Let's Play Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow! (SNES/Genesis) (LP #6)

We only really get this starting off, huh. Options allows you to choose what difficulty you want (Hard just makes enemies hit hard and that's about it) and has a Sound Test... although it's not a traditional sound test that plays music, no it's a literal sound test that only plays eight sound effects.

It's lame, especially considering the bomb-ass soundtrack this game has.



[Current OST: Intro]

I love how the music compliments the silhouetted intros for each beginning level. This game practically oozes style for a SNES platformer, just sayin'.



The game is split up by stages and all your possessions reset as you progress through them. I'll explain Luau Loot in just a bit.



[Current OST: Mojo Mansion]

This place is haunted, yo. The Mojo Mansion is a neat first level - you have spiders, ghosts and creepy old butlers hounding you from the get-go. The Mojo Mansion theme is actually my least favorite in the game and I still find it hella catchy.



... And what a doozy of a first screen. The floating shrunken heads serve as checkpoints because why not?

Maui attacks with a gun that shoots bugs of all things... or as he likes to call it, a 1935 Westchester Bug Gun. I kid you not. Shooting the hands off the grandfather clock reveals a very suspicious bag of sparkly stuff - believe it or not, that's Zombie Powder that Maui can use to extend his life.

Yeah, he uses Zombie Powder  to gain extra health. This game is rife with Voodoo if you haven't noticed. (Though granted, real life Zombie Powder is made from toxic animals and causes Tetrodotoxin poisoning that makes people look like they're dead, but whatever this is just a video game.)



The Bug Gun has an ammo count of 50, but it never really runs out due to its regenerating ammo properties. The shots are also green because maybe we shoot the bugs so fast it turns them to mush. Yeesh.



Some of Maui's idle animations because I love how everything looks in this game. Disney doesn't disappoint in making good-looking video games.

I especially like the one where his gun backfires and pops him with black gunk everywhere, given how there's alternate versions of it where it doesn't do that. The attention to detail is staggering.



Oh no the bookshelf ate Maui.



It takes him outside where there's this neat stone sculpture of a duck head. They really run with that duck theming for the entire game and I love it.

The shiny bits of jewelry and gold we keep finding all across the stage are the Luau Loot that the prep screen talked about - collecting enough of them allows you to access a bonus stage upon completing the world. That's all they're really good for, but I'm such a kleptomaniac that I can't help myself from the shiny things.



There's a hidden chain that you can climb up to get more loot, but what I'm really interested in is that angry-ass duck skull that serves as the wood frame. Like jeez.



The spiders are enemies, so you'd be forgiven for thinking these beetles are enemies too. Nah, they're power-ups for your gun.

The white electric beetles give you this rad spread shot, but unlike your normal shots they don't come back. You have to be extra careful with them, essentially.



There was an instruction manual that came with this game that explained why and what we're doing, funnily enough. There was apparently only one creepy butler in the entire mansion, but in-game there's just a bunch of him.

I like how the butler is so visibly disgruntled with his head cocked so low that you can practically hear him grumbling.



His - whoa, that's spooky - Spider Buffet didn't really sit well with me, so I had to give him a check written in bug guts.



I took a shot of the piranha at possibly the goofiest moment. In all seriousness, normally water is a super-hazard in these types of games, but here? Jumping in only does one damage to you. I guess they paid attention to the fact Maui is a duck after all.



The lower part of this stage is filled with totem heads. This one in particular sends you up where I can explain a brand new item - the Tropical Punch! These are your standard health recovery items - a glass restores about 20 HP while an entire pitcher recovers all of your health.

You'll need them too, because the floaty controls can be really unforgiving sometimes.



There's a pitcher that shoots green muck that you can counter with your own, but the more interesting thing is the red beetle.



It shoots an (admittedly terrible) homing shot that zooms towards the closest enemy. You can combine the two types of beetles, but all it really does is turn the homing shot white.

Oh well.

It's at least useful for certain situations.



You have to be careful when going through these bits because there's a ton of crushing pillars that come in out of nowhere. Getting hit with them shows off an admittedly amusing animation, but losing health isn't quite as funny.





Uh. A blood-red hand in a chimney swipes up Maui and shoots him up. Nothing wrong here.



There are these strangely 3D spinning things that bop you off of them, but I can never get the timing right for them. At the end of the level is another bookcase and some more loot, but that's about it.



For the most part, stages aren't too long or interesting sometimes.



Stage 2 of Mojo Mansion has you taking this smaller totem head across the stage while it shoots darts at you, but other than that? Not too terribly interesting.

I should also mention that the health boosts you get from Zombie Powder are removed from stage-to-stage, so they're only really useful for certain stages.



Stage 3 is the only dimly-lit stage in the entire game, and thank god for that. You have butlers coming in from behind and a flying beetle that serves as your only form of illumination.



For some reason, your shots are red here. I can only assume this is a palette mix-up because they're not red in any other part of the game. Good thing too because I don't exactly find it appealing to shoot giant globs of [s]blood[/s] I mean tomato juice.



You have spinning pillars here for some reason. I have to admit as a kid this was kind of spooky because we're in a dark mansion filled with spiders and stuff, but now it's just annoying trying to navigate around all the enemies. Good thing the stage's just a straight line from start to finish, otherwise this would be maddening.





I mean, oof. That must really smart.



Stage 4 is the final level of Mojo Mansion, and it involves this huge ornate organ. I dunno who built this mansion, but they sure liked spiders. That makes them my sworn enemy.



You have to go around the entire place because you have a wall preventing you from just jumping onto the organ. It also introduces these cute little ghost things that aren't too dangerous, but just keep them in mind for later on.



I should take this time to mention that not only was there a Genesis version, but there was also an Original Game Boy adaptation of Maui Mallard. This sounds great until you see it in action.

Suddenly the amount of effort that went into games like Link's Awakening, Metroid II: Return of Samus and the Pokemon titles becomes noticeable.



The golden Maui head is an extra life! Good shit.

While we're at it, I find it difficult to describe Maui's platforming skills. It's sort of like the classic Castlevania jump, but not as stiff/restrictive. It may be because I'm playing with a keyboard and not an actual SNES controller, but it's still something I noticed.



He can shoot while hanging from a chain, but his rate of fire is so slow you may as well not bother.



When you get to the organ itself, just touching the frame will knock you up and you can't go back down. That said, that ring on the other side has always mystified me because I don't think you can actually collect it! Hmm.



What a wacky-ass game this is.



That's about it for the platforming! Now we face the boss of Mojo Mansion -



This hideous golden duck-faced spider chandelier. It throws out smaller spiders at you and the whole thing is just one big no. Props for creativity, though.



It's not a tough boss in the slightest if you exercise caution and remember that you have a GUN.



But wait, there's more! After you damage it enough times, its legs will pop off and it will try crushing you with its entire body weight. Man, the ghost haunting this thing really wants Maui dead, huh?



And with that, my friends, I have conquered the Mojo Mansion.



At the end of every level, the game tallies up the loot you've acquired through each stage. If you reach the amount it asks, you get to access Babaluau Baby.



[Current OST: Title Theme]

These are bonus stages filled with extra lives and other things that you have to collect in a certain amount of time. Also wow, that is one smug star. You can blind people with that kind of grin.



The whole point of Babaluau Baby (in the SNES version anyway) is that you have to collect these rockets to end the stage. They're placed on these frankly cartoony-as-fuck looking suns and moons perched high up in the air. The moon in particular looks like it hopped out of Courage the Cowardly Dog with those teeth.



This golden idol thing is far more valuable than an extra life in that it is an extra Continue of all things. So even if you mess up, you can still keep going as long as you get these guys. Granted, there's only one instance of a gold idol being in the actual stages I can think of - the only reliable way to get them is to do Babaluau Baby, and that's only if you get enough Loot.



Collecting all the rockets in Babaluau Baby gives you a password, so there's that if you want to continue where you left off. This was pretty much essential if you wanted to replay the game in an age where the internet barely existed, like how I did it.



[Current OST: Intro]

Oh boy here we go, guys. One of the best levels in the game already! But don't take my word for it...



[Current OST: Ninja Training Grounds]

... Just take a listen! I love how this level starts off all nice and sunny, but that'll change in a snap.



Strange talismans...



Again, I love the spritework because you can tell they had a ton of fun designing these statues.



Huh? Who the heck are you?





Well. That was one hell of a magic act!

This guy is the Witch Doctor - he's effectively the main villain of the game, although we don't get to see him again for a while.



He transformed Maui into Cold Shadow, aka. his ninja counterpart. We trade away our gun for close combat bo staff strikes. This is super badass, especially given how there's a raging storm now.



The main enemies of the Ninja Training Ground are multi-colored copies of Cold Shadow that hit really hard, like 20 HP a pop. Thankfully it's easy to cheese them by just mashing the attack button, but doing so eats up your Ninja Meter.

Yeah, Cold Shadow has a meter that decreases every time you do normal attacks.



Even in this game I get shots where lightning changes how the screen looks. Either way, this is a brilliant wordless tutorial - you see this enemy ninja swinging from a surface and maybe think "hmm, what if I can do that too?"



Likewise, you see this guy hanging from a surface by snapping his staff against the walls. Interesting... although you'd have to experiment with which button does that because I remember having trouble with that as a kid.



Cold Shadow changes color depending on how much his Ninja Meter is filled up. We're a yellow belt right now, but we could become a Black Belt if we get up to 900. The red eyes you see there are not an enemy - in fact, it shoots more talismans for you to use.



Weird animation smear aside, this giant stone duck shoots out dummies for you to fight. I really like the theming this level has, because it really does feel like a training ground for novice ninjas. Given that the point is to introduce you to how Cold Shadow works, it's just brilliant.



After beating up enough dummies, it leaves its mouth wide open and you can walk straight into it. Why would you do this?



You get to pilot it and break through walls, of course.



Although you can't cheat and take them around for the entire level because they just spit you out. Aww.



You press the Y button to hang against walls, by the way.



Ooooh sparkly. What does this do?



Oh, it teleports you to a different part of the map. This is technically optional, but any secret with Zombie Powder is a good one.



More dummy-bashing action...



It was at this point that baby Dan was changed forever. Hilarious plaque of ducks fighting aside, the sheer atmosphere of the rain, the beautiful blend of purple ocean and clouds and the masterful soundtrack tying it all together mystified me as a child.

It's something I could never forget even if I tried.



Breaking all of these pillars may be a bad idea though. (That said - wow, I didn't get a good look at the left-most duck. I've heard of low blow, but that's below the belt.)



When you reach the shrunken duck head, the entire place crashes down. Apparently those were load-bearing pillars, oops.



Oh well, we still made it to the end anyway.



Stage 2 reveals something interesting - even Cold Shadow isn't immune to the Bag of Spilling each stage induces. If you need to transform, you need to collect talismans again.

That is one super intense stone statue, though.



Small talismans give you 25 while big ones give you 100. You have to press X to switch from Maui to Cold Shadow, so that's cool at least.



I think it was around this time that I was taught the importance of secrets in video games because I saw this set of talismans and remember wanting them so badly, but had no idea how to get them. Then again, I was really young.



There's green and blue ninjas now, but I'm not sure what's even that different about them.



There's green blocks that break when you hang off them. They're not too much of an issue given how you can just jump off, but this ties into a neat secret.



There's a wall made up of these green blocks that you can break to lead into a secret grove! I find that interesting due to how it utilizes a creative use of your skills... too bad there's not much use for loot if you're good at the game.



I love how violently the ninjas (and you by extension) react to getting smacked around.



... Speaking of smacked around, I actually lost a life!

Yeah, I got a bit careless. It doesn't help that when the ninjas see you, they instantly attack you with no in-between frames or anything. It's pretty harsh.



Oh, and to add insult to injury, this is where it happened. Right next to a Zombie Powder of all things.





These panels reveal a set of spears, but it's not like they chase you or anything. I guess it's to punish players that let go of the Y button, but I've never gotten hurt by this thing unless it was on purpose.



We've only found 37% of all the loot and we're three stages in... huh. As much as I love saying it, Babaluau Baby has been obsoleted by the Internet.



Be careful when you start Stage 3 because there's no ground below these stone heads. If you fall down those pits, it's instant death. At least now it's not as frequent, but later on? Whoof.



Stage 3 also introduces these spiked swinging hammocks. That's what I've always seen them as, alright.



Funnily enough, stage 3 is the shortest and most straight-forward of the Ninja Training Grounds because we've already made it to the exit!



"The legends prophesied a great hero would save Shabum Shabum, not you!!"

Whoa, a wild duck waifu appeared! Wait, who are you exactly?

According to the Maui Mallard instruction manual, she is the High Mojo Priestess/Hernae. She's a shamaness that's responsible for protecting the island... and she's also the first person introduced that absolutely hates Maui's guts.

Yeah, I don't know what he did, but there was an entire incident before the game took place that made everyone on the island resent our favorite duck detective. In-game though, this is about all you get.



"This is only a warning!"

[Hernae teleports away in her Big Angry Ball(tm)]

... Psh, like that's going to stop me. Watch me, babe!



Stage 4 is the boss of the area and whoa, that statue is sick. It's like an ancient martial arts master... but he's a duck!



The Ninja Training Grounds doesn't have a traditional boss, per se. It's more of a gauntlet against all the ninja types you have (and haven't) fought. Normally this would be pretty challenging, but...



Hilarious crouching pose aside (he's literally hiding behind his staff), this allows you to do a really cheap attack: bashing your enemy's shins until they die. It doesn't cost anything, it stunlocks the enemy and you can do it as much as you want until they die.



It really works. We hit them so hard we knock their dentures out, that's how overpowered we are.

Though granted, these ninjas have Hidden A.I moves such as being able to move while crouching, but it's so rare that you might never see it.



After the blue ninja, they start throwing two at a time at you. They still fall to the vaunted knee stab technique all the same. I do like the look of the gray ninjas, though.



The blue ninjas with blue feathers are special in that they can shoot electric projectiles. How? Ninjustu, obviously. This just makes me wish Cold Shadow can shoot things too, but then that'd make regular Maui useless, so we can't win them all. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯



Oh my god I forgot they did that. Yeah, one of Cold Shadow's idle animations has him using his bo staff as a hula hoop. I didn't know Ninjas could bend the laws of physics!



The final ninjas of the gauntlet are these pitch-black ones that can shoot waves of fire at you. They hurt the most (I remember them doing at least 50 damage, although that may have been on hard mode) and their sprites kind of blend into the background... as ninjas do.



Those were probably the elite of the elite yet they fell to the cheapest trick in the book.



Wait, huh? Even Cold Shadow is confused!



Oh. Right, the yin-yang symbol pops off and turns into a buzzsaw for... some reason? Is this part of the training?



It goes in a perfect figure eight and isn't that hard to hit, so you got me.



Destroying it yields us another extra life and we graduate as a full ninja!



But no Babaluau Baby was had...

Next time on Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow, we dive into the darkest heart of the island and have a chat with the natives. See you guys then!

[Current OST: Intro]

Oh boy. Maui's got himself in trouble now. Just how will he get himself out of this one?



[Current OST: Muddrake Mayhem]

Welcome to the home of the Muddrakes, the people native to Unnamed Mojo Island(tm)! You see, I hold the fondest amount of nostalgia for level 1 and 2 mostly due to them being the first levels in the game. (Cause you know, of course I'd remember them - I was too young to be competent at video games, so I'd get stuck on them a lot)



Muddrake Mayhem is where the game starts to bear its duck-shaped fangs a bit, and it only gets more intense from here. I just gotta say, I love the mix of browns and purples in the background - in fact, the use of purple has been pretty significant so far.

It's been used to give off "supernatural" vibes, given how the only area in the game that hasn't had a purple sky was the beginning of Level 2, and look how long that lasted.

Plus, this music is ridiculously catchy. It's to the point where I'd hum the part from 0:51 onwards even if I haven't touched this game in years. It's that much of an ear worm.



These little guys are the Muddrakes. They may be small, but they sure pack a wallop considering they're one of the few enemies in this game that actually use weapons.

Again, I'm not sure why they want to roast Maui into Peking Duck, but it must have been amazingly terrible. They're also kind of freaky with their super sharp teeth. Like those chompers can put a shark to shame.



The first part of the stage has you jumping onto these mud-covered poles over a pit of highly volatile mud. If you stay on it for too long you slide down.

The mud is actually dangerous unlike the water in Mojo Mansion, with it taking off 10 HP every time you fall in. That's some killer bacteria! (Oh, and there's brown piranhas too. How they live in mud is beyond me.)



Hitting a Muddrake makes them wig the fuck out and poof into feathers. I just find the motion hilarious, alright.



As you can see, they are not messing around.

Muddrakes use buzzsaw yo-yos (though in the context of my LP adventures they wouldn't be the first ones), boomerangs and blow-dart guns. No wonder they're called a band of tiny warriors.



Level 1 had a focus on just using Detective Maui while Level 2 had a focus on using Cold Shadow, but level 3 onward is when they can be used at the same time. It's a pretty neat dynamic now that you've had time to get used to how both characters control.



Stage 1 doesn't last very long. It's surprisingly straightforward and short, which is strange but whatever.



Stage 2, on the other hand, immediately starts you off with a high wall that you can't jump over. What's the deal?



There's a rope you have to climb to get up to this point. You have to watch out for Muddrakes popping you with their giant buzz-saw yo-yos, but it's otherwise an easy walk up to this giant cork.



Also, there's an off-screen extra life that you're blocked off from. There goes that sense of curiosity again!



When you pop the cork, a wave of mud flows down the rafter and makes a pile for you to stand on. That said, wow I don't know if it's my inner child acting up, but I can't help but see all this mud as... something else.

Why did I bring it up.



Jumping over nets you a meeting with this swanky guy. What's shaking, my man?



He hits me with a cheap voodoo trick!

In all seriousness, I love all the weird shit that happens to Maui in this game. He gets turned into a ninja and then he gets shrunken down by some weird Muddrake shaman that laughs in his face.



You are then forced into these houses filled with Muddrakes that you have to defeat in order to progress. Thankfully being small only affects Maui's mobility. The result?



Bullets still hurt no matter how small they are.

I bet they were all smug as shit too, like "maui can't do anything if we shrink him!!"

While we're at it, the Muddrakes are surprisingly brutal for a cartoony tribal race. That last room had bones hanging from it and everything.



You do have to fight these grubs, though. Blech.



I don't normally show this off, but one of the types of luau loot you can grab is a magic lamp. This is Disney, after all, so that's a nice touch.

The only real downfall of Tiny Maui is his pathetically reduced jumping ability, but it's still neat that they try to spice the gameplay up like this.



I don't know why the shaman decided to turn Maui back to normal size, but whatever I'll take it.



Stage 3 is the final part of Muddrake Mayhem and the one you need to be careful for the most.



These little bastards will jump you from behind the banners and it's nearly impossible to avoid them with how imprecise the jumping controls are.

It's even worse in the Genesis version because they let out these ear-shattering shrieks each time. Like jesus christ.



Oh boy, this looks like a nightmare waiting to happen.



It's an arena?



Let's get ready to rumble!!

The boss of Level 3 is a tribal mask filled with Muddrakes. Impressive intimidation tactics, boys, but you ain't getting me.



You can bash into the mask itself and force them to break formation without having to shoot, but that still leaves the individual Muddrakes themselves to gun down.



You can shoot the pants off the Muddrakes and they stumble a bit to put them back on. I would question how this works given how Maui himself isn't even wearing pants, but it's still a funny sight gag given how we're absolutely pantsing the opposition.

The most annoying part of this is actually the guy that hides on the bleachers because he'll often be out of range of your gun.



You have to fight two or three more mask mechas before they stop coming, but they shouldn't be hard as long as you conserve your special bug ammo. I love the idea behind this boss though, even if it's ultimately not that hard to defeat.



Don't take it personally, chief. Maui's just too good for you.



No Babaluau Baby, though. That's what I get for blitzing past the stages.



[Current OST: Intro]

See what I mean by brutal? I'm not surprised given how we shamed their best warriors and blew up a quarter of their population.

Also wow, they really just pulled the "Hawaiian volcano sacrifice" thing on us. Cheeky Disney.



[Current OST: Sacrifice of Duckman]

Awwwww yeah, here we go. One of the best pieces of music in the entire game, and maybe the SNES as a whole. I kid you not, this is arguably my second favorite track in the game for how it reeks of "crazy energetic hula dance party".

Let's bring up that Bellossom gif again.





This is one crazy level regardless - just look at that giant lava face in the background! They really went out of their way to make the SNES version looks fantastic, even if these setpieces also exist in the Genesis version.

(Edit from future Dan: No, they are not.)



The first enemy you face is this... soda chugging, mad scientist fire spirit?

Once they're done shaking up their drinks, they'll chug them down and shoot out three fireballs at you. That part's manageable.



Actually hitting them will force them to show their skeleton and shoot out a homing fireball in retaliation. I don't know why, but I found this kind of unsettling as a kid. I mean, granted, it still comes out of nowhere today.



The name of the game when it comes to the Volcano level are these updrafts (with ghoul faces) and bubbles that you have to jump off of. There are lava pools that you can fall in, but they only really do 15 damage at best.

You'd think lava would cook us a bit more than that, but I'm not complaining!



Maui breaking the laws of physics in a glorious GIF animation. He looks like has so much fun doing it too.

The spinning attack, on the other hand, is what happens when you press R as Cold Shadow. It looks like it's really powerful, but it's useless compared to the vaunted shin-stab technique and only really serves to eat up your Ninja Meter. Oh well.



We get another extra life for going off the beaten path and wowza look at our health. This has to be the most we've ever gotten in one stage.

... There's a reason for that, though.



For you see, we have already reached the boss!

... Yeah, really. It's still the first stage, mind you.



The gimmick with this boss is that each segment of its body is its health. It starts off easy and slow, but when it's just a head it starts zipping across the battlefield.



Good thing Maui has a ninja form that lets him smack things with ease. I'm actually sad I have to give up all that extra health, but them's the breaks I guess.



Stage 2 kicks it into high gear immediately. You see that bubbling at the bottom of the screen?



It's instant kill lava, folks.

This whole level is a race to the finish. If you don't get moving, you will get fried by the pool of lava regardless of how much health you have.



The stage itself isn't much to talk about other than that, but I will say that it's fun to play through.



So we've made it to stage 3. We already beat the boss of the level, so what's left?



There's just a random rock floating in the lava and nowhere else to go. This is bound to end well.



Yep, the final stage of the volcano is a high stakes lava ride of all things. Honestly, this is arguably the best way they could end the volcano world.

Again, I find it interesting that Maui survives all of this. Even Quackshot (another Donald Duck-centric game that was also on the Genesis) didn't have Donald do these kinds of crazy death-defying shenanigans.



If you so much as scrape the ceiling, however, you get crushed instantly. Doesn't help that they get reeeeally tight with the spaces you can fit in, so that's fun.

If I'm having trouble now as an adult, I can only imagine this level being a nightmare for baby Dan.



You do get breaks in between each lava ride, but it gets faster and faster each time. One small mercy is that you can control how the lava rises and falls (somehow?) with the D-Pad.



While calling this part a secret is a bit of a stretch, it does net you an extra life if you go to the left. You still have to hurry though because the death lava is right behind you.



They must have known this level was stressful if they still hand you an extra life regardless. I can imagine this being a trial and error game at the very worst, so at least they have the courtesy to provide all these goodies.



Yep, definitely stressful. Granted, this isn't exactly lightning fast, but when the ceilings are death on touch, it kinda gets to you.



Greatest honor, huh? Normally the volcano sacrifice would incinerate a lesser duck, but Maui proves everyone wrong. (Sure took a lot out of me though, given how my lives counter fluctuated between shots)

Oh, and we even get a Babaluau Baby for our troubles.



I get another Continue and a password, but I feel it'd be important to state that these are not guaranteed? You could get to Babaluau Baby and still not get the password despite all the work you did to get here, just because you didn't collect the rockets.

That puts Luau Loot in a more useful light, at least for people playing this on a real console.



[Current OST: Intro]

Oh wow. We've come along way from her hating us, but it still seems like we have to convince the Muddrakes at least. The way they build up the Muddrake alliance through these levels feels like a genuine effort on Maui's behalf, so I have to give them props for that.

But oh boy, here it comes... My favorite level in the game, even if it's only for how it looks and sounds!



[Current OST: Test of Duckhood]



Just... holy shit, I am instantly brought back to the days when I was a wee Dan. Granted, that's what this entire let's play has been, but there's something special about the Test of Duckhood that I haven't seen recreated in most games since.

The music is beautiful and is my personal favorite behind the Ninja Training Grounds. I'll show off a part of the Test of Duckhood that captures why it's my favorite looking level later on, but let's deal with this stage first.



There's updrafts that instantly send you up these... conveniently duck-shaped tree holes. You can see the eyes and the beak if you focus.



The main gimmick of this stage is - whoa, that's a stretchy duck - that you have these coils that send you up. You can turn into Cold Shadow in this stage, but he can't use the coils or climb up the vines, so you have to be Detective Maui.

Muddrakes pop out of the holes and shoot darts at you, but they should be easy to dispatch.



This is the only time I can think of where Cold Shadow is useful in the Test of Duckhood. Yeah, I don't know why, but Detective Maui really gets the spotlight in both this and the next level. You'll see what I mean.



Stage 2 starts you off with two zombie powders and a vine hanging from the top of the screen. Hmm.

'

Oh right, I just remembered. The thing that stops the Test of Duckhood from being my favorite level (as in the design itself) is that it has an absolute hard-on for these vine segments.



For this stage in particular, you have to drop into this tornado so you can... make these tricycle Muddrakes fall into the abyss? It's a weird and kind of unfun part, given how you have to get every one with the Ultimate Tornado Slam to end the stage.



That one is at least easy due to being contained in one small room.



Stage 3, though... *shudders*



The idea for this one is that you're dumpster diving for Muddrakes (which I also assume are the same ones we knocked off their tricycles) so you can escort them to the other side.

This sounds fun until you realize you have no control over how you rise or fall, and actually grabbing one of these little bastards is easier said than done due to how unreliable it is.

Worst part?



There's a whole bunch of spikes in the way. While they don't kill you in one shot (thank god), they drain your health every second you touch them, hence why they hand you like five zombie powders at the start.

That said, look at that background. That is absolutely stunning.

The purple sunset sky and golden clouds combined with the humongous waterfall go so well together that it's a crime. This has to be one of the most appealing jungle levels I've seen outside of a Donkey Kong Country game, I swear.



You drop off the Muddrakes here. The process is automatic, but you can still whiff it and have to reel back up to a bed of spikes. Ouch.



An interesting thing to note is that when all the Muddrakes are together, they make a cacophony of sounds that you'd expect out of a crowd of crazy little tribal warriors. When there's only one, though, they only make a little chirping noise.

I don't know why I get a "you're the only one left at the party" feeling, but I'm weird.



Once you drop off the squad, that's where this torturous level finally ends. Good.



Stage 4 is more vine adventures, but at least now you don't have to risk your life grabbing more Muddrakes.



Instead you have to risk your life grabbing onto these underground vines. How have both the vine and Maui have not snapped apart, given how painful this looks?



Good thing Maui can still shoot despite how uncomfortable this looks, but wow. He's like one giant toothpaste container.



He lets go of the branch after a certain point and you're sent flying up again to progress. You have to be careful not to get your health drained, so grabbing the tropical punch is vital to surviving.



Once you go deep underground, the vine finally decides it's had enough and breaks yet Maui is still fine. Fancy that.



Not if this giant wasp has anything to say about it, though!



Going to the left leads you to the end of the stage, but the right nets you a ton of loot and an extra life. It's a nice reward after having to deal with all that crap, if I have to be honest.



The final stage and the boss(?) of the Test of Duckhood is this giant red frog. He doesn't attack you, strangely enough. The Muddrakes are more of a threat and there's solid ceilings preventing you from firing at them, so what's the deal?



You see, shooting the frog forces him to stick his tongue out. If he gets a Muddrake, well...



He straight up eats them and shoots their bones out at you.

The whole reason you escorted the little cannibals here was for them to be sacrificed to a frog they think is their god. Damn, Disney was not holding back with this game at all, because that's super gruesome.



The bones do damage to you, but the frog nets you some health each time you get hit so this won't be impossible. That's nice... I guess?



When all the Muddrakes are consumed, he shoots out an extra life for your troubles and that ends the stage! The Test of Duckhood is a beautiful level aesthetically, but brutal in practice (both for this part and how grueling the vine segments are).

Given the Hawaiian/voodoo influence this game has, I can't help but feel this isn't a coincidence but... man. That was crazy.



Next time on Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow, the game somehow manages to get even darker than this! Boy, won't that be fun. See you guys then!

[Current OST: Intro]

Yikes, looks like the Muddrakes had to suffer through quite a bit before we came along. Now they're sending Maui deep into the depths into the ocean to get the corpse of their chief.

Something tells me things will only get worse from here.



[Current OST: The Flying Duckman]

Welcome to the Flying Duckman, how tough are you?

In all seriousness, this has to be a big departure from the rest of the game. The moodier tone and more atmospheric song contrast a lot when compared to the more upbeat and colorful stages we've had before.



Due to the level being underwater, you have to control where you go by shooting your bug gun. The developers must have figured you'd be doing it a lot, so your ammo doesn't run out.

Apparently the bug gun is water-powered or something.

While we're at it, I have to admit - when I was younger, seeing the duck skeletons in the background was kind of an experience. Seeing the Muddrakes get eaten kind of flew over my head at the time, but this was just... there. It actually made me sad for some reason - maybe it's the fact they're just dead in plain sight that bothered me back then.

(Keep in mind, this is the same baby Dan that played the Shadow Temple in Ocarina of Time - my childhood was full of stuff like this.)



There's these mines that you can blow up around certain walls to reveal secret passages, but I'm kinda more distracted by all the beautiful blue sea in the background.



The pufferfishes in this level like to inflate their hitbox to crazy proportions. They seem harmless until you walk over to them, so be careful.



Popping open the lighter-colored barrel releases bubbles that force you up and break that rotten wood plank. Given how you have free control over where you go (even if it's slow), this is a neat idea for hiding secrets.



Now that's a bony fella. The souls of those who died when the ship sank are walking around and they want nothing more than to roast you with... a lit torch underwater??

Maui suddenly growing gills I can take, but...

(The enemy themselves isn't that dangerous even if they pop you with a fireball each time you hit them.)



The third enemy you can fight down here are these Headless Duckmen that can shoot their fiery noggins at you. They're honestly one of the coolest enemies in the game, but this is the only stage they appear in

I bring that up because of the next world we'll be going to, but I'll leave it at that.



Honestly, I don't know what happened that made the ship sink but these guys sure had a lot of weapons stuck in the walls for some reason. They don't do damage per second like the Test of Duckhood spikes, thankfully. The slower movement in this level would make that an absolute nightmare.

You still don't want to bump into them, but the controls are at least responsive enough to make that a non-issue.



I find it amusing how the bone pirates spin around when you hit them. Speaking of spin, that whirlpool is the end of the first stage.

... I've just realized how often Maui spins in this game. He does it every time you turn into Cold Shadow, there was that whirlwind section in the Test of Duckhood and now there's this. I'm amazed he doesn't get sick!



Stage 2 of The Flying Duckman is a chase... but wait, nothing seems to be happening.



Oh, that's what they mean.

The ship is gradually crumbling apart, and if you get hit by the Wall of Death Bubbles, you lose a life. How... does that work, considering we can just shoot-swim with our gun? In the Genesis version, the ship was actually being blown up by underwater TNT, but here it just... decays.

I dunno how that works, but it's still pretty spooky... especially when you notice the HUD is being eaten up by the effect too.



It's not that big of an issue though, because unlike the lava in Level 4, you can't accidentally bump into it by falling down a pit or something.

It's also very slow - the only way you're dying from it is if you let it touch you. Wow, even the chase level is laid back, how about that?



The final stage has you on board a row boat (called the Sea Hag, no less)... underwater. I love how cheeky this whole thing is, alright.

I don't know who the guy rowing is or if he's a ghost, but he sure does look a lot like Smee from Peter Pan... also yeesh, that's one friendly looking ship.



I can only describe this boss with one clip.

The boss of the Flying Duckman is this angry duck pirate skull that I assume is Quackoo. Yeah, the chieftain of the Muddrakes was also a pirate captain(?)... this game is so ridiculous and I love it.

He's kinda pissed about being dead and now he's going to take it out on Maui, the poor sod.



The actual fight with Quackoo(?) isn't too difficult - the row boat gives you proper D-Pad movement back, and you can move wherever you want.

He pelts you with pufferfish and mines, but doesn't do anything himself. Didn't stop him from spooking younger Dan with those empty voids for eye sockets he has.



A few shots later and he's re-dead. It's kinda weird too, because there's not even special boss music for this - you still have the relaxing Duckman theme playing in the background. It's almost enough to put you to sleep if it weren't for the fact you're being assaulted by an undead pirate.



No Babaluau Baby, but I think I can hold off due to how well we're doing.



[Current OST: Intro]

Oh no, here we go. If that intro isn't enough to tell you what horrors we'll face, then I dunno what to say to you.



[Current OST: The Realm of the Dead]



This was the level that broke me as a kid - it was all fun and games until we get dropped into what is effectively a voodoo mindfuck nightmare realm that wouldn't be out of place in Lovecraft.

That giant Elder God eye in the background, jesus christ. As rad as it is with the conjoined pupil, having it stare at you the entire level is incredibly unsettling. The giant stone duck heads don't help either, because their mere presence in the area makes it even more chilling for a reason I can't quite grasp.

That said, I love how treacherous and primal the music sounds - it really does encapsulate the feeling of the area. For all my griping about how creepy this place is, this has to be one of the most badass levels I've ever seen in a video game, let alone a Disney game.

It makes perfect sense for this to be the final world in the game, and anything less wouldn't be as satisfying.



Of course the ghost pirates would return - this is the final resting place, after all. I like how their palette is gray to reflect how dead this place is.



You see this ghostly mist that covers 90% of the ground?



Instant death.

We went from being perfectly healthy (100) to zero in less than a second!

It makes the most sense here because, well, this is The Realm of the Dead. Of course a living duck like Maui is going get the life ripped out of him when he touches the death mist.

But wait, there's more!



Zombie ducks.

Yeah, I don't know when it happened, but I was deathly afraid of zombies when I was younger. As I grew up it became more and more of an irrational fear and there's other things in life I have to worry about, but there's always been something about the concept of a reanimated corpse that's disturbed me on a spiritual level.



Doesn't help that the animations for hitting the zombies is so violent, jeez! They get more and more pathetic the more you hit them, to the point where they're barely sagging along.

The way all of their flesh just slides off when they die (again) is both disgusting and darkly comedic, not gonna lie... the guys who made this game knew what they were doing.

They're not too dangerous, at least. The homing bones don't do that much damage and you can just avoid them altogether.



There are bats around here that explode into blood if you hit them. Granted, this might be a leftover from the stage they originally appeared in (the volcano) where the effect kinda blends into the background, but still, what the hell.



You see this strange green goop that's just floating in the air? That counts as water and not horrible deadly ectoplasm, surprisingly enough.

(What is he hanging on, by the way?)



Unfortunately, Cold Shadow doesn't have a gun to swim with and holy hell, that's an angry duck skull. Remember the little ghosts from the Mojo Mansion - meet their bigger, meaner cousin.

I like to think the mansion ghosts were tiny and kind of cute by comparison because it wasn't too haunted - here, we're in the heart of what is effectively Hell in Maui's universe, so of course they'd be nastier.



Other than that, the green ectoplasm controls much like the Flying Duckman did, so that's neat. They had an entire level of prep just for this one part.

Can't imagine what it smells or tastes like though. This entire place must smell like a septic tank full of rotten eggs.



After a certain point, you drop onto this... demonic bone boat with fangs. This is metal as fuck for Disney, let's be real.



Especially when the boat goes into a gaping stone head full of fire. They did not hold back at all, I love it.



Hey, that's the end of the level! That was a long and tough first stage - fitting for where we're at.



But wait.
You haven't seen anything yet, because now we're really going to Hell.



Alright, let's unload the info and get moving - the jar on that comically freaky altar is supposed to be Quackoo's remains. He's the reason we came here, given that this place is supposed to be a resting place for the restless souls of the dead.

... He's just a pair of eyes and a beak, so either that's all we could find or we must have messed him up during the boss battle back in The Flying Duckman. (Assuming that was even him.)



Grab what you can and start climbing, because the mist wants you dead.



You see, this tower is the most hated level in the entire game! It's the only level that I genuinely can't stand due to the following reasons:

#1: The mist is still instant death, and the wonky jump doesn't help when trying to climb.

#2: This is an escort mission, and you know how much people love those.

You see those flaming duck heads that are encroaching on the remains jar? If they get near, they'll drag Quackoo away - if the jar goes offscreen, you lose a life and have to restart the entire thing. No checkpoints. Brutal!

#3: It's so sloooow. While the Flying Duckman was slow too, it at least doesn't stop you from ending the level at your own pace. Worse is that the tower goes forever, so you don't even have the mercy of this being short.

Combine all the above and you have an incredibly frustrating final level... to the point where I straight up quit back when I was a child and threw the game away! Granted, while I severely regret doing that, that's pretty telling.



You can't just outspeed the jar, too, because you have to wait for these bone platforms to spawn - the platforms are too high to jump on otherwise.





Again, no checkpoints. If you die, you start from the bottom.

What happened to the generosity that was in the earlier parts in the game? Even the rising fire level from the volcano world had checkpoints in it - this is just as long and you have to go up the tower by foot, so come on.



This level will test how good you are at shooting, because the ghosts that try to snatch Quackoo away will come in from all sides. The level does provide special ammo to help blast away these idiots, but be careful because the ammo is limited whereas the ghosts are not.

... It is kind of creepy when you think about it. Like what do they want Quackoo for, other than just to spite Maui?



Oh thank the lord, we finally made it to the top. They knew it was a ridiculous task too, because they put not only an extra life, but also an extra continue there too. This is the only continue doll I've seen outside of Babaluau Baby, so mama mia that's crazy.



Once Quackoo makes it to the altar (complete with scary grasping hands with long red claws), breathe easy because the ghosts can't take him away.

We've conquered the Realm of the Dead!

And what does Quackoo give us for our troubles? A sock in the nose and a jab in the eyes, but also the location of Shabhum Shabhum!



... Yes, that really is the end of level 7.

No boss, strangely enough... just two stages, with one being an obnoxious tower climb. Truthfully it's tough enough already, but it does kinda feel like there's something missing, like there was a big honking demon we should have fought between the first stage and the tower.

There was no way I was going to do the Babaluau Baby, though.



[Current OST: Intro]

Awwww shit, time for the final showdown. We now have unlimited access to Cold Shadow, so that's rad.



This is the only stage and there's no loot to grab - it's just one big fight against you and the Witch Doctor that stole Shabhum Shabhum to begin with.



[Current OST: Mojo Stronghold]

Oof, ain't this a hell of a stage for a final battle. The song takes a bit to build up, but once it does... it's pretty epic. I love how it's effectively a pastiche of almost every area song in the game, with emphasis on the Ninja Training Grounds due to the fact that, hey, we're going to be fighting him as Ninja Maui.

The theming is fantastic, I swear.



As for the final battle itself, the Witch Doctor has a bunch of tricks up his sleeve. He'll shoot fire, electricity and he even has these fancy purple orbs that I assume are filled with Mojo power.



Only the ones on the main stage are required to break - the ones on the sides give you health in case you were taking a beating.



There's nothing stopping you from just shooting him with regular Maui, but I think the game makes you stop after a while and just kicks you onto the main stage.



You also can't just jump onto the stage as soon as the fight starts, because then this happens.



Roasted duck, anyone?



Once you've broken both orbs on the main stage, lighting will force you to jump on the main stage. Keep in mind that if you do lose a life, you have to restart the fight. Ooof.



Now it's just you and the Witch Doctor - one on one.



Now you can't cheap him out by using regular Maui because he'll block all your shots with his face??

Yeah, he doesn't have a face or even a head under his mask. Voodoo magic is crazy if he's able to keep fighting like this.

His attacks range from shooting fire at you, socking you with a giant boot for 25 damage (yeesh) and teleporting around the arena - it's pretty tough if you don't keep your distance, but...



Keep at it and you can send him barreling into the depths of Hell.

The idol is ours and the island is safe once more.



[Current OST: Ending]

... We saved the idol and it's a goddamn fridge. What a wacky ass game this is.

But hey, at least everyone's fine!



"Oh, if only you were still with us, I would take you on an adventure you would never forget. But, alas, you were struck down in your moment of glory. So from this day forward, our island will bear your name. Although..."

An adventure he'd never forget, huh?

... That said, she does notice that Maui is struggling on the ground there, right? She's talking about him like he's dead, even though we've survived going into a volcano and literal death mist.



Haha. Very cheeky there, game.



Awww, Maui does get the girl after all! That's sweet.

... It also kind of explains why the ending theme is wedding music, so hell yeah. He needs a vacation after all this craziness too.



... Ouch.



It really is kind of a shame this game and its different ports didn't sell well, because imagine how cool a sequel or even a Disney animated series (ala. Ducktales) would have been.



However, as much of a happy ending that was, we're still not done. Next time on Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow, we're going to switch consoles and dive into uncharted waters with the Genesis version. See you guys then.

I should mention that not only is this my first real attempt at Genesis emulation, this is also my first time ever playing the Genesis version of Maui Mallard.

To say I'm in unfamiliar territory would be an understatement, given how I had to use a different method of getting screenshots for this game.

MM Genesis only has three buttons, and I don't think the L and R buttons even work for this, so this is what we're working with.



[Current OST: Mojo Mansion (Genesis) / Mojo Mansion (PC)]

There is no intermission theme between levels like the SNES version, mind. You straight up start with the music, which I do have to say is good for Genesis standards.

The PC soundtrack is nice, but I'm not quite a fan of it. I don't know, there's something about the bits they add that I'm not fond of, given how I already thought the base songs were excellent and just needed a tune up...

Like in the SNES version!



The same opening screen as before, but quite a bit different. You see, Maui does not start off with his gun power... you have to collect the blue beetle to even shoot.

If you don't have at least have that or special ammo, you'll be shooting bubbles that don't even have the decency to harm anything.

It's very silly but I see why they did it that way.



Once you do get the basic bug bullet, it never runs out (as opposed to the SNES's regenerating 50 bullets) but it also doesn't travel far and can't travel through walls.

It's also not very strong, because apparently special weapons have actual strength ratings in the Genesis version! (If you can kill an enemy in 2 hits with the red/white bullets, the regular gun will do it in four, for example.)

I... I'm kind of glad they changed that for the SNES version, given how it came out later. (1995 vs 1996)



The stone duck head is instead a freaky-looking tiki duck. If this doesn't tell you what you're in for, then I dunno what to say to you.



Enemies in the Genesis Maui Mallard explode into a green skull and let out a human-like scream of pain. Everything does it, even the small spider that I just shot here.

If there's anything I can give the Genesis version is that they crank up the morbid nature of Maui's adventure - everything here is just a little bit more grotesque-looking and there's more black comedy. 

I kinda like it cause this is still an example of a dark cartoon setting that doesn't linger on the edge for too long.



A brand new enemy you can find here is this tiki head that'll shoot out mucus (bleugh) at you, and here's the evil sinus spirit that the butler shoots out at you.

See, they knew how to have fun! 

... Also, yes, that frame with white lines is supposed to be a mirror. I couldn't figure out if there was something important with it due to all the goodies in the back, but oh well.



There is no Luau Loot in this version - instead, there's just a bunch of gold bags everywhere. It doesn't tell you how much you need to enter Babaluau Baby either, you just kind of have to guess and hope you've grabbed enough.

Maui's going to leave this island rich either way. 



The return of the bright-eyed piranha and oh god he ate Maui!

Thankfully it doesn't instantly kill you, it just does 25 damage... which is still alot, but managable.



That face is a perfect example of how they dabbled in freaky tiki stuff, and I love it.



Maui also has different idle animations than the SNES version - one of the things he can do is bring out this chicken instead of his map, and that's pretty funny.



OUCH!

If there's anything I really love in this game, however, it has to be this. Poor Maui. 



The blood hand is more obviously a fire hand in this version, so I wonder what caused the change.



I find it interesting that we just now get a shrunken duck head checkpoint instead of starting off with one. Also there's a better look at the spider enemy in case you wanted to see it.



Did you miss me, scary hollow-eyed duck head?

... Cause I didn't miss you! 



A better look at the tiki head enemy in a glorious animated gif. I love the work that goes into these animations - they're one of the better parts of this game's visuals.



The red beetle ammo functions the same as the SNES version, but the white beetle ammo is a long-shot that does more damage than your normal shot.

They give you a lot, by the way, because the basic ammo is kinda bad.



Another look at his idle animation along with these cool-looking, spinning spade things.

You can't bounce off of them like in the SNES version, and the window for standing on them is pretty strict. I was actually stuck here for a bit until I realized you could pull a lever to make them all stop and work as proper platforms.

... Yeah, MM Genesis will make you solve problems the hard way. I'll get to that in a bit.



Combining the red and white shots gives you this star projectile that moves real fast and homes in on enemies - I'm not quite sure if it even does more, but it sure looks cool.



Sometimes when you kill an enemy, this gold bar flies out. I'm pretty sure it counts as mega loot, so grab it the instant it appears.

I mean, I sure would. 



There's no loading screen for levels either. The change is a fade to black and that's about it - the music doesn't even stop.



This level in particular, you have to go to the left and get the help of a flying beetle that lights up the way for you. It somehow summons these platforms to your aid and you have to be careful of falling into the water.

But wait, didn't the water only do one damage before? What's the problem, then?



This is why. It's death water in the Genesis version.

That has to be the most drastic change in a level obstacle I've ever seen - harmless in one game, a death-dealer in another.

What, can he not swim or something?



There isn't much to this level other than pressing a button on the floor to make this tiki head move. There is, however, this new sub-weapon!

The Genesis has another form of beetle ammo - the bomb! It flies down from your gun and explodes, and customizing it with the other beetle ammos makes it super deadly.

A spread shot explosion (white), or a homing spread shot explosion. (red)

The best part is that you can actually combine all three types. Doing so lets you shoot off a nuke that destroys everything on screen - it's nuts. The downside is that it's costly, so you can't just spam it... but it's super useful.



A bit of pacing around later and we finally make it to the organ room!

... Yeah, really. There's not even much to this level in the Genesis version anyway, the only thing you can do is ride it to the top.



This will never not be amusing to me, just saying. The point of the climb is to grab as much special bug ammo and money bags as you can, because there's no going back down after you reach the top...



... Where this horrendous abomination awaits. 

[Current OST: Boss (Genesis) / Boss (PC)]

Why yes, the Genesis version does in fact have a dedicated boss theme unlike the SNES version where it just had the level music playing in the background. (Shame we never got a SNES version of this song, but I'll settle for these two versions.)

That said, damn the spider boss is freaky in this one. It just showed up in the other game, but here you get to see it assemble its legs and crawl after you. It's just eugh.



It likes to slam the ceiling (dropping rocks) and crawl around, but as long as you jump out of the way you should be fine. No better time to use up all of our super bullets anyway! 

(Also, huh - I just now noticed the volcano in the background. Could that be the same place as level 4? That'd be sweet if it was.)



[Current OST: Level Complete (Genesis) / Level Complete (PC) ]

Hell yeah. 

It's like... there's parts that both games lack that would be hella cool if they (somehow) made a modern re-release. Because I'm really digging that level complete animation. 

Another change is that you get the password here instead of having to complete Babaluau Baby to get it - that's cool, I guess.



Speaking of which...



Yeah, Babaluau Baby is also completely different in this version (albeit having the same look with the cartoony clouds, suns and moons).

The three items in front of us are: an extra continue token, zombie powder, and an extra life.

The zombie powder is an extremely valuable item in the Genesis version because it's actually semi-permanent! Your max health is increased permanently until you die, so if you're a really good player you could finish the game with like... I dunno, 400 health?

They're definitely more of a real treasure here than the SNES version.



Are these guys all Muddrakes? Curious.

The Muddrake lady with the shield will bash you away onto a different rail of the ride and getting hit by any attack in this stage will not hurt your health, but remove a collectible like an extra life (etc.) instead.

It's definitely more interesting and dynamic than the whole "climb the smug-ass stars" Babaluau Baby from the other game.



There's even these fire dancer guys that you have to speed through before they land a hit on you.



Go ninja, go ninja, go.

And I can say that without a hint of shame because that's actually what this game is about! 

... Okay, maybe a little shame.



[Current OST: Ninja Training Grounds (Genesis) / Ninja Training Grounds (PC)]

Whoof, that PC version. I do not like it, if only for the weird beginning and some of the instruments they use.

I dunno, when you compare it to the SNES version which had an absolutely masterful rendition, it just doesn't compare. (Genesis version is alright.)



Another aspect of the Ninja Training Grounds in this version that I'm not as fond of is immediately starting out with a dark stormy setting.

It's not as heavy-hitting as having a clear sky before shit hits the fan, you know.

We can even collect ninja talismans before we get Cold Shadow, but they don't do anything just yet.



This is what it looks like when you don't have any bug ammo, by the way. It's kinda pathetic.



Nice to meet you again, Mr. Witch Doctor Man. Glad to see you're still kicking after the beating I gave you in the other game. 

That said, whoa that was nuts. Ninja souls just pour out of you like crazy! Certainly explains why there's suddenly enough to fill a temple.



Cold Shadow is... interesting in the Genesis version. He doesn't have different belt colors (unfortunately) and his ninja energy constantly drains instead of exhausting it per strike... but he's hella strong.

Enemies don't have invincibility frames in this version, so he could beat the crap out of them with his bo staff... and each strike is also much stronger than the basic gun too.

He still suffers from not being able to climb and still doesn't have a ranged option, but he's still really badass.



The shin-stab technique is less powerful in version because it comes with a lot of end lag, so it's not as useful... instead the overhead swing takes its place.

Yeah, you can swing and instantly combo into another attack when you land on the ground. It's kind of Aria of Sorrow esque with how you can cancel ending lag by doing attacks as you land.

... Also, whoa, I did not see that angry duck face in the enemy death explosion until just now. That's kinda freaky. 



This does not release talismans, but is instead a point where you have to grapple from. The swinging mechanics are a pain in the ass in this version, because you have to account for physics.

If Cold Shadow isn't at the end of a swing, he will fall to the ground like a brick. This becomes a problem later on, and no sir I do not like it... especially since the overhead attack can whiff actually clinging onto these. 



Hello dummy, nice to see you again.



Getting to pilot the stone mecha duck will always be cool - shame we just can't fight in it. 



Not as impressive without the brilliant purple sky/ocean in the background, but I can still imagine baby Dan getting nostalgic over this if he had Genesis Maui Mallard instead.

I will never get over the poor duck getting low kicked in the nads, though. Like ouch.



Every level from now on will signify the end with this "Pau!" sign that looks pretty neat, not gonna lie. I guess if you wanted to do more exploration, this is your cue to ignore it but... nah.



Cold Shadow resets every level, so you have to grab more talismans to re-activate him... and well, actually transforming into him is pretty tedious.

You have to hold down the Powerup button (the same one used to switch between special bug ammo) until Maui transforms into his ninja counterpart, but they never tell you this. You have to figure it out on your own, which I don't think I would have appreciated as a kid.



Skipped some of the level to show off the same grotto from before - more zombie powder is always good, even if I'm never going to keep it due to how admittedly shaky I am as a player of this game. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯



This sure is one perilous journey, not gonna lie. This Donald/Maui got himself into some real shit if he's swinging over beds of spears and terrifying angry duck-faced pillars.



... Teleport? What's that supposed to mean?

Does Cold Shadow have the ability to teleport? 

God damn, that's cool. But how do we pull it --





... Kay. What are you getting at, game? 

How in the hell are you supposed to dodge an instant death attack like that?



At the very least they have the decency to give you an extra life every time you die so you don't lose progress because of this horseshit.

But hmm. What is the secret of the "Teleport"? I'm honestly confused here.



Wait, never mind, I got it! (And Cold Shadow looks so cool doing this, too.)

The secret is that you have to press the Powerup button and tap the direction to perform this uber-dash to evade Hernae's ball of rage. Not quite sure why they call it "Teleport" because you're clearly just doing the Sonic run, but... you do you, game.

I've heard that they expected you to figure it out by yourself, hence why they give you a respawning extra life during this section but... come on, that's dumb. An actual display of the button combination would have been nice, as opposed to just guessing.



Not much of a warning if you already killed Maui like five times before this conversation happened.

... Ya crazy duck lady. 

I can kind of see why they omitted this section from the SNES version, even if the """"""Teleport"""""" spell would have been nice.



[Current OST: Boss (Genesis) / Boss (PC)]


Hey, it's the ninja generator! I still like how it looks like an old martial arts master, but this version has some tricks up its sleeve like bombs and fire waves along with the ninjas it summons. 

The first red guy it summons isn't too hard, just smack him around.



The blue ninja he summons likes to slide around with his bo staff, so put an end to that the instant he starts doing it.



The green ninja shoots fire at you and the brown one charges at you with a pseudo Teleport charge, and they hurt quite a bit.

Neat gauntlet regardless, if only for how they showcase different abilities through the different ninja colors.



They start throwing out multiple ninjas at a time once you defeat enough of them. This can be a bit of a problem if you don't catch the occasional fruit punch that the statue drops.

Pretty sure I'd have a headache if it didn't.



The last ninja are ones clad in all-black - they posssess the powers of every other ninja and have a gimmick of their own.



Each time you kill one, it splits into two more. Pretty intense stuff, right?

Thank goodness Cold Shadow's staff is so beefy, otherwise this would be a mess.



The ninjas are finally destroyed, and so is the statue. 

There is no weird buzzsaw emblem phase in this version though, so we pretty much won.



Next time on Maui Mallard Genesis, we'll tackle... the entire other half of the game! Yeah, really. See you guys then.

[Current OST: Muddrake Mayhem (Genesis) / Muddrake Mayhem (PC)]

The PC and Genesis versions of this song are equally alright, but I do like how they kept the riff of the Ninja Training Grounds all the way towards the end of the game.

Not a fan of the random chirping, though - it kind of breaks up the melody for me.



I do like how the purple sky looks like in every version of the game, but it's strange to me how this is the only place in the Genesis version that has it. 

The Muddrakes themselves are still devilish little buggers with their buzzsaw yo-yos and boomerangs. Those things can put an eye out, you know.



Muddrake Mayhem is surprisingly more forgiving than the Mojo Mansion in terms of water hazards - the mud doesn't instantly kill you, but falling in will still rip 25 health away.

... Seriously though, is it really mud? I dare not to think about what it really might be. 



The first level wasn't too notable aside from some altered loot locations, but the mud-wall location has... quite a bit going for it. You'll see what I mean.



For one, I lost a life.

The second major reason being that... well, you know how we had to pop a cork so it'd rain mud down? There's blobs sliding down this rafter(?) and if we so much as brush against it, we'll be completely helpless.

No, I'm serious. 

You can't jump, you can't shoot, and you're still vulnerable to Muddrake attacks while your ass slides all the way back down to the beginning.

Why in the world did they program it like this? It's just tedious in a fake difficulty kind of way!  



Thankfully, we finally build a stepping stone after being thrown back down so many times.



Maui was so satisfied that he got a big head! 

... Honestly though I did not mean to screencap this, this was just a happy accident.



Tiny combat is definitely more of an issue here due to the limited range of our shots. Can't exactly snipe our enemies with how terrible the default shot is, but that's what power-ups are for.

... Also, can we just address the bones? The Muddrakes are brutal, man.



Every time you clear a room of enemies, a bomb beetle will show up so you can blow up the cube blocking your path.

I was curious as to what would happen if you wasted it, but thankfully they just spawn more until you get rid of the block. Nice to know they wouldn't dead-game you.



Ugh, here's the grubs again... they're still gross, but at least not the worst thing here.

There's a small path under here where you can grab some more loot, but it requires jumping over tiny platforms over mud.



Yeah, I don't recommend doing that? Tiny Maui is super allergic to mud and it causes him to violently explode. The Minish problem of "even a puddle is like an ocean", unfortunately.



But hey, thanks for the gold bar. Definitely needed something nice after that catastrophe.



I still don't understand why the Muddrake Shaman doesn't just leave you tiny, but I'm not complaining. Maybe he wants a fair fight due to some obscene tradition or something.



The final stage of the Muddrake Mayhem, and it's... well...



[Current OST: Continue]

Yeah. Genesis isn't messing around!

Keep in mind you have a limited amount of continues. If those are all up, you have to restart from Mojo Mansion again. It's pretty rough.

SNES Maui Mallard only has a giant rock saying Game Over fall on Maui's foot, but this version's way more morbid because it has the same snatching hand take Maui into the abyss...

With a Muddrake coming in from stage left and leaving a flower where you stood, complete with a funeral dirge ditty.  Like jeez, way to hammer it in... 



I should also mention that an infinite amount of Muddrakes like to jump from the flags there, complete with these terrible bloodcurdling screams.

Why they feel the need to do that escapes me, because we're already running away as it is!



[Current OST: Boss (Genesis) / Boss (PC)]

 Time to rumble again, boys! 

The only major difference this time around is that there's an animated crowd in the back spelling out words in the back. Take a look at it in action!



I find it especially adorable how they misspell Maui's name. 



That said, ouch is right. This fight is pretty brutal if you don't know what you're doing. The Muddrakes really dog-pile you, not helped by the fact there was so much going on that I wasn't paying attention to my health.



I had to empty my entire supply of special ammo just to stay alive in this place... and this is already after the continue I lost.

Yeah, when I said I was a shaky player of this game I wasn't kidding... 



[Current OST: Sacrifice of Maui (Genesis) / Sacrifice of Maui (PC)]

Sacrifice of Maui is still one of the catchiest songs in the game, but that weird "skreeee" sound effect is just off-putting to me. For the longest time I thought it came from the living fire enemies, but it's part of the soundtrack for some reason.

What an... odd choice. 



There is no giant scary totem-face in the background, unfortunately. It's just a bunch of lava columns, which isn't as interesting to me.



The fire enemies are less annoying in the genesis version, surprisingly, due to them not shooting out a revenge fireball upon being attacked.

Their skeleton also doesn't show when you pop them with an attack, which is strange to me if this is the more black comedy game. 



Oooh boy, swinging over pits of lava. At least it's not instant-death lava like the second stage of level 4, but falling in at any point doesn't help.



Maui bending the laws of physics again, but this time in a Genesis coat of paint.

I can't get enough of these little idle animations, just saying. 



This is another place where you can use the "Teleport" move... the alternative is swinging across grapple points. 

Yeah, you know what I'm going for.



Smooth as ice. 



I went from having 25 health to 150 for a very good reason...



[Current OST: Boss (Genesis) / Boss (PC)]

 This guy had to rear his ugly mug. 

He's way cooler looking than the noodly fire worm from the SNES version - this guy's more like a pissed off fire totem... with coke fiend eyes.



His basic strategy is to fly towards you with his piercing chest bones, but you can smack him away with your bo-staff.



However, when you kill him the first time, he comes back with a circle of stones to protect him. It's a bit trickier to hit him like this, but you do have an ace up your sleeve...



You can just nuke him. 

Yeah, he really hates the special ammo combo (long shot + homing + bomb) that covers the whole screen. It instantly kills each of his phases!

If you have enough ammo, you can kill him before he even appears on screen, which is absolutely bananas.



Ah yes, the dreaded rising fire level. I would say it was nice to meet you again, but I don't think the feeling's mutual.



You didn't see it, but there was a lot of frustration involved just trying to climb up here. Sometimes I'd fall off the grapple point and land directly into the death lava.

Sometimes I just walk off because the controls are stiff and lose a life.

It... it was not a fun time. 



But hey, at least we don't have to do the Sacrifice of Maui anymore!

The stone slab level was completely unique to the SNES version, so at least I don't have to endure that part too. (Thank goodness.)



[Current OST: Test of Duckhood (Genesis) / Test of Duckhood (PC)]

I like the drum beats of the Genesis Test of Duckhood a lot, but the PC version's frog noises are just cheesy. I understand why they did that, given that it's foreshadowing the Frog God, but... come on.



This place looks completely different with a more natural, dulled out color scheme here. That's nice, but not quite the stunning look the SNES version achieved.

At least the actual level design is better executed this time.



You're still hanging off of vines, but this time you have to use gravity to your advantage by grabbing onto these pipes and going to the deeper end.

The force flings you up higher up the level... which is neat, I suppose.



They spice it up by introducing these moving platforms, but the thing that sucks is that if you get hit once while you're on a vine, it snaps off and you have to backtrack to where you found it... hence why these Muddrakes are a bigger problem than they should be.



Oh boy, this part. Would you believe I was actually stumped on this part until I looked up a video guide on how to complete this level?

The gimmick here is that you have to jump off of a higher point so the snag can launch you higher than normal. It's a neat puzzle in concept, yes, but aggravating to figure out.



That's the first stage done already! That said... what lies on the other side of the Pau sign?



If we have to go dumpster diving for Muddrakes again, I'm going to slap Maui into the waterfall.



Thankfully not! 

Yeah, instead of being forced to get Muddrakes to sacrifice them to the frog, you are instead in full control of how you jump with the vine around your waist.

This is the only other stage in the Genesis Test of Duckhood and it's actually a lot of fun... so it baffles me as to why the SNES version has the more tedious part.





[Current OST: Boss (Genesis) / Boss (PC)]

Not only that, we get to beat up the Frog God for his crimes against duck-kind!

This is so gratifying after being forced to be his waiter in the other game, so let's put him in his place!



The idea with the Frog God fight is that that you have to avoid getting slapped by his tongue. As far as I'm aware, that's the only way he can damage you.

Conversely, the only way to damage him is to drop bomb beetles into his mouth... you know, giving him the good old taste of justice. 



... Wait, what? 

There's two of him?? 

But how can this be?



I mean, he goes down just as easily as his brother(?) and we win over the trust of the Muddrakes yet again.

We better be like a king to these friggin' maniacs by now.



[Current OST: The Flying Duckman (Genesis) / The Flying Duckman (PC)]

I like how they say "vanquished" instead of appeased this time. Definitely an improvement. 

... But yeah, wow. What a difference in terms of soundtrack! If you remember correctly, the SNES version had a haunting and soothing song to compliment the atmosphere.

In this and the PC version it's crazy and energetic... and I don't even think it's bad. (Those drums, man.) 

The Flying Duckman in this version is way more dangerous, so it fits better here.



It still has the same look, but it's not as interesting without the SNES's calm atmosphere.



Our best friend, Longboy Mc. Bones, greets us with a fireball to the face. What a guy. 



Oh, and he even brought along his green friend!

... In all seriousness, despite how cool they are, they're not a big deal.

I should mention that the controls in water are not as refined as they could be. You can't aim down, so you have to jump first and then shoot in the direction you need to go in.

Man, to think that a lot of issues I have with this game are just simple quality of life improvements... oh, and the difficulty too, but that's more manageable.



In hindsight, this place is still pretty depressing because with the exception of the undead assholes attacking me, this is still essentially a graveyard.

It's why the SNES Flying Duckman music hit so hard for me, because it conveyed that without even using words.



That said, here's why the Genesis soundtrack is relevant - you blow the absolute crap out of the ship with these TNT barrels! If you get near them, they explode and the level becomes a desperate race to the finish.



If you're unfortunate enough to get left behind, you get dragged into the current and lose a life.

Yikes.



In that sense, it's more exhilarating. You just have to be careful of all the pufferfishes and ghosts around the ship, because remember, your life does not refill between stages or even between levels.

You are responsible for your health from start to finish, and if you bungle that up? Sucks for you.



Ah yes, the legendary Sea Hag and her pilot, Stinky Snee.



[Current OST: Boss (Genesis) / Boss (PC)]

Ahoy, captain! Glad to see you're still kicking. 

Quackoo(?)'s spirit is way more of a hassle in the Genesis version for various reasons.



Primarily due to his abuse of pufferfish and naval mines. I swear the hitboxes on these things are cursed to hit you even if you're not even close to them.

It was absolutely infuriating to fight the Captain here, given how your shots don't go through walls unlike in the other version. You have to play Marco-Polo with him whether you want to or not, which is... yeah. 

You do get special ammo refills, but he'll often throw some trash at you while they fly by.



We blast his soul into the ether and kick the stern of his ship for good measure. 



[Current OST: Realm of the Dead (Genesis) / Realm of the Dead (PC)]

Oh wow, we finally made it to the Realm of the Dead and a PC soundtrack I actually prefer over the other versions! The tribal instruments, the ghostly feeling and that beginning is like... it's outstanding!

The Genesis version is actually the weakest out of every variation, which is kind of a shame.



Everything is so gray and dead, it's fantastic. Even the Elder God eye is freakier looking than normal.



Shooting some dead pirates and... wow I didn't notice that the sky was actually a gray fire decal this entire time. Definitely conveys the more "hellish" side of this place... on top of being a little cheesy.



Oh christ!

The zombies actually shout (as opposed to a quiet rumbling noise) when they come out of the ground this time, which seriously freaked me out the first time I walked through here... and there's a lot of them to boot.

They don't shoot homing bones, but they're still pretty spooky.



This horrible ghostly ectoplasm is not death water, but instead a way to progress! 

... I should also mention that the mist isn't instant death in this version, thank god. Given the complications I have with swinging from grapple points, this would be absolutely nightmarish for me to do if that were the case.



There's a bunch of weird statues here, as if this place needed to be more alien and creepy.



The metal-as-hell bone ship is still around to ferry you across the death mist, but the level actually places more emphasis on Cold Shadow's ability to cling against walls.

They make you do it a lot here, so you better be careful you don't keep falling.



... And just like that, we're back in the worst level of the game! Excellent. 

The Realm of the Dead has had the least amount of changes between games, mercifully, so we don't have to fight a boss or anything here.



The basic idea of the Tower of Terror is that you have to escort Quackoo's remains to the top while preventing these ghosts from grabbing him away.

The mist is back to being instant death, and if you fail to protect Quackoo you lose a life.

(Side note, it's funny how they just reused the fire ghost head's sprite instead of creating a brand new sprite like in the SNES version.)



However, the major defining factor of the level this time is that you don't have to wait for platforms to spawn. You can swing up to your heart's content.

Good, because at least we don't have to waste more time sitting around.



The ghosts will only drag Quackoo's remains to the left for some odd reason. This is actually a good thing because if you're in the middle of the tower and it happens, you have ample time to rescue him.

The trick that makes this less painful is actually a special ammo combo - homing + bomb cleans house with a massive spread of four homing shots... and the best part is that it doesn't cost much.

You could sit around the entire time shooting bombs and no ghost will be able to touch you. It's weird how they balanced this game, I swear.



Have fun taking a dirt nap, Quackoo. That's the last time you get a freebie from Maui.

Oh yes, while we're still playing, I should mention that Maui Mallard had a decorated manual full of tips and an amusing little narrative to explain the game's plot. It's pretty funny, so I recommend you read it.

... That said, it's finally time to tackle the end in...



[Current OST: Mojo Stronghold (Genesis) / Mojo Stronghold (PC)]

Man, the Genesis Mojo Stronghold sounds badass. It's so primal and heart-pumping that it's perfect for the final boss. The PC version is adequate.



We get to actually see the Witch Doctor throw Shabum Shabum into the clouds, so we better stop him quick!



Like Hernae said in the intermission screen, we have infinite talisman powers and don't need to worry about de-transforming back into Detective Maui. 

The idea is that you have to swing from both sides of the stage and grab special bug ammo to pelt the Witch Doctor from a distance.



After you hit him enough times, he decides enough is enough and steals all of your bugs away. Whatta dick! 



You have to fight him one on one as Cold Shadow now, no detectives allowed.

You have both aspects of Maui squaring off against a maniacal shaman in a floating fortress... this is a really cool way to end off the game if I can be honest. 



His only major attack is this Massive Staff that shoots waves of fire at you, but at least that's easy to avoid with a well-timed jump.



He'll still put his face up as a method to defend himself, but the most dangerous thing about the Witch Doctor is actually his Big Boot counter-attack. You can't get too zealous otherwise he'll slam you away, 



[Pained scream SFX as the shaman explodes into fire]

Suck it, you creepy masked man. That's for all the shit you put Maui through in both these games! 



[Current OST: The Island is Calling (Genesis) / The Island is Calling (PC)]

To think, the most powerful Mojo artifact in the world is just a fridge. I can't get over that, alright?

Imagine if, say, Excalibur had a secret PEZ dispenser on its hilt, among other things.



The ending is more or less the same, but there's different music here at least.

... An adventure we would never forget, huh? What do you say, guys? Do we take her up on that offer?



[Current OST: The Ending (Genesis) / The Ending (PC)]

Never mind, Maui chose for us anyway. The lucky duck. 






Yep, that's it! That's the end of Maui's adventure, fellas.

All in all, the Genesis version was more punishing but more fun in different areas. If I had more time to get used to it, I'd probably enjoy it a lot more, but as it is, it's a fine game with some flaws.

The music is great even if it has that classic Genesis twang, and while I'm not a fan of the PC port's soundtrack, there are some parts of it I like.



... Steve Duckworth. If that's his real name, he was born to be part of this game. What an honor.

All in all, this was definitely a fun experiment towards Genesis emulation. I've never really done this sort of thing before, because my last exposure to a game on this console was Lion King or Sonic 1... and that was years ago.

Unfortunately, I can't really think of other games on the Genesis I would like to play aside from some bootlegs (that'll be fun) due to all of my history being on the Nintendo side of things.



... This still stings though, given their plans to make an animated series and/or a sequel only to have the games' sales tank.

I'm trying to imagine how it would have been if that did become a thing though. Would it have caught on? I dunno. 

That said, I'll leave my final thoughts of both games later on. 

Thanks for watching.