Selecting a difficulty[edit]
DuckTales: Remastered consists of four different difficulty levels. Collecting all Heart Containers on Easy and Medium earns you an achievement/trophy, as does beating the game on Hard and Extreme, so each difficulty has its benefits in collecting achievements/trophies. However, the experience varies greatly between difficulties, so choose carefully; there's no shame in starting with Easy in order to become adjusted with the game's mechanics, as enemy patterns and environment quirks can prove frustrating for the inexperienced player. Take note that Extreme is only unlocked once the game has been beaten on Hard. Below is a list of differences between difficulties.
| Easy | Medium | Hard | Extreme | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damage | Each hit taken is equivalent to half a heart in damage. | Each hit taken is equivalent to one heart in damage. | ||
| Lives | Begin the game with unlimited lives. Where extra lives are found in other difficulties, cakes are found on Easy. | Begin the game with two lives; extra lives can be found throughout the game, but Scrooge's life count resets to two after each stage. | Begin the game with two lives; extra lives can be found throughout the game, and are maintained across stages. | |
| Heart Containers | A Heart Container can be found in each stage, for a maximum of eight hearts. | Heart Containers can only be found in Transylvania and the Himalayas, for a maximum of five hearts. Other Heart Containers are replaced by treasure worth $1,000,000. | ||
| Saves | The game saves after every stage, and checkpoints within stages are frequent. | The game saves after every stage, allowing you to retry a stage or try a different stage if all lives are lost. Checkpoints within stages are less frequent. | The game never saves. Checkpoints within stages are infrequent. | |
| Map | Full map is revealed at the start of the stage. | Map must be constructed as Scrooge traverses the stage, though locations of key items are revealed from the start. | No map is available. | |
| Restoration | Ice cream and cakes can be found frequently. | Some ice cream and cakes are replaced by diamonds. | Most ice cream is replaced by diamonds, and there are no cakes. | |
| Mrs. Beakley | Mrs. Beakley provides Scrooge with ice cream and cake when found. | Mrs. Beakley provides Scrooge with ice cream, a cake, and an extra life when found. | Mrs. Beakley provides Scrooge with ice cream and an extra life when found, and can only be found in the Amazon, the Mines, and the Moon. | |
| Magic Coins | Magic Coins that provide Scrooge with an invincibility window can be found once per stage. | There are no Magic Coins. Ice cream appears in their place. | ||
| Hard Pogo | Hard Pogo can be turned on in the Options, but is turned off by default. | The Hard Pogo option is on by default and cannot be turned off. | ||
Game progression[edit]
Before you can even access the level select hub at McDuck Manor, you must clear the game's introductory level, the Money Bin. While this level has the elements of a tutorial, it should not be underestimated, as dangerous hazards throughout the level and the boss fight at the very end of it can prove tricky. Defeating the Money Bin's boss leads Scrooge to the level select, allowing you to choose which level you play next. Try each level out to see which is easiest for you, as boss difficulty is all a matter of subjectivity (though there is a trick to the Moon's boss that makes it surprisingly painless).
Starting out with the easiest level will allow you to collect a Heart Container for the next level, and so on. On Hard and Extreme, it is recommended that you start with Transylvania or the Himalayas, as these are the only stages where Heart Containers can be found.
Once all stages in the level select are cleared, the Finale will be unlocked. Completion of the Finale allows all prior stages, including the Money Bin, to be replayed for extra money. That money can then be spent on artwork or music in the Gallery (accessed by entering the door on the far left of the room), and all previously collected treasures can be visited in the money bin (through the door at the back of the room, complete with a diving board inside).