages, offering you games of chance in exchange for the jelly coins you get from quests and a few other sources. You might have to gather ingredients or steal a gem from a mansion, and they’re welcome diversions. There’s some other stuff around the edges, as the various hats, weapons and clothes give you elemental benefits and stat boosts in Battles, while quests give you some nice flavourful things to do in the vicinity. The difficulty curve on the Races and Battles is so steep that you have to level up, as you’ll be losing after the second or third encounter. That in turn improves your duckling, so that you can actually start winning the various Races and Battles scattered about. You’re chucked into various casual games, and are rewarded with XP and levels for persisting with them. You can amp up your stamina and speed in Races, for example, and decrease the time it takes after taking a fall. These skills have a dual use, as they allow you to access parts of the world map, like a Cut or Surf HM in Pokemon, but they also improve you in some facet of the Battles or Races. It’s at this point that you realise that you are in a reasonably dense RPG, as each level goes up to 50, and there are various skills to train, like Jumping, Swimming, Strength and Health. In most towns there is a training dojo, and it’s here that you can raise one of your duckling’s many stats. This carves a chunk out of your stamina, and running out means that the lazy reprobate just falls asleep and you lose. Managing your stamina becomes essential.Īfter your first couple of Battles and Races, it becomes clear that your duck must be more try-hard than mallard, so improvements need to be made. You can chuck in those power-ups again, but you can also press A to boost. The Races are similarly automated, with your duckling merrily navigating a course of obstacles. You can toss in a power-up or time a press of the A button so you generate a critical hit, but that’s it. ![]() Battles are automated and JRPG-style, where you’ll hit each other until someone falls over. The series hasn’t deviated for 13 years, and it’s not going to start now.īut instead of calling on your squad of electric rats, you’re participating yourself. You might make the justified assumption that it’s been made in a week with some dusty old Clip Art, but the shoddy art style is kind of the point. While it’s certainly accessible for kids to play, it has depth and ambitions that almost take it into RPG areas. Looking at screenshots, you’re probably under the illusion that this is a shallow game for kids. ![]() If you’re one of those who hasn’t come to a Duck Life game before, well, there’s a lot to unpack. It’s just been padded out with the Zelda-like joys of filling out a world map and unlocking paths to new regions. The basics of the series are still there – you’re levelling up individual stats so that you can refine your performance in the game’s Battles and Races. You are free to explore, moving from town to town from an isometric viewpoint, which is a huge step up from the 2D screens you’re used to. While the Flash game visuals are still there, the Duck Life formula has been applied to an extremely Pokemon-like game world. If you’re one of those who has been exposed to the Duck Life games, this represents a bit of a glow-up. ![]()
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