DuckTales Remastered: African Mines Tips

Today’s the day!  You’ll be able to download DuckTales: Remastered for PlayStation Network, Wii U and PC/Steam by the time you read this, with all five of the levels from the NES game, along with some bonus content, remade for a new generation of gamers.

For this particular guide, we dive deep into the African Mines, where the Giant Diamond of Inner-Earth awaits.  Scrooge McDuck heads there to see how things are going with his mining team, but they’re soon scared off by ghosts deep within its ruins.  Skeptical, Scrooge elects to go in himself.

Here are some tips that will help you out while scavenging the Mines.

Enemies

There are only a few enemy types to deal with in the African Mines, but they can be tricky.  The first are simple slugs that maneuver slowly back and forth across the floor.  They’re easily beaten with a cane hop or by hitting an object into them.

Next up are bats, which hang from the ceiling and have a tendency to dive bomb Scrooge from above.  Your best bet is to move out of the way, and, once they’re dazed on the ground, hit them with a quick pogo jump.  There are also some round rocks you can hit at an angle to take them out before they have the opportunity to dive bomb you, so watch out for these.

The man-eating plants from the Amazon stage make a return, and are just as big of a pain here as they were there.  You’ll need to avoid their chomping attacks from above and hit them with something from the sides, like an object.  Big rolling rocks can crush them with ease, too.

Finally, there are the sea monster ducks, which come hopping out of the water.  You can tell where they’re positioned because bubbles gather on the surface, and they jump when you come close.  In some situations, you’ll require their help to reach a part of the stage where there are no platforms.  You’ll need to time your pogo jump off of them perfectly, going from one to the next before reaching the next stable platform.  It might take some practice – some of the platforms are smaller than others – but you’ll get through it eventually. 

Boulders

During some points of the stage, you’ll have an Indiana Jones-like scenario where a rolling boulder charges towards you.  There’s no way to bounce over it in the stage, nor hit it with anything.  Your best bet is to run and collect as many loose diamonds as you can while you do so.  You simply need to make it to the exit point of the stage to get to safety, so don’t worry about what you’ll need to do in order to escape.  In some ways, the boulder can even help you – like with those man-eating plants.

Treasure Galore

Like previous stages in DuckTales Remastered, the African Mines have plenty of hidden treasures.  You can find the first one rather easily, walking through what appears to be a stable wall that vanishes when you get near it.  Get the treasure chests opened up in there, and then continue on your way.

Also, watch out for treasure chests that are out of reach and may appear out of nowhere when you’re jumping or pogo-hopping.  Hitting these will give you the necessary extra height to get to them and add to your growing funds.

The Classic Mine Cart Returns

Midway through the stage, you’ll wind up riding in a mine cart.  You can jump out of it – sometimes it’s handy when reaching higher-up jewels – but when you see a solid wall approaching, duck.  Otherwise, you’ll lose a little bit of your health.  Don’t forget to jump to another cart when you see a big gap coming as well.  You’ll lose the turn if you don’t.

Boss Time

Finally, there’s the boss encounter, which brings you to the land of the Terra-Firmians.  These are bouncing ball-like creatures that have been creating a ruckus for the miners, as well as earthquakes.  The Terra-Firmian King doesn’t take a liking to you when you first show up, and challenges you to a fight.  At first, he’s easy to hit, as he rolls to the side of each stage, then back to the middle, where you can hit him with a pogo hop. 

From there, the King launches into a mega-rolling attack, going along the ceiling and the floor of the stage.  You can’t hurt him at this point, so simply jump over him to get out of the way.  He’ll jump into the distance and call upon one of two attacks – either a huge Terra-Firmian tidal wave of balls that you can easily pogo-hop over, or boulders that drop from the ceiling.  You can see these coming from shadows on the floor, so make sure you move out of their way.  Following that, the King will return to the main part of the stage, where you can pogo-hop him a few more times, making him give in and provide you with cherished “garbage rocks” – including the Giant Diamond of Inner-Earth.

Have fun, and enjoy the return of this classic favorite!

DuckTales Remastered is available now for PlayStation Network, Wii U eShop and PC/Steam, and releases September 11th for Xbox Live Arcade.