What the Quack?
By Julie Morley
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The culprit for the loss of the ducklings, the dog gone wind! Ready to blow away the ducklings.
Splish, Splash, I just lost my kids.
Being a mom is tough work especially when you have four little ducklings to care for, after all. But nothing beats quality time with the little ducklings and some fresh air, so what better idea than to go for a walk in the park?
Isn’t this grand? The whole family together out for a stroll, getting some exercise, becoming one with nature. A really good bonding experience and the weather is just perfect. The sun is shining, the wind is blowing – oh no, the wind is blowing! Dear god, why? Not the wind!
Now the Momma duck is on a mission and must find her babies.
Welcome to Duck Quest?! The game that promises to not give you outstanding graphics, massively impressive explosions, and mind-blowing special effects, but a fun, quirky game with a promising and engaging story.
Now it is up to the momma duck to find her babies!
To which I say, it delivers. It’s a brief, silly, game where you are a momma duck trying to find your ducklings after the wind blew them away. How do you accomplish this? Walk around the park, inspect different areas, and interact with the many characters scattered around you. As simple as it may be, the game presents a little bit of a challenge for the player.
In order to progress, you have to interact with each character and gain something from one to benefit the other. There is something one character needs that someone else on the other side of the map may be able to deliver. Hop around and assist each character, in time you will be able to collect all four of your sweet, sweet ducklings. This requires you to actually invest some thought into it and determine who you need to talk to in order to satisfy the need of another.
Punit is one of the many characters you assist in the park. By giving him a bone, he gives you something that helps you talk to someone else.
Regarding the looks of Duck Quest?, simple was the way to go. It sticks to a low-bit appearance that actually kindly suits the game. In the pixel art, there is a comfortable array of colors used for the design of the environment and characters. The animations for the characters are smooth and kind of funny (I’m thinking of you Mountain-Dew soda machine guy with a fear of Ducks, thinking of you!). The map is somewhat large and had to be divided into several sections to separate all the characters and give them their own respective space.
By having a similar quality with the vagrant drummer, he decides to join you briefly as you look for your ducklings.
Gameplay is simple, use your arrow keys to walk around the park, E for interaction, W for accessing your inventory, and lastly, and most importantly, Q for quaking. Honestly, you’re playing as a duck, you absolutely must be able to quack otherwise this game is simply incomplete. It is a must.
After a long, difficult day of searching for her ducklings and helping strangers, the mother duck is exhausted. She is elated to have them with her safe and sound again. We watch a gorgeous, colorful sunset with momma duck and her ducklings before saying our goodbyes and farewells.
[divider]Game Info
Game : Duck Quest?
Developer : Waffle Friday Studios
Platforms : PC / MAC / Web
