Mega Dark Man What the Duck ???

 Welcome back for another exciting game of WTF?!?! Sooo let me give you all lil background on how this started. In Japan the Mega Man games are known as Rock Man, I wont get in to why that is this time but the series is just as popular as it is here if not more. And because of this when you can find the carts cheap you buy them ... fast. I was on ebay and saw a mint bright clean copy of Rock Man 5 for under $20 with shipping so ! jumped on it. Two weeks later i received this ...from Thailand need I say more.....

So I pop it in and what do I see on screen ? The Rock Man logo... Ok sweet... wait.... ( let the pictures tell the story)

Rock Man !! Yes!!

Wait ?

Darkwing ?

Oh..Rock Man !

Hey!? Wha..

Thats better .. Sweet !!

What ?!? Stop screwing around!!  What is this !!

OHHH COME ON MAN !!!

GOD DAMNIT !! Finally !!..  Waaait 1996???

So Basically what we have here is Darkwing Duck for the North American Nintendo "HACKED" by inserting Rock Man sprites...and a confusing couple of intro screens.

There is nothing Rock Man 5 related about this game I mean usually when people make these weird hacks they call it Mario 12 or Contra 7 but when dealing with Rock Man 5 is a number the series actually reached and well before 1996 when for some reason this hack seems to boast is when it was made ( and copyrighted ?). Hell Famicom game production ceased in 1994 so this was made after even Rock Man 6 was released on Famicom and NES. Whatever Im arguing with a pirate silly me. So I got beat on this cart....But Hey! Lets view this from the bright side Ive got a whole New Rock Man game to play I never knew existed ... this could be FU*KIN AWESOME !!! 

NOPE!!

For starters Rocks not even blue, what the hell man get that right at least, sh*t what does that cost you to make the sprites you stole the color you found them in. I mean didnt it take more work to change the color or look for this grey orange Rock Man ? Any way you start off with this date of 1996 appering over you for some reason? And every time you die and respawn BOOM there it is again. So far the sprite work doesn't seem that bad animation wise, you fire the standard arm cannon and the movements fluid like the jumping.... what the Fu*k !!??

Hang in there kitty

Am I hanging ?? Yup... Rock Man is Hanging using sprites from his ladder climb. I never played the Darkwing Duck game so I have to assume Darkwing had some ability in game to hang with a grappling hook ? I guess? I would like to go on record as stating I did VERY much enjoy the Darkwing Cartoon its Shadow/Batman comic campiness was highly enjoyable. So after I think I know how to control this new ability I realize whenever I press UP Rock Man stops and goes into a running pose I guess this is some weird glitch that will probably get me killed at some point.

Even the enemies armed with rifles and ranged weapons will spot you and move quickly to your position and run through you causing damage. The truly annoying part is that once they run through you if you kill them to your left and they drop a item that you move to pick up, when you turn back around and move 2 steps the enemy will have respawned causing a space time loop that you are doomed to repeat.

This is also one of those game's that has a series of jumps for you to make while hanging, and it's the same old story .. I saw the first 4 hook jump and knew every board from here on out would have a annoy flying enemy filled dozen jump set ...YUP I was right!!

Are you looking at my ASS ?! ..Why NOT !?!?

I came across my twin and soon realized it was supposed to represent a 1UP icon, makes me wonder what the Darkwing one looks like.

"Don't I know you? Yah .. your Jesus.. right"?

After picking up some weapon power ups I found out you could also access what I believed was the item menu via SELECT button. But I did not understand the the whole "gas" weapon system and quickly left after mashing every button turned up no response.

Am I gonna get a Key Span bill?  Is he a Hybrid?

I then made it to the First boss fight lost several times and turned the game off Deeming it a horrible game and the controls were unplayable. I returned the next evening from work and decided that no matter what this wasn't gonna end like this ! I would not be Bested by this unholy union of a Hack !

I am the FINISHER !!!

By the way.. my cartridge copy shows this screen upon starting a level
the rom I used to grab my clear screen shots show the 1996 copyright.
Meaning there 2 versions of this weird Hack....

As dark wing says 'Lets get DANGEROUS" for starters the games controls aren't bad at all once I let go of expecting Rock to move like in his own games although its really close. Hell you even start the game like Rock Man games, because you get to chose which villain themed levels to play in what order you like.  I started with Quacker Jack's board and its littered with banana peels that stop you dead in your tracks forcing you to have convulsions leaving you open for attack. I also found out that pressing UP acts as a block..quite handy guess I was wrong. Quacker Jack was pretty easily defeated once i selected the Gas based weapon I had picked up, it made me realize that like Rock Man games pairing certain weapons to specific bosses made them a cake walk. Hmmmm

As I pushed through the next two levels I realized the layouts and traps did feel more and more Rock Man styled. Hmmmm. I also discovered Secret Bonus Areas by shooting in the air at random the door is revealed as a GO sign. Im not gonna go and discuss each boss and level but i would like to ask why the HELL there are Rats dressed in uniform checking Basket Balls at my face? Really ? Really.....I must have missed that episode?

Again like Rock Man/Mega Man games once you deafat the selectable bosses the final level is available to play...The Final Level is littered with those hook jump movements and Terminator Ducks complete with the biker jacket. Once more like Rock Man games when we get to the FINAL BOSS !!! Steel Beak he is sitting high up at a protected console sending out robot drones all Dr. Willy like, thenhe jumps down for a lil Mano y Mano.

Even though he is defeated he gets away and immediately taunts you. But our government liaison gets on screen and informs us that we can be assured that we have earned the City's Gratitude...... Gratitude.... Yah Thanks .....might as well leave pennies on the bed side table as you sneak out PAL !!!

But seriously this is a well made game which should be no surprise since its CAPCOM before the HACK and Im really curious as to if there is a specific reason for all the similarities between the real Darkwing and Rock Man games maybe same team members? I will look in to it. Thanks again Fellow Famikaa and remember Always Famiru !!