Software:Deep Duck Trouble Starring Donald Duck

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Short description: 1993 video game
Deep Duck Trouble Starring Donald Duck
North American and European cover art
Developer(s)Aspect
Publisher(s)Sega
Composer(s)Saori Kobayashi
Platform(s)Master System, Game Gear
ReleaseGame Gear
  • JP: December 17, 1993
  • NA: 1993
  • EU: January 1994[1]
Master System
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Deep Duck Trouble Starring Donald Duck, known in Japan as Script error: The function "nihongo_foot" does not exist. is a 1993 platform game developed by Aspect and published by Sega for the Game Gear and Master System. Based on the Walt Disney Company's Donald Duck franchise, the game follows the titular anthropomorphic duck as he goes on a journey to save his uncle from a mysterious curse making him inflate like a balloon.

The gameplay consists of the player going through five linear side-scrolling levels, each broken into two parts, with the goal is to reach a treasure at the end. Many of the gameplay mechanics have similarities to previous licensed Disney video games.

Gameplay

Donald Duck, the player character, kicking a box at a python enemy in Jungle Stage Area 2. The upper left corner of the screen displays how many lives ("tries") the player has left. The bottom left corner displays how much health the player currently has.

Deep Duck Trouble is a 2D side-scrolling platform game in which the player controls Donald Duck. The game is reminiscent of both DuckTales (video game) and Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse, as the two games share similar gameplay elements with the former.

The game has a total of five courses which, excluding the final course, can be completed in any order the player chooses. The player selects their course through a level select on a map. The majority of gameplay takes place in 2D side-scrolling linear levels, containing obstacles, enemies and assorted platforming challenges, which involve traversing the stage by running, jumping, dodging or defeating enemies. Each level is split up into two areas, each a branching part of the same core stage.[2] At the end of stages a boss battle will occur and if the boss is defeated A treasure can be collected to then end the level. The player starts the game with three lives (referred to in the game as tries), which are lost if Donald's health is fully depleted; additional lives can be earned or regained through life-ups found sparingly throughout stages. If all the players lives are lost the game ends, although the player can choose to continue their game back on the level select screen by selecting "Continue".[3]

Donald's primary means of attacking enemies are by jumping on them or kicking a box at them.[4] Certain boxes, modeled as a treasure chest, contain power-ups such as health-ups, items that increase your score or a chili pepper power-up, which automatically makes Donald run forward, destroying any enemies or boxes that it come across for a limited time.

Plot

On an uncharted island, a priceless golden amulet was hidden away and forgotten about until Scrooge McDuck comes across an old map stating the location of it. Scrooge sets off on a treasure hunt to the island where he finds the amulet in a shrine and brings it back home with him. However, the amulet is secretly cursed so when he returns he inflates like a balloon. After seeing Scrooge's condition, Huey, Dewey and Louie call Donald for assistance. When Donald arrives he is informed about the problem from his nephews and Scrooge who asks that he return the amulet to the island in order to undo the curse. Donald accepts and before he sets off on his journey is given Scrooge's adventure diary as a means of assistance.

Donald arrives on the island via boat and realizes, through an entry in Scrooge's adventure diary, that he must collect four treasures and cast them into a sacred lake in order for the shrine to reveal itself. Donald does just that and the shrine reveals itself from the lake. Donald goes into the shrine and, after dealing with the trails within, returns the amulet back to its original place. After Donald places the amulet back a crown appears before him; without hesitation he takes it back home with him. Upon returning home Donald learns that the curse has been lifted and Scrooge is back to his old self. When Scrooge learns that Donald had taken the crown back with him he scolds Donald telling him that the crown is likely to be cursed just like the amulet. The game ends with Donald in the same predicament as Scrooge was and Scrooge, Huey, Dewey and Louie walking off into the sunset with Donald in tow ready to go on another adventure back to the island to help with Donald's curse.

Release

In February 21, 2001, Majesco announced plans to re-release Deep Duck Trouble alongside a re-launch of the Game Gear system, with both releasing later that same year.[5][6][7]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
Master SystemSGG
EGMN/A8/10, 8/10, 7/10,
7/10, 7/10[8]
Jeuxvideo.com14/20[2]N/A
Joypad92/100[9]N/A
Video Games (DE)57%[10]63%[10]
Sega ForceN/AN/A
Sega Magazine80%[1]81%[1]

The game received generally favorable reviews. EGM called it "just plain fun".[8] Sega Magazine found the platforming "superb", despite lacking difficulty, giving a rating of 80/81% to the Master System and Game Gear editions, respectively.[1]

In a 2011 retrospective review for HardcoreGaming101, Audun Sorlie credited it with “some of the best graphics on the system,” praising the animations as “exceptionally smooth,” but, much like contemporary reviewers, found it “too easy, short and unimaginative.”[11]

Notes

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Master System & Game Gear Review - Deep Duck Trouble". EMAP. January 1994. pp. 116-117. https://archive.org/details/official-sega-magazine-1-january-1994/page/n115/mode/2up. Retrieved 9 March 2025. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Test de Deep Duck Trouble starring Donald Duck sur MS par jeuxvideo.com" (in fr). March 28, 2012. https://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0001/00016784-deep-duck-trouble-starring-donald-duck-test.htm. 
  3. ↑ Deep Duck Trouble Starring Donald Duck Game Gear Instruction Manual. 1993. pp. 10. https://segaretro.org/images/1/1c/Deep_Duck_Trouble_Starring_Donald_Duck_GG_US_Manual.pdf. 
  4. ↑ (in English) Deep Duck Trouble Starring Donald Duck Game Gear Instruction Manual. 1993. pp. 7. https://segaretro.org/images/1/1c/Deep_Duck_Trouble_Starring_Donald_Duck_GG_US_Manual.pdf. 
  5. ↑ I. G. N. Staff (2001-02-22). "Game Gear's Return" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/02/22/game-gears-return. 
  6. ↑ "The rebirth of Game Gear" (in en-US). https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-rebirth-of-game-gear/1100-2688490/. 
  7. ↑ (in English) GamePro (US) Issue 152 - May 2001. GamePro (US). pp. 26. https://retrocdn.net/images/c/cc/GamePro_US_152.pdf. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Semrad, Ed; Carpenter, Danyon; Manuel, Al; Sushi-X; Weigand, Mike (January 1994). "Review Crew". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Sendai Publishing) 7 (1): 52. https://archive.gamehistory.org/item/87bb9f91-b5f4-415d-b808-735a7314798e. 
  9. ↑ (in French) Joypad 28 Fevrier. 1994. pp. 108. https://download.abandonware.org/magazines/Joypad/joypad_numero028/Joypad%2028%20Fevrier%201994%20page108.jpg. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Deep Duck Trouble" (in de). Video Games. April 1994. https://archive.org/details/video-games-de-1994-04/page/110/mode/2up. Retrieved August 19, 2025. 
  11. ↑ "Deep Duck Trouble Starring Donald Duck – Hardcore Gaming 101" (in en-US). http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/deep-duck-trouble-starring-donald-duck/. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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