This review was originally written on 09/25/2018.

Technical Information

Developer: Green Dinosaur Games
Publisher: Green Dinosaur Games
Release Date: September 6, 2018

Duck Souls is a challenging platformer!
Control a cute duck that has to find all the eggs to perpetuate its species.

Final Thoughts – Analyzing the game as a whole

Graphics and UI

Super charming pixel art, reminiscent of Commodore 64 games but with a more vibrant color palette.
The only thing that bugged me was the group of levels with a yellow background, I found it too similar to the duck’s plumage and made visibility a bit tiring. Understandably, this might have been intentional, as I suppose the entire graphic design has a specific color palette, but I think it could have left the background a bit darker or orange.

Soundtrack and Sound Effects

Nice music, it gave the game a relaxed atmosphere (even though it can get frustrating at times due to the number of deaths haha).

Gameplay

The level design is 10/10! Phases that gradually become more difficult and, although short, are not repetitive.
Dying here is very easy, and restarting a phase to reach the same point is just as fast. Very cool, because you die but leave with the feeling of “now I can do it!”.

As you progress, you’ll unlock new hats for the duck. They don’t add anything to gameplay, but make the duck more adorable haha
Each stage has a plaque with some famous game and movie quote. It’s fun to hunt down the references (I didn’t recognize all of them though).

Besides directional controls, you only use two buttons: jump and dash. You can also customize them according to your preference.

There is a save slot where you can continue from the last lvel you stopped or play another earlier one.

Replayability and Game Retention

Despite the high difficulty level, you won’t feel inclined to give up right away. With stages being short, you always have the feeling that you’re getting closer to finishing.
It’s great for casual gaming!