DUCK: Dangerous Ultimate Cartridge Kidnapper Review
DUCK takes a swing at the WarioWare microgames concept.
DUCK: Dangerous Ultimate Cartridge Kidnapper. Credit: Duck Team / Valkyrie Initiative
DUCK: Dangerous Ultimate Cartridge Kidnapper from Duck Team and Valkyrie Initiative clearly wants to be the next WarioWare, serving up dozens of microgames wrapped in nostalgic pixel art graphics and a premise about ducklings trapped by a possessed game cartridge that reminded me of the far better Retro Game Challenge. Unfortunately, the execution falls short in ways that make the experience more frustrating than fun.
The game attempts to follow the WarioWare formula of rapid-fire minigames with escalating difficulty, but it lacks the frenetic energy that makes that series so compelling. Many games feel sluggish rather than snappy, missing the precise timing and instant feedback that make WarioWare so addictive. Some games driven by time limits create uneven pacing issues; some games feel rushed, while others drag for what's supposed to be rapid-fire in its momentum.
DUCK: Dangerous Ultimate Cartridge Kidnapper. Credit: Duck Team / Valkyrie Initiative
The tone across the 100 minigames is frustratingly inconsistent. Some embrace genuine weirdness with creativity, while others fall into boring, uninspired territory that feels like filler content. The quality varies wildly between inspired and tedious. Hit detection sometimes feels unpredictable, making gameplay feel unfair and frustrating rather than challenging.
The story, told through a poor English localization, becomes a genuine slog. The dialogue feels clunky and overwrought for what should be a quick setup to get players into the microgames. The developers should have opted for more visual storytelling and faster pacing to minimize the barriers between players and the actual gameplay experience.
DUCK: Dangerous Ultimate Cartridge Kidnapper. Credit: Duck Team / Valkyrie Initiative
While there's obvious love for retro gaming culture in DUCK's presentation, the execution prevents it from achieving the charm it's reaching for. It's an ambitious collection that doesn't quite come together and fails to live up to the games that inspired it. However, it did succeed in making me want to revisit WarioWare.
DUCK: Dangerous Ultimate Cartridge Kidnapper is available now on Steam, PlayStation 4, Xbox One / Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.
Overall Score: 4/10
Played on: PS5
