Can I go the distance? That’s the question I asked myself when playing Metroidvania DekaDuck. I’ve mentioned this recently with games such as Nocturnal 2 and The Perfect Pencil, where I wouldn’t consider them part of the genre, but rather a platformer, as the challenges were fair. First impressions of the demo from Asteristic Game Studio were not entirely fair, but somewhere in between.
For starters, enemies would repeatedly respawn. I don’t know about you, but I’m not the biggest fan of this and would rather be in control of reanimated bad guys, like a visit to a bonfire or playing a stage afresh. When introduced to our hero, the enemies were swarming me while just getting to grips with the controls. That’s not very welcoming, is it?
So, our basic controls are an Earthworm Jim blaster with limited directional aiming (horizontal only), and a ‘grabber’ that allows DekaDuck to pick up and throw enemies that have an internal bomb to either kill others, or clear a path. It can also be used to ascend certain ledges. To complement your weapons, you can also double jump and dash, performing the latter mid-jump.
At first, the controls weren’t so accommodating, but we’re talking a few minutes or so to get into it, you impatient gamer, you. Then, you’re able to move at a decent pace, jumping, dashing, doing a Mario Odyssey and using an enemy ability such as pogoing, and blasting those you wish to blast. There are some collectable crystals, too, but there’s no scope for that in the demo. Alas, just as you’re getting settled in, enter the boss.
My first attempt at the boss was appalling, as was the second attempt, because the damage received was stupid. However, exercising an ounce of patience, I soon noted the obvious patterns that the boss would take and was able to finish it, at a relatively slow pace, giving myself a pat on the back and ready for the next bit, though the demo was over. Damn.
DekaDuck is a decent platformer that shows promise with its lush visuals and eye-popping colours. The end title says the game is more or less an homage to the developer’s favourite games growing up, and as an older gamer, I can certainly see some comparisons. Mega Man games to mind first of all, plus, perhaps the obvious (albeit a different colour palette), Darkwing Duck.
This ain’t no exclusive – you can try the demo for yourself now on Steam. Check it out!
